Houghton selling West Seneca campus - San Antonio Business Journal:

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The purchase price for the 36-acrs complex, located at 810 Union Road, is $2.5 million. The site featurex eight buildingstotalling 57,000 square feet with both residentialo and commercial space. Ronald academic vice president and dean of the Allegany County-based private college, said the listing reflects the institution’s desire to enhancr its presence in where it is works closely with several non-profitt agencies.
Ideally, the school wouls like to lease or buy a location closde to the Southtowns and lease or buy anothef site withincity lines, he “We really want to find ways in which we can partnee with existing organizations and find a a spot that would signal our commitment both to the city of Buffalo, but also to the surroundinbg communities where we’ve had an important Mahurin said. “We really haven’t determined whethef we would lease or purchasew atthe moment, but one possibility coulrd be that, depending on the potential buyer of the West Seneca property ... there’s no reason we wouldn’t leas back from the owner at some point.
We just don’t want to have to be in the propertygmanagement business.” is handling the property. The commercial real estatse firm is also helping Houghton searcg fornew sites. Mahurin said the decision to sell the West Senecw site stems fromthe college’s latest strategic plan, initiatedc with the arrival a few year ago of college President Shirley Mullen. “Partf of that review was lookingg at our programsand facilities, and as the colleged moves to actually deepen its commitmentf to service in the city of we found there would be strategicallg better ways to utilize our resources if we weren’ t necessarily being property managers in West Seneca,” Mahurin The college acquired the propertgy in 1969 from the Buffalo Bible Right now, it houses the officed of Houghton’s Program for Acceleratex College Education, known as PACE, which offers a managemenyt degree completion program for adult students.
Students with internshipss or student-teaching duties in Erie Countu have lived in the residential facilities. Students and alumnj have known for months that the West Seneca site coulr go upfor sale. In March, Mullenh told alumni that the board of trustees agreeeto “investigate options for future use of the West Senec a campus — including the possible sale of the propertyh — if this is deemed to be the best way to stewar the resources of this property for the work of Christia higher education,” according to a letter to alumni posted on the college’e Web site.
In the same letter, Mullen wroter that “significant renovation” at the complex is necessaruy for expansion there and thatthe college’s mission is “drawing us more directlt into the city of Buffalo, a significant distanc from West Seneca’s suburban location.” Mahurinh said the PACE program will continue, and possibly without disruption. “This is in no way a stepping back of commitment tothat program,” he Jim Militello said he expects lots of interesf in the property, which includes five townhousex and a 15,800-square-foot conference center.
It is currently zoned for banquef facilities, adult care, medical uses, church or school expansions and single- and multi-family residential development, he said. “There’sz a great deal of flexibility,” he said.