April 5, 2024 Buffalo’s Eastern Hills Mall Transforms to Town Center

Eastern Hills Mall transforms into vibrant town center in Buffalo, NY.

Buffalo, NY – Uniland Development Company and Mountain Development Corp. (MDC) announced the redevelopment of Buffalo, New York’s Eastern Hills Mall, reshaping its identity into an urban-esque, pedestrian-friendly town center that integrates retail, entertainment, health and wellness amenities, alongside office spaces and residential options.

Since 1971, Eastern Hills Mall has been an integral part of Buffalo’s retail landscape, boasting renowned anchor stores such as JCPenney, Sears, and Macy’s. Over the years, the mall underwent several renovations, including a significant overhaul in 1987 that introduced a modern food court.

Despite these efforts, shifting consumer preferences towards online shopping and the closure of traditional anchor stores prompted a reevaluation of the mall’s role in the community.

In January 2024, recognizing the need to adapt to evolving consumer trends, the interior concourses of Eastern Hills Mall were closed, marking the beginning of its transformation into Eastern Hills Town Center. This project aims to create an innovative mixed-use space that aligns with the needs and desires of contemporary lifestyles.

The new Eastern Hills Town Center will be home to 1,500 residential units, one million square feet of office and medical space, multiple restaurants, retail stores, and hotels and parks for outdoor event space. The total landscape is made up of 100-acres on which the future town center will provide a mixed-use, village-like atmosphere, with 24/7 activity supporting a live, work, play lifestyle.

This redevelopment adds to several additional transformations throughout Buffalo. Canal Side, or the Buffalo water front, has seen a $200 million redevelopment from abandoned manufacturing facilities to a community hub with with restaurants, museums, hotels, offices, shops, parks and several event and activity spaces.

Seneca One Tower, Buffalo’s tallest tower, stood empty for years following the recession of 2008. That is until developer Douglas Jemal of Douglas Development purchased the building and breathed life into the Central Business District. Seneca One is now at full occupancy in each of its residential units. It includes M&T Tech’s 1,500 employee expansion and other companies like Odoo and AML RightSource.

Buffalo’s east side has seen several multi-million-dollar redevelopment projects in recent years including the Northland Corridor (a $60 million project that includes the Northland Workforce Training Center, an advanced manufacturing and clean energy trade school), East Side Avenues program (a $65M investment, targeting four main avenues in Buffalo’s East Side to maximize economic impact for those working and living in the community), and a $23.5M investment for the development of affordable homes on vacant city-owned lots on the East Side.

The redevelopment of Buffalo’s Eastern Hills Mall into the Eastern Hills Town Center is currently underway, and will be completed in a series of phases. For more information, visit: https://uniland.com/

About Uniland Development Company: Uniland Development Company is a full-service commercial real estate development firm with broad experience across many product types and related services. Since our founding with a single warehouse in 1974 by Carl J. Montante and Nancy R. Dobson, Uniland has developed more than 16 million square feet throughout the Buffalo and Rochester markets, including over eight million square feet under management.

Subscribe to Industry Today