The redevelopment of the old Milliard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital site may include a new YMCA. The new facility would replace the YMCA's building in North Buffalo which first opened on Delaware Avenue nearly 90 years ago.
TM Montante Development president Timothy Vaeth says a health and wellness center has been a part of the plan for the 10-acre Gates Circle site from the beginning.
"We're coming in and almost sandwiching in between two very established and strong neighborhoods," Vaeth said.
"We want to be able to be a part those neighborhoods and add to those neighborhoods. We don't want to take away from anything that's already happening."
The goal is to create a vibrant people-based project that could serve the community at-large and the Canterbury Woods retirement facility. So, Vaeth says including the YMCA would be phenomenal.
YMCA Buffalo Niagara president Buddy Campbell says the non-profit would like a larger, accessible building so it could offer families programming available in other 21st century YMCA's.
"We've looked at sites throughout North Buffalo. And we saw this as a potential opportunity to continue to be in North Buffalo, to provide the city with a new YMCA, so we're taking a hard look at it."
Campbell says the YMCA is awaiting the results of a market study before going any further.
In the meantime, Vaeth says demolition of the old Gates Circle hospital could start in the fall, allowing the site to be ready for construction in the spring.