Plans unveiled Monday show much of the former Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital being replaced with a new mixed-use, senior housing development.
The $63 million project features upscale, independent living and assisted living apartments by Canterbury Woods, according to Kaleida Health President and CEO James Kaskie.
"We had three wonderful proposals from three local developers and this one, we said, just fit the community perfectly," Kaskie said.
The first building reuse plan for a veterinary school fell through. Kaskie says it was a "wonderful idea," but too complicated and difficult to pull off.
The new project also includes market-rate and for sale residential options, retail space, and a health and wellness center.
Episcopal Church Home & Affiliates president and CEO Rob Wallace says the Canterbury Woods project will provide residents with the opportunity to maintain their vibrancy and independence.
"Walk around this beautiful neighborhood down Chapin Parkway, on Linwood, on Lafayette and in the nearby Elmwood Village, and you really get it -- an energy and atmosphere that is unique to Buffalo. For our city's older adults, this is their Buffalo. They know that they are as important to its growing success as any other generation," Wallace said.
The former hospital would be demolished as part of the plan. Plans include extending Lancaster Avenue from Delaware Avenue to Linwood. Construction is set to begin in the spring.
