When Samuel Savarino said he was closing his Savarino Companies and work halted at the downtown Batavia Ellicott Station apartment complex in the summer of 2023, it seemed a given that the Buffalo-based developer was done with the project.

However, Savarino recently indicated, in responses to questions from The Batavian, that such a conclusion may have been premature. Work is being performed on the Ellicott Street property by “subcontractors of Savarino Companies LLC,” Savarino said Thursday. 

While the pace of work at Ellicott Station has slowed to a crawl since August, when Sam Savarino announced he was closing his development company, there continues to be the occasional contractor on the site doing some work.

On Wednesday, there was a two-man crew putting more siding on the front of the apartment building under construction.

There has yet to be an announcement from local officials or Savarino about the future of the project.  There is reportedly a search underway to find a new contractor to complete the project, which is potentially hampered by a very low-income requirement for renters from the Office of NYS Homes and Community Renewal, but officials have yet to reveal any progress on that front.

For previous coverage of Ellicott Station, click here.

There have been signs of life at Ellicott Station, if for no other reason than to button up the property just before it officially becomes winter. 

Construction vehicles have been parked on the premises, and Public Works Director Brett Frank confirmed that staff has observed a few subcontractors who were “closing up the building and moving materials in preparation for winter weather” the past week or two. 

The Batavian has been regularly checking in with City Manager Rachael Tabelski for any updates about the property.

Genesee County Economic Development Center officials have severed their ties with Savarino Companies and asked for more than $1 million of tax benefits back, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Jim Krencik says. 

Three trucks were spotted at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning at the Ellicott Station construction project, which has stalled after developer Savarino Companies announced it was going out of business six weeks ago.

A supervisor said a work crew was on the roof completing a project. He said the work was being done because it needed to be completed and not in response to building code citations issued by the city, which The Batavian first reported about this morning.

At 11 a.m., the workers were seen departing the construction site.

There's also recently been some weed removal on the property.

While a few prospective tenants of the stalled Ellicott Station strategize their next move, folks at Genesee County Economic Development Center apparently believe they are making headway.

A few of the tenants chosen for the Southside apartment complex are considering possible legal action against Savarino Companies for pulling out of the project that has left them dangling with the hope that they might still have a new home come 2024. As one tenant said, it’s about “what Savarino did to all of us, ‘cause it’s not fair to us.”

Meanwhile, Steve Hyde, CEO of the county’s economic center, gave a brief yet vaguely optimistic statement this week that his agency has been working with Sam Savarino and the state Office of Housing and Community Renewal to get Ellicott Station back on track.

An email was sent out from Savarino Companies to those 55 tenants selected this past May for one of the Ellicott Station homes that had been in progress until a month or so ago. 

And, no, it was no longer congratulatory in nature about the tenants’ good luck in being chosen for one of the safe, quality, affordable rentals on the city’s Southside.

It was one of regret.

There are “several interested developers” working with Sam Savarino, president of the now-defunct Savarino Companies after he announced closing about a month ago, City Manager Rachael Tabelski says.

In response to a request for an update, Tabelski said Tuesday that Savarino and banking institutions have been involved in talks with those developers, though she did not have or divulge anything “official.” 

Just before 5 p.m. on Thursday, a worker with A-Verdi Storage Containers removed an apparent mobile unit that seemed to have served as the on-site office of Savarino Companies at the Ellicott Station construction site.

The Savarino sign that had been on the unit was removed, and a metal desk and storage cabinet sat on the ground outside of it.

The driver confirmed he was removing the unit from the site and was later seen hauling it west on Ellicott Street.

The Batavian continues to provide Genesee County residents with the most comprehensive coverage of the Ellicott Station project. You can support our community-minded reporting by joining Early Access Pass.