AMHERST | Northtown Plaza | Pro

Stores in the new-look Northtown Plaza won't open to area shoppers until spring 2020 at the earliest, the developer said.

A top WS Development executive told The Buffalo News that the company won't begin demolishing existing buildings on the Amherst property until spring 2019 and won't have the new structures ready to occupy until a year later. That's a delay of six months or so from the company's previous projections.

The company said it's taken longer than expected to sign leases with some tenants, and it opted not to have contractors work during the winter. WS Development on Friday did reveal the name of one new tenant – Public Espresso + Coffee – and said it's confident in the project's prospects.

"In fact, in spite of things taking longer, we're more bullish than ever," Brian Sciera, WS Development's senior vice president for leasing, said in an interview.

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If you stand along Sheridan Drive on the edge of the former Northtown Plaza today, you find colorful fencing that wraps all around a vast, empty parking lot and vacant, low-slung storefronts.

One year from now, according to the developer, that same vantage point will offer views of stylish new retail buildings, ready for tenants such as L.L. Bean and Public Espresso + Coffee, and an inviting public space.

And it will feature a new identity for the Amherst property known for decades as Northtown: Station Twelve, a name that honors the site's history and looks to its future, officials said.

"Station Twelve will be a very engaging environment, not just a place to shop," said Brian Sciera, senior vice president of leasing for WS Development, the property owner.

WS Development this week revealed to The Buffalo News the names of the three latest tenants who signed up for space: Banana Republic, the athletic-wear retailer Athleta and City Works Eatery and Pour House, a sports bar and restaurant.

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Buffaboy said:

It's full speed ahead at Station Twelve. Amherst is about to revitalize it's retail scene.

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