"When you're up on the roof, you can smell the Cheerios or the Lucky Charms, depending what's being made," NFTA Executive Director Kim Minkel told Buffalo Toronto Public Media at the October 1 ribbon cutting for the DL&W Sky Deck.
That smell has always drifted over the Buffalo River. What's new is the place you can stand to catch it. The rooftop officially opened on October 1, at the start of the stretch of the year when the waterfront usually gives up its summer amenities one at a time. The Queen City Bike Ferry runs Memorial Day through Labor Day. New York State Parks lists the splash pad and park store at Buffalo Harbor State Park as closed for the season until Memorial Day weekend 2027. And the official Canalside skating page still says "Stay tuned for opening day."
This year the gap between the last ferry and the first skate looks different. A new public space opened inside it, and the state is asking people what the waterfront should become in the months that come up short today. The survey that collects those answers closes in early November.
A deck sized for crowds, opened as the crowds thin out
The NFTA calls the Sky Deck "a new public-facing space on the second floor" of the historic Delaware, Lackawanna and Western terminal. The terminal first opened in 1917 and sits across the street from KeyBank Center. Here are the numbers that matter for anyone living a few blocks away:
- Size: about 55,000 square feet of outdoor deck
- Capacity: events for more than 2,100 people
- Logistics: an elevator that can lift food trucks, an outdoor stage and event equipment up to the second floor
- Coming in spring: a direct connection to KeyBank Center
The first public event made the deck's purpose clear. The free Rooftop Rally on Saturday, October 3, ran from 1 to 5 p.m. with hockey-themed games, music and food, all timed ahead of the Sabres game next door that night. Hockey season starts right as the ferry and the splash pad shut down. A rooftop that holds thousands of people and plugs into the arena next spring gives the Canalside side of the waterfront an outdoor gathering spot that runs on the KeyBank Center calendar, not the summer calendar.
There's also a detail most visitors walk past. Minkel told BTPM that a privacy screen on the roof carries a photo of railroad workers and a steam locomotive. It's a picture her mother kept of her own grandfather, who worked on the railroad, and it hangs alongside other historic photos.
One practical caveat. As of this writing, the NFTA's announcement lists no regular public hours and no schedule of events after the October 3 rally. The deck is open for events. The routine for using it has not been announced yet.
The 125,000 square feet underneath are still waiting
The Sky Deck is the part of the DL&W you can visit. The indoor second level is the part still being decided. Minkel told BTPM that once people can see the deck in person, it will be easier for developers to picture uses for the 125,000-square-foot second level when the NFTA puts out a request for proposals.
That RFP is a do-over. In December 2025, WKBW reported that the NFTA had ended its earlier development agreement for the space and planned to reissue a request for proposals. The building's Metro Rail station has been open since December 2025. That means the building has a working station, an open rooftop, and a large unfinished level in between. Any earlier talk of a public market or food hall inside should be treated as unsettled until the new RFP produces a plan.
The plan for the rest of the district closes its survey in early November
The building's open question is one example of a bigger one. On September 17, 2026, Governor Hochul announced "Canalside: The Next Wave," a strategic plan led by the planning firm MKSK to guide the next decade of development at Canalside, KeyBank Center, the Cobblestone District and along the Buffalo River. The study area runs from Erie Basin Marina to Michigan Avenue, between the Buffalo River and the I-190, and includes Sahlen Field. The study will look at sites for housing, hotels, dining, retail and public spaces chosen to keep the district busy year-round. In the state's announcement, ECHDC Chairperson Joan Kesner described the goal as a destination "that serves the community year-round."
"Year-round" is the phrase that keeps coming up, and the October calendar shows why. The state's announcement also lists the projects already in motion around the plan:
- North Aud Block. Pennrose announced the start of construction on July 21, 2026, for 251 apartments and 18,000 square feet of commercial space. No completion date was given.
- Heritage Point, South Aud Block. The state describes construction as resumed. No current completion target has been published.
- The Chandlery. Its ribbon cutting was November 21, 2025, and it houses Visit Buffalo's visitor center and retail store, Be Our Guest offices and public restrooms.
- The DL&W Terminal. It's on the list as well.
- Marine Drive Apartments and Perry Homes. The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority is redeveloping both.
The three in-person pop-ups for the plan ended on October 1 at Seneca One. The online survey is still open and, according to the state, runs through early November. You can reach it through buffalowaterfront.com or directly at the community survey link. For someone who walks Erie Basin Marina in November, this survey is the most direct way to weigh in on what that walk should offer in the cold months.
What's on the calendar between now and the ice
Here's what has been confirmed from now through the end of December, in date order:
- Select nights through November 1: Nightmare Wharf at the Buffalo Naval Park, close to Canalside on the waterfront.
- Early November: The Canalside: The Next Wave survey closes.
- November 11: Reel Fun Fishing at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
- November 27 to December 23: The Buffalo Holiday Market Winter Market at 121 Porter Avenue in Front Park, just north of the waterfront district.
- December 12: Wreath Making at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
- December 30: Duck, Duck, Goose at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Ice is the one big date that's still missing. The UB Spectrum's 2026-27 event calendar lists Canalside winter activities from November 20 to February 28, including skating, bumper cars and curling. The official Canalside page hasn't confirmed an opening day. For comparison, last season's posted window was November 21 to February 22. Treat November 20 as reported, not announced. Summer spots are winding down too. Sully's Chowder House opened at Erie Basin Marina in the former William K's space on May 22, Buffalo Rising reported. It now has a "Closing For Season" notice on its website without a readable date. If you're planning one last bowl of chowder by the water, check before you go.
Down Fuhrmann Boulevard, construction season is just starting
On the Outer Harbor, this fall brings new activity. Slip 2 on Fuhrmann Boulevard, where the Pier Restaurant was demolished in 2007, is the site of the Buffalo Cruise Terminal. In July, ECHDC approved a contract of up to $13.4 million with Union Concrete and Construction Corp. for Phase 1: seawall repairs, guardrails and heavy-duty mooring bollards. The July release said work would start the following month. A later Buffalo Business First headline points to October instead, so the start date appears to have moved.
The finished site matters for people who use the Outer Harbor and will never board a ship. The full design includes a multi-use path, a pedestrian promenade, a scenic sunset point with seating and a small parking lot, styled to match the nearby Bell Slip and Wilkeson Pointe. The grand opening is targeted for the 2028 season. That makes this fall the start of a construction stretch at Slip 2 likely to run through two more summers before the sunset point opens to the public.
Living near the waterfront through the off-season means keeping track of the Sky Deck's first events, a survey deadline in early November, and the opening day at Canalside, which hasn't been confirmed yet. I've been following how these projects change the blocks around Canalside and Marine Drive for decades. If you're thinking about what the next few years of construction and new public space could mean for your own home, Susan Lenahan is glad to walk you through it. Get a free home valuation and a neighborhood strategy built around what's actually coming to your part of the waterfront.
