NYC-based developer plans to turn vacant downtown Buffalo building into 300-room hotel

A New York City-based developer plans to turn a long-vacant department store in downtown Buffalo into a 300-room hotel.

WGRZ-TV reports (http://on.wgrz.com/19e6pRq ) that the architect for the $50 million project submitted plans Wednesday to the Buffalo Planning Board.

The plans call for a Queens-based investment group called Landco H&L to turn the old Adam Meldrum & Anderson building into a hotel with restaurants, apartments, a medical clinic and an underground spa.

Construction isn't expected to begin until later this year.

The company bought the building late last year for $2.7 million. The property has been vacant since the late 1990s.

The architect says the investment group also owns a travel company which serves Chinese customers.

Buffalo-Niagara tourism officials say the plans are another sign that the region has become a popular destination for visitors from China.

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Information from: WGRZ-TV, http://www.wgrz.com