BuffaloRising.com: DL&W set to become Buffalo’s premier public market
The face of the city is about to change, again. The transformation of the seemingly dormant DL&W Terminal along the Buffalo River is finally upon us, thanks to a huge new venture by the likes of developer Sam Savarino (Savarino DL&W Development LLC).
You might recall that Savarino was the only developer to respond to an RFP back in 2016. Incredibly, Savarino has been working quietly behind the scenes, and is now ready to embark upon one of the most exciting projects that I have seen in my lifetime – the conversion of the terminal into a multi-functional marketplace the likes of which this city has never seen.
Years ago, I wondered why the DL&W couldn’t just replicate the St. Lawrence Market model in Toronto. To me, these are sister facilities, offering similar footprints, as well as similar development opportunities. These are the types of facilities that are made for year-round public spaces. And Buffalo’s terminal just happens to sit along the waterfront, prime for multimodal, destination-driven opportunities.
If you’re thinking that this is another pie-in-the-sky project, think again. Savarino already has the funding in place and is setting his sights on opening the new waterfront market in 2027. Construction is already underway. Considering the scale of the development, that’s right around the corner. Already, the Savarino team is in the midst of reaching out to a number of coveted Buffalo businesses, creatives, and entrepreneurs, all of whom are chomping at the bit to be a part of this new venture.
The breakdown of the market will include a full restaurant, with multiple food kiosks, similar to a food hall. There will be a pocket grocery store, an art incubator, public art, indoor and outdoor live music, a private event space, food trucks on the upper deck (yes, there will be a food truck lift), concessions, games, a café/bar, farmers and food artisan tabling on the weekends. Other ideas being bandied about include a barber, a credit union, flowers, and various other everyday sundries.
The year-round market will be accessible by rail, bike, foot, car, and boat. It will become a destination on warm summer days when visitors will clamor to get seats along the river, as well as winter days when families can spend hours walking around in search of food and fun in a brilliant, naturally lit market emporium. Take the Metro Rail and never worry about the cold and snow. Ride a bike, and forget the parking. Pay a visit before a show at the KeyBank Center, or after walking around Canalside. The new market will make it so easy to spend an entire day on the waterfront, in tandem with the children’s museum, the solar, carousel, and the various recreational boating opportunities.
In order to pull all of this off, CEO Sam Savarino has teamed up with some heavy hitters who understand just how these types of market settings work. The expertly curated team includes illustrious foodie Christa Glennie (Director of Operations), Josh Holtzman of Twenty6 Productions (Strategic Advisor – Events and Entertainment), and Grace Vesneske (Strategic Advisor – Events and Entertainment).
As for the heavy hitters that will bring the project to fruition, Savarino has retained the talents of Colicchio Consulting, which has worked on similar public markets all over the world, and Eimer Architecture | Interiors out of Philadelphia, which also has expertise in the creation of world-renowned food hall concepts. Both groups have emphatically stated that the terminal is positioned to become one of the greatest markets in the US due to all of its unique attributes.
At this point, the team is in the process of coming up with one last rendition of the plan to fine-tune the concepts. From there, they plan to “tenant out” the spaces. After traveling the country, in search of public markets as inspiration, the team is confident that they are heading in all of the right directions. As for the timeline for the NFTA to finish work on the lower level, I understand that their goal is to have their work completed in the near future, which bodes well for the market. Plans are still being worked out for all of the various connection points, to the arena, parking ramps, the river, etc., but there appear to be some pretty creative concepts at play that will make accessing the market a breeze.
If there’s one thing that I can say, as a person who has been praying for a development of this nature to come into focus in Buffalo, it’s… this city deserves this.
Let’s go Buffalo!
