The $45 million renovation of Buffalo's Broadway Market has been pushed back again, this time to spring 2027, after financing tied to historic tax credits took longer than expected to close. The project was originally supposed to break ground in summer 2026, then slipped to fall, and now has a new target that officials say will not disrupt vendors through the holidays or next year's Easter rush.
David Franczyk, a former Fillmore District councilman who now sits on the board of Broadway Market Management Inc., told WKBW that the delay stems from the sale of tax credits needed to finance part of the project. Franczyk said the project will move forward despite the setback. Broadway Market Management Inc., the non-profit now responsible for day-to-day operations at the city-owned facility, took over that role from the City of Buffalo earlier this year, chaired by Peter Cammarata, according to Buffalo Rising.
Paul Ray, who leads the construction process for Empire State Development, said tax credit financing sometimes takes longer to close than expected, per the same WKBW report. Empire State Development is providing roughly $39 million of the project's funding, and Ray said about $7 million has already gone into design work. Operational funding for the market's new non-profit management structure also flows through the Regional Revitalization Partnership, a $300 million public-private initiative backed by New York State and philanthropic groups including the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and M&T Bank, Buffalo Rising reported.
No Disruption Through Easter 2027, Officials Say
Franczyk said the market should look the same as it did last Easter when the holiday arrives again in 2027, with no impact on shoppers or vendors during the upcoming holiday season either. Construction is expected to be well underway by Easter 2028, at which point vendors will be temporarily relocated within the market, according to WKBW. Ray said the market has no plans to close during construction, and vendors will remain open every holiday and throughout the year.
That timeline matters because of just how lopsided the market's traffic already is. Empire State Development officials reported in September that the market draws up to 200,000 visitors during its peak Easter shopping week, but daily year-round traffic remains too thin to sustain vendors without a structural re-tenanting plan, as detailed by Buffalo Business First. Converting that seasonal surge into steady, year-round business is the project's central financial goal.
Right-Sizing a Building Three Times Too Big
Project architects from Flynn-Battaglia Architects said in September that at 90,000 square feet, the Broadway Market is roughly three times larger than it needs to be commercially, which is why the redesign consolidates year-round vendors into a central Main Street corridor rather than leaving them scattered across the cavernous 1956 structure, Buffalo Business First reported. Flynn-Battaglia is leading design work in collaboration with Hugh A. Boyd Architects and Diamond Schmitt Architects, with Buffalo Construction Consultants serving as construction manager, according to the same outlet.
Engineering plans also call for tearing down the market's deteriorating rear parking garage and ramps to make way for a new surface lot, a dedicated truck loading dock, and an outdoor event space, Buffalo Rising reported in July. Because the project relies on Historic Tax Credits, exterior work must follow federal Secretary of the Interior standards, meaning crews will restore the building's original 1950s Art Moderne curved walls while stripping away non-historic additions from past renovations.
Site Plan Already Cleared by the City
The Buffalo City Planning Board approved the site plan for the $45 million redevelopment during its August meeting, according to Broadway Fillmore Alive, clearing a key municipal hurdle even as the financing timeline slipped. That leaves the sale of tax-credit equity as the main remaining obstacle before ground can officially break.
The market's roots stretch back to 1888, when Polish immigrants established it on land donated by the city, making it the last of four public markets that once operated in Buffalo, according to Explore & More. The current building dates to 1956 and is the market's third physical location, built after a turn-of-the-century fire destroyed the original 1888 structure, per the Broadway Market's own history. The renovation aims to transform that aging but beloved landmark into a vibrant, year-round community asset without sacrificing the Easter tradition that has defined it for generations.
