Boulevard Mall project to move forward after dispute on eminent domain process

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa said Wednesday that the project to redevelop the Boulevard Mall into a mixed-use town center is moving forward as scheduled.

Kulpa’s update followed a report by The Buffalo News on Wednesday that Kulpa and Douglas Jemal, the owner of Douglas Development — one of the site’s primary developers — are sparring over how long the eminent domain process is taking.

“One person can't just say, ‘Hey, let's stop the public process,’” Kulpa said. “We've gone into a public process of urban renewal. We're now in that process and the town is moving forward and eminent domain is only one portion of that process, so we're continuing down the path we were on.”

The redevelopment project, which has been in the making for years, would bring residential units, restaurants, retailers and more to the site located at at Maple Road and Niagara Falls Boulevard. The state awarded $31 million to the Town of Amherst in December 2023 to help with infrastructure work in the project.

Kulpa said in September that going through the eminent domain process will help developers overcome obstacles with business owners.

“I am not pulling out, I own the mall,” Jemal told WIVB News 4. “The town has not processed eminent domain, so I will redevelop.”

Benderson Development is also a major developer on the project.