Panel to make plans for HSBC tower

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - What does the future hold for One HSBC Center? HSBC bank and two other tenants are moving out, which will leave Buffalo’s tallest building almost empty. Seneca One Realty owns the building and does not want to see it empty, so they brought in the Urban Land Institute to figure out ways to use the building.

The owners of the space have recommended turning the space into luxury apartments, a five-star hotel or office space.

Urban Land Institute Chair Charles Long explained how they would determine their recommendations. Long said,  “We need to get more information. We got a briefing last week that has a huge amount of written information, but we’ll be touring, we’ll be talking to people, we’ll be arguing among ourselves about what makes sense and then Thursday morning we’re going to deliver some recommendations that are hopefully going to be useful to the community.”

Long said a major strength of the area is that there is community leadership. Long said, “The level of leadership the city has provided so far in terms of facilitating private investment, a billion and a half dollars last year, that’s pretty extraordinary in a community that is still transitioning from an old economy to a new economy.”

Long also said the city’s goals for the future are a strength, and the opportunity to use the HSBC tower is also a strength.