Uniland Development expands footprint, from medical school to mall transformation

By Lian Bunny

As the region’s largest commercial real estate developer, Uniland Development Co. is involved in a lot of different types of local projects.

The 51-year-old, family-run local company continues to adjust to changing market needs, including this year converting two floors of its Embassy Suites into luxury apartments in response to demand for more upscale living options downtown. The business also recently launched flexible warehouse and storage suites at Eastport Commerce Center in Lancaster.

“We are versatile, figuring out what is needed in the community,” said Laura Zaepfel, vice president of corporate relations. “We have the land, so we come up with a product that will suit that need.”

Uniland offers construction, design, leasing and property management. In 2024, the firm developed 464,000 square feet valued at $162 million. In 2025, the company grew those numbers to developing 517,000 square feet valued at $240 million.

•  Notable projects included completing a $22 million administrative headquarters for BestSelf Behavioral Health and the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center.
•  Projects in the works include FeedMore Western New York’s 197,700-square-foot warehouse and commissary space on 74 acres in Hamburg and an Evergreen Health medical office building on the East Side.
•  Other major projects on the horizon include transforming the Eastern Hills Mall into a town center, mixed-use project and D’Youville’s $30 million student housing facility and osteopathic medicine building.

Uniland has already done pre-construction work on the medical school at 285 Delaware Ave., Buffalo and expects to start construction in January, targeting completion by year-end. Construction on the student housing will also begin next year.

This year, Uniland was also selected for a public-private partnership with the City of Buffalo to acquire and redevelop a 60-acre site on Bailey Avenue for a new Department of Public Works Campus and Resiliency Center.

Despite industry challenges over the last few years, Uniland’s outlook into 2026 is bright.