ESD provides update on next steps for revitalization of Broadway Market

Final design of improvements nearing completion; construction set to begin in summer 2026

Empire State Development press release & renderings

On Friday, Empire State Development provided a project update on next steps for construction that will begin transforming Buffalo’s Broadway Market into a sustainable and vibrant year-round food and shopping hub. 

Broadway Market Management Inc. (BMMI), a new not-for-profit corporation, has been established, in coordination with ESD, to operate the city-owned public market building, and is on track to go before the City of Buffalo 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, which is set to begin construction in the summer of 2026, at an estimated cost of between $40-45 million. 

Capital funding for the renovation is from Empire State Development and operations support for BMMI is funded by the Regional Revitalization Partnership (RRP), a multiyear ,$300 million collaborative initiative between New York’s ESD, local municipalities and private philanthropic partners. Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds, provided by the state Department of State, are also included in the capital funding for Broadway Fillmore.

“Our vision has always been a thriving Broadway Market for the East Side, and today we’re one step closer,” ESD President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said. “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.”

Renderings of the planned improvements can be found here, and overall project updates can be found on the project website here. The project team will be at the market during Easter week with an opportunity to view the designs through a virtual reality application.

Broadway Market renderings provided by Empire State Development.

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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 multipurpose 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 façade, 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 façades.

In February, the proposed design for the market was determined eligible for a Type 2 Historic Preservation Certification by the National Park Service, which will enable the project to receive Historic Tax Credit financing.

ESD, in coordination with BMMI, has been working with a design team led by Flynn Battaglia Architects and a construction management team led by Buffalo Construction Consultants (BCC) to prepare construction documents, independent cost estimates, and a construction staging plan to allow the market and its vendors to remain open, albeit in a modified manner, during the estimated 24-month construction period.

Design and construction funding comes from a variety of sources. A $10 million allocation was included under ESD’s 2019 East Side Corridors Economic Development Fund, which has financed consultant costs for the business plan, BMMI start-up planning, preliminary/final design and preconstruction services, with balance going toward construction. This was supplemented in 2022 with $29 million in ESD capital funds for rehab costs under the Regional Revitalization Partnership and a $2.5 million grant under the Broadway-Fillmore Downtown Revitalization Initiative Plan, awarded for façade improvements. BMMI is also exploring the securing of state/federal historic and new market tax credits.

The Broadway Market, built in 1956, is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as part of the Broadway Fillmore local historic district. The market, which occupied two prior buildings on the site, has been in place at this location since 1888 and has historically played an important role as a center for year-round, international, owner-operated, affordable fresh and prepared food shops and neighborhood services. As the community around it has changed, the market is now seeking to maximize its relevance to Broadway-Fillmore and to expand its customer base to serve as a sustainable stimulus to neighborhood development, as well as an attraction for the entire region.

BMMI Chairperson Peter Cammarata said, “The establishment of BMMI marks a pivotal turning point in the history of the Broadway Market. By transitioning to a dedicated nonprofit model, we are working toward the market as a sustainable engine for local entrepreneurship and a vibrant gathering place. This project honors the market’s deep roots on Buffalo’s East Side, while modernizing the space to serve a new generation of shoppers and vendors. We are eager to move through the approvals process and get to work on creating the world-class food hub this community deserves.”