By Tracey Drury  – Reporter, Buffalo Business First

The sale of two Buffalo commercial properties will result in new homes for a health care agency and a nonprofit service provider.

Belmont Housing Resources for WNY Inc. sold its longtime facility at 1195 Main St. to Greater Buffalo United Accountable Healthcare Network LLC for $2.5 million, giving the health care provider a new location on the edge of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The sale closed on Sept. 19, clearing the way for Belmont Housing to move forward with a $5.45 million acquisition of 2421 Main St. at Jewett Parkway from an affiliate of LP Ciminelli. That deal is slated to close Sept. 30.

Michael Riegel, president at Belmont, said the move to the Central Park District gives his agency room to grow its 127-person staff while maintaining easy transit access to its housing and home-ownership programs. The 72,000-square-foot facility, which adds more parking and expanded training and meeting space, is located between two Metro stations, just like its existing site, which made it especially appealing.

“It’s very important for our clientele to have as much public access as possible,” he said. “We’re not busting at the seams at 1195, but the LP Ciminelli building came along and we knew we’re going to be needing space within two years.”

Belmont operates on a budget of $7 million, while managing 25 other nonprofit corporations with combined revenue of another $20 million. Belmont Housing will use 34,000 square feet in the site, with existing tenants KeyBank and SEIU1199 United Healthcare Workers East remaining in longterm leases at the building, the former Braun Cadillac dealership site.

Meanwhile, GBUAHN, which provides primary care and care management programs, gains expanded space in closer proximity to its partners on the medical campus, said Dr. Raul Vazquez, CEO at GBUAHN and its parent, G-Health Enterprises, which see more than 50,000 patients annually.

“We wanted a centralized location around the medical corridor because there’s lots of activity with Kaleida and other partners,” he said.

Within two years, G-Health expects to have about 100 staff working from the site, with plans to hire population health outreach workers, patient health navigators, nurse practitioners, coders, actuarial staff as well as practice facilitators.

G-Health plans to move several programs to the site, including IT, infrastructure and business development for its growing Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and its care coordination business. The site will also offer space for educational programs to help clients and patients learn more about telemedicine and patient portals, with a possibility of offering patient care at the site in the future, Vazquez said.

G-Health plans to begin renovations at the site in the coming weeks, and will move 20-25 of its workers into part of the space. Belmont Housing will remain on-site until its new home is ready in about four months, Riegel said.”

Dave Schiller marketed and sold 1195 Main Street