A New Home Is On The Way For Buffalo’s Animal Shelter

After years of deterioration and constant requests for updates and maintenance, the City of Buffalo announced that a new building has been selected to house the City's Animal Shelter.

The current facility, which is located on Oak Street in downtown Buffalo, has been managed by the Department of Public Works and served residents for years, as government workers and volunteers provided care and support for injured, abused, abandoned, and lost animals in the City. In addition to those services, the shelter managed animal adoption services and kept dangerous animals off the streets.

Officials have said for years that the existing facility was functionally obsolete and was in need of a major overhaul or an entirely new facility.

Buffalo Animal Shelter’s New Location Has Been Announced

In a press conference on Monday, June 9, 2025, Acting Mayor of Buffalo Chris Scanlon announced a partnership between the city and Ellicott Development that will result in the development of a new facility at 1294 Niagara Street on Buffalo's West Side.

According to WIVB-TV, the new shelter will have 16,000 square feet of space and will cost approximately $3 million. Ellicott Development was selected as the developer after city officials issued a request for proposals a few years ago.

Construction is expected to begin next spring in 2026, pending approval of the contract between the city government and Ellicott Development by the Buffalo Common Council. The contract calls for a 10-year lease, with an option to buy the building at the end of the lease term, and all contracts that the city enters into has to be debated and approved by the Council, Currently there is not a tentative date for that to happen.

However, officials from the City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning feel that things will move swiftly.