Progress Report On Buffalo's Downtown Development | News

 BUFFALO, N.Y. -- With the summer construction season underway, much of the development in Western New York will happen in downtown Buffalo.

One of the major projects the former Hotel Lafayette. Developer Rocco Termini closed on the building just last week and will invest $40 million to renovate the property. It will include 115 apartments, a boutique hotel and first-floor retailers.

On the other side of Lafayette Square, the Tishman Building, which has been partially empty for the past decade since National Fuel left for the suburbs, could see a new anchor tenant.

The Hamister Group wants to bring its headquarters into the building. Developers also plan to add a Hilton Garden Inn hotel in the 19-story building.

Near City Hall, two of the largest projects are underway. The new federal courthouse is about 95 percent completed, with a $137 million price tag.

Meantime, work is just getting underway across the street at the Statler Towers. Developer Mark Croce plans to turn it into the "grande dame of downtown", with work beginning on the first two floors.

Moving toward the waterfront, the Donovan State Office Building is due a facelift. The deadline to submit renovation plans to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation is a month away. Officials with Phillips Lytle law firm say they want to be anchor tenant of a dramatic transformation by Benderson Development. The plan has yet to be approved by the firm's partners.

The Donovan Building is part of the overall Canal Side project, which has a total impact of $295 million.

Also, the city recently approved plans to turn the old Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant site at Elm and William into high-end lofts.

The lofts would provide housing to workers and students attracted to the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus, which continues to expand. Ground has been broken at the school's Educational Opportunity Center, and the Medical Research Center -- a $295 million partnership with Kaleida Health -- is almost completed.

Add together the active projects, and it approaches $1 billion for downtown. That total doesn't include the $655 million in development that UB officials say would come to Western New York if state lawmakers approve the UB 2020 plan.