Depew planning board recommends Village Board approve site plan for special‑education campus at former call center

The Village of Depew Planning Board on May 1 voted to recommend the Village Board issue a negative SEQR (Short Environmental Assessment Form) declaration and to recommend approval of a site plan to convert the former HSBC call center at 2911–2951 Walden Avenue into an education campus serving students in grades 1 through 12 with special needs.

Attorney James Maglioli, representing Benderson Development, said the project would reuse the existing roughly 78,000-square-foot building and add approximately 40,808 square feet of new construction, including two gym additions (about 15,997 and 16,519 square feet), a 1,200-square-foot staff room and about 6,300 square feet of mechanical space. "It's the former HSBC mortgage call center. It's been vacant for a number of years since COVID," Maglioli said.

The nut graf: the Planning Board's action clears a major procedural hurdle but does not grant final municipal approval; the board recommended the Village Board accept the site plan with a stipulation to consider comments from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). The board also approved recommending a negative SEQR declaration, meaning board members judged the proposed action would not cause significant environmental impacts under the short form review.

Board and staff discussion focused on traffic circulation, emergency access and site improvements. Maglioli described bus circulation on site as a one‑way loop with two parent drop‑off areas and said the developer tested circulation with a maximum of about 15 buses to accommodate students arriving from multiple Erie County school districts. He said the design intentionally did not alter existing curb cuts to avoid requiring DOT permits, but noted DOT had sent a letter saying it may review and comment on the project. "We purposely did not change a single curb cut or anything on the site for the very reason that we don't need anything from them," Maglioli said; board members nevertheless included pending DOT comments as a stipulation of their recommendation.

Village staff raised standard permitting items. The fire chief confirmed the building is sprinklered and asked that the sprinkler source connection and Knox box be addressed in permitting. Engineering staff said snow storage would be placed in green areas where possible and, if necessary, removed by truck. The project team said the plan adds internal courtyards, outdoor playgrounds, walking trails and new landscaping to replace much of the existing paved area.

Public comment was limited. Kevin Peterson, identified in the record as a resident, said the proposal was "a bit of a gamble" but that the community was "extremely excited to host this new facility." Resident Paul Sprottter asked whether the grade range meant grade levels (Maglioli confirmed) and inquired about funding; Maglioli said he "cannot share that at this point." The developer told the board it expects to begin construction in summer 2026 with a goal of running a first summer school session in 2027, and that buildout would take about a year.

Formal actions taken: on a motion to recommend a negative SEQR declaration (mover recorded as Member Saw, seconded by Member Spencer) the board voted in favor. On a motion by Member Matusiak, seconded by Member Solha, the board voted to recommend the Village Board accept the site plan as submitted with the stipulation that DOT review result in no unresolved concerns. Roll call votes were recorded in the transcript; the motions were carried.

The Planning Board's recommendation goes next to the Village Board, which must take the final vote on the site plan and any local approvals required. Until the Village Board acts, no building permits or construction work may proceed under the Planning Board's recommendation alone.