A site has been chosen for the home of the future 5/14 memorial.
Commission members said that the agreement is still being finalized with the current property owners, but they hope to be able to make an announcement soon.
"Everyone in this community was affected somehow and we hope that this memorial will create a healing for people who have been impacted all across our community," Mo Sumdundu, Gov. Kathy Hochul's liason to the 5/14 Memorial Commission, said.
The next step will be to shift from a commission to a nonprofit foundation. Then the project will move forward with discussions about construction and the future operation of the site.
The memorial, titled "Seeing Us," was designed by Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood. It was selected from 20 submissions following a months-long public engagement process that began in May 2023. More than 20 design concepts were submitted.
The design has 10 interconnected pillars that feature the names and photos of each of the 10 victims who lost their lives during the racist attack at the Tops supermarket on Buffalo's Jefferson Avenue in 2022. The design also includes a new building that is slated to be a location for education, exhibitions, community activities and events, according to Gov. Hochul.
The total cost of the project is expected to reach nearly $15 million.
