BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The SUNY Erie Board of Trustees has approved a new location for the college's South Campus in Orchard Park. It will be located at 50 Cobham Drive, less than three miles from its current campus.
The plan is to make the move in the summer of 2025 with classes slated to begin at the new campus in the fall of 2025. The 2024 fall semester will continue at the current campus on Southwestern Boulevard.
“This has been in the works for a long time. I believe this new location will benefit our students, faculty, and staff. This decision speaks to my commitment and the board’s commitment to fulfilling the college’s fundamental principle of Institutional Sustainability, which among other things, aims to ‘Enhance the experience of learning and student services at the college by creating spaces that inspire pride in the institution.’”
The board of trustees said this decision is not related to the construction of the new Highmark Stadium, which is right next to its current campus.
“This decision was an analysis of what our current buildings were doing for us and what they were not doing for us. The buildings on Southwestern Boulevard served us well in the past, but now our needs are different. We think that this location is the best spot for our students, faculty, and staff. We will be able to run college operations, services, and classes more efficiently instead of scattered amongst multiple buildings. This would have happened whether the Bills had chosen to build a new stadium or not. We’re very grateful to the Bills for being a good neighbor and for their partnership.”
During the board of trustees meeting on Thursday, the board said the new campus will be much more compact, with adequate but not excessive space, and it will see cost savings that are "quite significant."
It will be 37,000 square feet and will house several classroom areas, a science lab, a library, a computer lab, a student services office, a food pantry, faculty offices, a student lounge, and more.
Erie County owns the buildings on the current campus and will be responsible for what happens to them in the future.
In a post on Facebook, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that after SUNY Erie leaves the Southwestern Boulevard campus, "the plan is to sell the land to the highest bidder and reinvest the proceeds in the school and make the remaining campuses better."
The move is pending approval of the state Department of Education.
7 News reported in December 2023 that the college was considering this move. You can read more here.
