New location approved for SUNY Erie south campus

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The SUNY Erie Community College Board of Trustees approved a lease for a site in Orchard Park that is slated to house the school's new south campus, officials announced.

The new campus will be located at 50 Cobham Dr., slightly east of its current location at 4041 Southwestern Blvd., pending the approval of the state's Department of Education.

The new facility is roughly 37,000 square feet and will house the following:

• several classroom areas
• a science lab
• a library
• a computer lab
• a student services office
• a food pantry
• faculty offices
• a student lounge

“This has been in the works for a long time. I believe this new location will benefit our students, faculty, and staff,” said SUNY Erie President Dr. Adiam Tsegai in a release. “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 college board emphasized that the decision to move campuses is not due to construction of the new Buffalo Bills stadium, which is in very close proximity to the current campus on Southwestern.

“This decision was an analysis of what our current buildings were doing for us and what they were not doing for us," said SUNY Erie Board Chairman Jeff Stone in a release. "The buildings on Southwestern Boulevard served us well in the past, but now our needs are different. ... 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.”

The new facility will be turned over to SUNY Erie by mid-summer 2025 and classes begin there that fall, officials said. Classes for the 2024 fall semester will continue at the Southwestern Boulevard campus.