MOVED BY POSSIBILITIES
The Master Plan is the first step of many on a path to realizing the audacious inspirations for a fully reimagined Buffalo Central Terminal. It is the most in-depth guide ever created for the Terminal’s reuse. The community-driven Master Plan re-establishes the Terminal as a vibrant, year-round, regional venue that leverages diversity of spaces, and reflects cultural and economic assets of the Broadway-Fillmore Neighborhood.
WE STARTED WITH A PLAN
Together with the community, we conceived of a new future rooted in equity, knowledge, and a shared vision for a path forward. Through community-driven planning on the ground, this planning process brought together a diverse individuals, from longtime Terminal champions and neighborhood residents to new Americans, local business owners to government allies, preservationists to pioneers.
The future of the Buffalo Central Terminal is inextricably tied to the future of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood. Embedded in our Master Plan is the Broadway-Fillmore Neighborhood Framework that identifies 1) key assets, 2) opportunities and challenges, and 3) a core set of goals and values for broad revitalization lifted up by residents.
Our Priorities
Stabilize, adapt, and sustainably reuse the Terminal and grounds
Re-establish the Terminal as a hub of activity – a beacon and a destination that attracts people and investment
Celebrate and foster community voice and connections that shape broader revitalization efforts
Join and elevate the strong future of the city and region
OUR STRATEGY FOR REUSE
Create an ENGAGING CIVIC COMMONS as a year-round venue of events and activities centered around the Passenger Concourse – and a public plaza and adjacent grounds.
Create WELCOMING OPEN SPACES with activated grounds and year-round use, recreational activities and events, to drive interest and support future building uses.
Leverage a DYNAMIC MIX OF USES – Cultural Center, Nonprofit Anchor, Innovation Hub, Housing, Film Industry – so that early phases will support a range of complementary creative, entrepreneurial and civic enterprises.
Support COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE by tying our future to Broadway Fillmore and being an important part of social and racial equity through the Terminal’s reuse.
Utilize SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES while respecting the historic identity of the building and grounds.
Our Next Steps
1) Select Developer(s) through a two stage process, starting with a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) that was issued in August, 2022 and then a Request for Proposal (RFP) that will be issued to selected teams.
2) Activate the Great Lawn with events and activities.
3) Utilize funding to stabilize the Central Terminal and start the Civic Commons, by reopening the Concourse and making the outside spaces safe and useable.