BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — New renderings have been released and more information has been provided on the next steps in the Broadway Market revitalization project.
According to Empire State Development (ESD), Broadway Market Management, Inc. (BMMI), a new not-for-profit corporation, has been established to operate the city-owned public market building and will go before the Preservation Board for a certificate of appropriateness for the rehabilitation of the market.
The Buffalo Planning Board will next consider site plan approval for the project. Construction is currently set to begin in the summer of 2026 and cost between $40-45 million.
ESD said capital funding for the project and support for BMMI is coming from ESD, the Regional Revitalization Partnership (RRP) and Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds.
“Our vision has always been a thriving Broadway Market for the East Side, and today we’re one step closer. With major state and Regional Revitalization Partnership investment, we’re turning the tide on decades of decline and pursuing a plan that firmly reestablishes the market as a bustling hub in the heart of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.”
ESD said the overall design of the revitalization will include:
- A reorganization of the internal layout and circulation within the market to cluster year-round vendors along a central main aisle with adjoining areas for growth, and incorporation of expanded areas for prepared foods and food production;
- Razing of a rear parking structure that has experienced significant deterioration and replacement with a multi-purpose surface parking/loading area that can also host outdoor events;
- Restoration of various “character-defining” features such as the Art Moderne curved walls and window features of the building’s facade and highlighting of the structure’s internal concrete elements;
- Incorporation of new vendor stalls and improved mechanical, electrical and other internal systems; and
- New iconic sign elements and lighting on the Broadway and rear facades.
According to ESD, there is a construction staging plan to allow the market and vendors to remain open in a modified manner during the estimated 24-month construction period.
This is the latest development in a years-long effort to improve the market.
A new business plan was released in 2021, followed by a $37 million commitment from Empire State Development in 2022. At the time, a conceptual rendering was provided to 7 News, which included floor-to-ceiling windows and space for outdoor seating.
In May 2023, we spoke with Kathleen Peterson, the manager of Broadway Market, and she said there would be major renovations within two to five years. Peterson said the City of Buffalo needed to take a "series of steps” that all take time.
In March 2025, we spoke with Broadway Market vendors and the manager to learn what was going on.
