McGuire Development Co. has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on behalf of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) seeking qualified and interested commercial real estate developers for all of the NFTA-Metro Rail Corridor properties, including LaSalle Station, Amherst Station, Humboldt-Hospital Station, Delavan College Station, Utica Station, Summer-Best Station, and the soon-to-be developed DL&W Station.
This significant development is being prompted by a Transit Oriented Development (“TOD”) trend, which has been developed to demonstrate the advantages of compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities, centered around high-quality train systems. Currently, Buffalo’s Metro Rail stations lack in that department, which is why there is a new push to construct destinations that serve people and neighborhoods, as they mesh with the Metro Rail. As Buffalo continues to undergo a renaissance, it’s more important than ever that the stations act as destinations along the Metro Rail route, instead of simply pass-thrus. This opportunity is being considered a “generational opportunity”.
The spark for this redevelopment was also ignited by the recent success of the new Allen-Medical Campus Station (see lead image – artwork “Gut Flora” by Artist Shasti O’Leary Soundant). The old station was demolished, to make way for a new station that is tied directly into the Medical Campus via the $375 million University at Buffalo School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (UB SMBS) building at 955 Main Street. This development has already fueled an increase in ridership, access, and revenue for NFTA-Metro and the community, according to McGuire Development Co.
Now, the NFTA-Metro is seeking qualified development teams to partner with, “on projects similar to this $375 million collaborative and community driven development project.”
The RFQ will be released publicly through the New York State Contract Reporter, and the Construction Exchange, and widely on multiple media outlets. Please reference bids.nfta.com for any inquiries related to this RFQ. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for development at NFTA-Metro rail properties is expected to be released for each of the particular stations within (6) six months.