The time has come to start seriously thinking about the future of the Elmwood District, as it pertains to its proximity to the soon-to-be-dormant Women & Children’s Hospital on Bryant Avenue. Kaleida Health has issued a national RFP for the reuse of the site.
Behind the scenes, Kaleida has been meeting with neighbors and community leaders (Project Advisory Committee – PAC) to formalize a campus reuse study. The potential for this future project is limitless, and could help to shape the future of the Elmwood Village.
At least one concerned party that I recently spoke to feels that no matter who bites at the RFP, Kaleida should consider selling off the MD parking lot at the corner of Elmwood and Bryant (separate from the RFP) in order to jumpstart development progress on Elmwood (instead of waiting for the RFP results, the Children’s move, and the new development to be built).That parcel is prime for a multi-use infill building. To me, that makes sense, although it’s probably very unlikely. It appears that just about everyone that you talk to has different ideas when it comes to how the hospital property should be handled.
The complex of properties included in the RFP is as follows:
- Seven interconnected buildings constructed between 1917 and 1995 (617,000 square feet on a site between Bryant Street and Hodge Avenue)
- 187 Bryant Street
- 125 Hodge Avenue (home of Hodge Pediatrics, an electrical substation and a maintenance garage)
- West Utica Street – 2+ acres (primary parking), which should be built up with mixed use no matter who lands the project
One thing is for sure, living in the neighborhood, I am excited to see Children’s vacate the property. Despite the perception that the hospital did wonders for Elmwood over the year, I feel that this new development opportunity will far outweigh the impact that the hospital has had on the community. Barring a Walmart, a giant Dollar Store, etc., Buffalonians should be excited about this development.
The RFP committee is being chaired by Robert G. Shibley, the Dean of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo, founder of the Urban Design Project and a lead consultant on city and regional projects including the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Buffalo.
As for the future of Children’s, The Oishei Children’s Hospital is slated to open in late 2017.
*Interested neighbors and community members are encouraged to visit Kaleida Health’s website on the reuse process to offer feedback on the reuse process.