Budding Prospects for Erie County Home Site
Erie County sold the 152-acre Alden site for a nominal dollar; developers plan a ~57,933-square-foot cultivation facility backed by about $33.1 million in private investment.
By Rob Owens
ALDEN — For more than two decades, the sprawling brick complex at 11580 Walden Avenue has stood largely empty. Once the Erie County Home and Infirmary, the 152-acre property fell quiet after operations ended, fenced off while officials struggled to attract a buyer willing to take on asbestos and other structural problems.
That long dormancy is giving way to a redevelopment plan. Under an agreement with Erie County, the property was sold for a nominal dollar to the developers behind the North Eastern Alliance Redevelopment Project. According to the developers’ application to the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA), the private investment is about $33.1 million. Plans call for an approximately 57,933-square-foot cannabis cultivation, processing, and distribution facility on roughly five acres behind the older structures. The applicant, 11580 Walden Ave LLC, would lease the facility to North Eastern Alliance LLC.
For neighbors along Walden Avenue and elsewhere in town, news that cannabis is coming has stirred curiosity, skepticism, and relief that something is finally planned for the parcel.
At the Town of Alden Planning Board meeting on Sept. 9, 2025, project representatives addressed concerns about traffic, odor, and safety. Meeting minutes show developers described a sealed operation with charcoal-filtered, recycled air and no outdoor venting — “more of a laboratory than a greenhouse.” Traffic is expected to be light, with about one commercial truck per day and workers split across two shifts. The site would not include retail sales or public customer access, and would be secured with fencing and on-site security.
In a statement provided to local media, Ryan and Luke Rich, partners in the development venture, said: “We are extremely excited to bring this project to Erie County and the Town of Alden. … This project is not a dispensary, rather it will bring the region to the forefront of cannabis cultivation in a safe, extremely secure, and economically impactful manner; all while redeveloping a long-dormant local property.”
County officials have cast the sale as a way to shed a costly vacant complex. Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro, whose district includes Alden, has called the shuttered home an eyesore and a long-running burden for the county and local residents, arguing the deal gets the property back toward productive use and the tax rolls. In interviews around the sale, Todaro also pointed to the prospect of higher-wage jobs at the facility — figures that still need to be confirmed against the ECIDA employment plan as the project moves forward.
Questions remain about the massive buildings fronting Walden Avenue. At the Sept. 9 Planning Board meeting, Ryan Rich said the first priority is developing the new cultivation building, with landscaping and security for the front of the property while the team decides what to do with the older structures. Minutes note extensive environmental analysis and asbestos cleanup will be required, and that a phased approach is planned.
The Alden Town Board later advanced the project through site plan, planned unit development, and subdivision approvals. Construction timing and the final scope of work on the historic campus will be clearer as building permits and any further environmental reviews proceed.
San Francisco, CA 12345