Now that Kaleida Health broke ground on the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital on Ellicott Street Wednesday, many wonder what will become of the current Bryant Street site.
Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo
Credit Ashley Hirtzel / WBFO
Kaleida is expected to move quickly in selling off the building currently housing Women & Children’s Hospital. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the organization began the process of leveraging possible new developers for that site prior to selling Millard Fillmore Hospital at Gates Circle in late 2013 to Canterbury Woods.
“They requested the private sector to come in with ideas to re-imagine what the Millard Fillmore Gates facility could be, they got a great reuse of that facility, and I believe there will be a great reuse of Women & Children’s Hospital on Bryant as well,” said Brown.
Brown says he would like to see the sale process of the Womens & Children’s building include community input.
“Just like the process that Kaleida initiated for Millard Fillmore Gates, there was a community visioning process, there was an RFP (request for proposal) that went out, a number of ides came in, and an idea was selected that was in the best interest of that facility, the surrounding community, and the city in general,” said Brown.
If a new developer for the property is selected, Kaleida would lease the facility until the new $270 million Oishei Children’s Hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is completed in 2017.