TM Montante Development, the company leading the transformation of the former Millard Fillmore Gates Circle hospital site, is planning a forum to help foster conversation about the project with neighborhood residents.
The event, “A Conversation on the Future of Gates Circle”, will be held on Monday, June 9 from 6-8 p.m. inside the Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Avenue on the Buffalo State College campus. The event is open to the public.
“Our vision for the Gates Circle site is transformational,” said Tim Vaeth, president, TM Montante Development. “A key component of that transformation, for us, is creating a project in which the neighborhood can take a sense of pride and ownership. It’s just as important that we know what our neighbors are thinking as they know what we are thinking.”
Attendees at the forum will hear from the development team and have a chance to view and comment on the proposed site plan and project renderings. The program will be led by representatives from TM Montante Development and by Robert Shibley and Bradshaw Hovey of the UB Regional Institute, which was recently hired by TM Montante Development to assist in shaping the development vision and in engaging the community in important discussions regarding the project.
TM Montante Development was selected as the designated developer for the 10-acre site late last year. Initial plans call for a $63 million mixed-use development, including a $28 million campus for Canterbury Woods, the region’s premier retirement living community, and a series of mixed-use facilities, including market-rate and for-sale residential options, retail and a community health and wellness center. The project will also feature a number of green and sustainable design elements, including a meaningful solar component as a source of alternative energy, as well as significant green space. The company plans to start construction next year.
As part of the project, TM Montante will be opening a construction office near Gates Circle in the coming weeks, and will eventually move the company’s headquarters to the Gates Circle site.
“We are making a commitment to this project and to the surrounding neighborhoods, not just through the substantial investment we are making to develop the project, but also in becoming part of the community,” Vaeth said. “We want this to be a signature project for our tenants, for our neighbors, for our company, and for the City of Buffalo.”