Queen City Landing


Queen City Landing is an approved residential tower by developer Gerald Bucheit under construction on the Outer Harbor in Buffalo, New York. The construction will involve the demolition of a 6 story warehouse formerly operated by Freezer Queen Foods and the construction of approximately 200 apartment units. When completed, it will be the city's first residential high-rise, with a height of 324 feet and 23 floors, and the 13th tallest building in Upstate New York.
The tower has been targeted in a lawsuit by local environmentalists out of concern that it would pose a danger to bird migration, and also that the city board did not conduct a full environmental study on the site. However, on multiple occasions, a state Supreme Court judge has upheld the city board's decision to build the tower and has also ruled that the city acted properly in its environmental study. Bucheit completed the environmental cleanup of the site in late 2018 and construction should go ahead as planned, pending further appeals from the plaintiffs.
On November 18, 2019, Bucheit announced a slight change in the tower's design. The building would be reduced to 20 stories and would be moved farther away from the water, in addition to occupying 30 percent less land. The new finish date was tentatively projected to 2021. In addition, Bucheit also added plans for a surrounding neighborhood around the main tower complete with two 6-story apartment buildings, a cluster of 3-story townhouses, and more public space. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued resistance from the plaintiffs, and an inability to secure public funding from the city, the project was suspended indefinitely in March 2020.