Ed Hogle says he wants to build an off-campus community for college students—entirely with private funds

Ed Hogle, Owner of E.B. Atlas Steel and Steel Crazy Café, walks into a giant open room that resembles an airplane hangar. Cars, old boats, picnic tables, and an open-air bus are scattered about the massive space.

“This is the real coup de grace. This is what will really knock people’s socks off,” he says.

Hogle plans to convert this space into a giant sports-themed room that resembles a sports bar, though it will not serve alcohol. His vision includes rows of flat-screen TVs, a rock-climbing wall, a boxing ring, a basketball court, and a full-service soda bar.

This is only a small part of Hogle’s larger vision. He owns, or has the option to buy, more than 33 acres of property sitting adjacent to the 198, around Tonawanda and Amherst streets. He plans on converting this property and the buildings that rest upon it into Rock Harbor Commons, a massive facility that will house undergraduate and graduate students from the region’s colleges and universities, visiting professors, fraternities and sororities, and even retired persons looking to have access to academia and the cultural programs a college campus offers. In addition to housing, Hogle plans to provide a long list of amenities including a fitness center, restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques.

Hogle has been planning on converting his storage facility into some sort of housing for several years now, but the original plans for the building were not so well received. With more money in taxes going out the door than his storage rental business was bringing in, Hogle was looking to convert his buildings into a business that could turn a profit. After being approached by Reverend Terry King of Saving Grace Ministries, Hogle entered into negotiations with the State of New York to have the property converted into a halfway house for sex offenders.

Very quickly State Assembly Member Sam Hoyt began to receive complaints from his constituency.

“I heard that Ed Hogle, who I had never met at the time, had reached an agreement with the State of New York and the Division of Parole to convert his building or a couple of his buildings into sex-offender housing,” Hoyt says. After learning of the plans, Hoyt decided to set up a meeting with Hogle.

“Sam Hoyt came over here under direction kind of from [Buffalo State President] Dr. Muriel Howard to see what he could do about stopping me from doing the sex offender house,” Hogle says. “He quickly convinced me that there was a need for student housing, and I met with Dr. Howard twice and she was all for student housing. I think it was just a ploy to get me out of the sex offender thing.”

“He made it clear to me that [the sex offender housing] was not his preferred approach,” Hoyt says. “He and I talked about the potential of developing the entire property.”

After that meeting, Hogle began to realize the opportunity that the location of his property afforded.

“I can get in my car and within four minutes I can be at Buffalo State, Canisius, Medaille, or D’Youville,” Hogle says. “In five I can be at the Buffalo-Niagara medical corridor.”

Hogle’s property lies within a 10-mile radius of more than 27,000 students. The closest school to his property, Buffalo State, has had a surplus of housing demand in recent years, causing the school to put up students in local hotels for entire semesters.

Unlike most developers, Hogle does not plan on seeking financial assistance from the government or out-of-state investors.

“I’m sick and tired of us [Buffalonians] looking to Albany, looking to Bass Pro, looking to California investors. I really don’t think we’re chopped liver and I think with a little bit of publicity I can get small investors to invest in this vision, and when the time comes two or three lending institutions will lend us the money if we just have some local support.”

Local support is something that Hogle has not had trouble finding.

“I’m up to over my 60th community partner,” he says with a satisfied smile.

Hogle says he has found numerous organizations, institutions, and individuals interested in partnering in the venture including former Buffalo Common Councilmember Barbara Kavanaugh, the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, and Buffalo MicroParks.

While Hoyt admires Hogle’s sense of independence, he hopes that Hogle will reconsider taking a helping hand from state government.

“I would encourage him to change his mind,” Hoyt says. “I think that the city and the state ought to be providing real incentives for an entrepreneurial businessman like Ed Hogle to do his project.”

While Hogle insists he does not plan on seeking financial assistance from local or state governments, he is seeking some other forms of governmental assistance.

“I want the city to slow down the traffic on Tonawanda Street. I want them to help get rid of the [City of Buffalo] car impound and put it somewhere where it isn’t so visible.”

The impound, which sits at 166 Dart Street, lies directly between the proposed Rock Harbor Commons site and the Buffalo State campus. Buffalo State would also like to see the impound relocated, as that site is the most practical location for the school’s new outdoor sports complex, which could be completed as early as 2011. Should the stadium be built at that location, Hogle’s property and the campus would be separated by less than 100 feet, with only Scajaquada Creek and the bike path that borders it separating the two properties.

The creek that separates the properties is currently a concern of the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. The organization continues to make Scajaquada Creek, which connects Hoyt Lake of Delaware Park with the Black Rock Canal, a priority site for cleanup efforts.

“There is a great connection to the waterfront,” says Hoyt. “I remind people that Scajaquada Creek used to be a recreational waterway where boats were constantly going up and down. I envision canoes, kayaks, and access to the Black Rock channel and ultimately the Niagara River.”

One issue that both Hoyt and Buffalo State representatives have emphasized to Hogle is the need for extensive security.

“Your project can only work if its part of a bigger vision and that you emphasize and re-emphasize security and accessibility,” Hoyt has told Hogle.

Hogle understands this well and is ready to provide these necessities. He plans on having 24-hour security, emergency phones in the more isolated areas of his property, and constant shuttles to the various campuses.

In Hoyt’s opinion this project is one in which members of the community and local government should take an interest.

“He ought to be embraced, he ought to be promoted, and people out to be banging and knocking down his door to say how can we help. Who do I mean by that? I mean Buff State, I mean the City of Buffalo, I mean the State of New York, and possibly the federal government as well.”

If all goes according to plan, Hogle says, Rock Harbor Commons will be up and running by the fall of 2009.

—justin sondel