BUFFALO, N.Y. — Work continues to redevelop the former DL&W Terminal in downtown Buffalo, an idea that had been talked about for more than 20 years, but which only got on track a few years ago largely due to the commitment of millions of taxpayer dollars by New York State.
The last train of the DL&W pulled out of the terminal more than 60 years ago. The terminal sat vacant until 1979 when it was purchased by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), which has used it primarily for storage and maintenance on rail cars.
In all of those years it has remains inaccessible to the public. However, the NFTA is hopeful that will begin to change in the spring or summer of 2024.
"It's part of the city's history. It used to be accessible to everyone and we want to bring that back as part of the city's redevelopment," said Darren Kempner, the NFTA's director of government relations and developments.
But there is still a ways to go in what is essentially a two part project for the two story structure totaling $87 million.
The first floor will be the new metro rail station across South Park from the KeyBank Center arena.
However, it will a be another year or more before it's finished and the first passengers are able to use it.
The second part of the project involves the second floor, a cavernous 75,000 square foot covered space, with an additional 35,000 square feet of uncovered space on a deck overlooking the Buffalo River.
"We want people to be up here interacting with the space as part of the development," Kempner said. "And we look forward to welcoming them up to the second floor of the facility next year."
Just what they will see when they are finally let into the space, however, remains up in the air.
"We don't know," Kempner said. "The possibilities are endless ... and we are working with our developer."
The developer is Savarino Company, which has indicated the best use of much of the space might be for a concert venue.
But according to Kempner, nothing has been set in stone, while indicating that whatever the second floor becomes may come about in phases and could change along the way.
"Empire State Development recently released requests for proposals for Great Lakes cruise ships and this site has been identified as one of two possibilities for docking Great Lakes cruise ships in the future as well," Kempner said.
Plans for the terminal, when finished, also include a enclosed pedestrian walkway over South Park to the KeyBank Center.