A new agreement has transferred city control of 58 Memorial Drive and three adjacent vacant lots to the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation (CTRC). This nonprofit organization is leading the restoration of the main terminal.
This move both symbolically and strategically reconnects sections of the site that have been separated for a long time, laying the groundwork for cohesive future development.
“We’re now bringing two things together,” said Monica Pellegrino Faix, Executive Director of CTRC. “We’re in a doing phase with a lot of construction, and we’re in a learning phase.”
According to Pellegrino Faix, the next phase will involve exploring environmental conditions, assessing infrastructure needs (such as providing electricity to the site), and planning for long-term sustainability. The CTRC collaborated with the city for four years to achieve the Development District Agreement (DDA), which the Common Council approved on Tuesday.
Council Member Mitch Nowakowski, who represents the Fillmore District where the terminal is located, described the deal as both practical and transformative. “It’s 33 acres around the Central Terminal that, with this approval, gives the corporation total site control,” he stated. “They can now start leveraging more funds, and as long as they meet the DDA benchmarks, the site will eventually be transferred to them.”
The restoration of the iconic main terminal building is already well underway, with workers actively repointing bricks and removing asbestos. The CTRC aims to complete the renovation of the main concourse by 2027. Plans for a mixed-use housing development are also progressing, with organizers hoping to break ground in 2027 and complete it by 2029, coinciding with the Central Terminal’s 100th anniversary.
As the CTRC continues its mission of restoration and redevelopment, consolidating the entire campus under a single management structure marks a significant step forward in reimagining the Central Terminal as a community anchor for the East Side of Buffalo.
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