What for years has been used as a college campus in West Seneca is set to become a campus for senior citizens.

Houghton College has made a deal to sell its satellite campus in West Seneca to an Orchard Park developer, who will use the large, scenic property to build a$30 million retirement community with an assortment of senior housing.

Young Development signed a contract to purchase the 36-acre site at 810 Union Road—just south of Seneca Street and Southgate Plaza— one of the largest pieces of property offered for sale in Erie County in recent years.

Closing is set for next spring or summer. The developer hopes to break ground for the senior project in September.

“There’s a need for senior housing. There’s a real need for it,” said Bryan Young, president of Young Development. “They seem to be among the few who aren’t moving out of the area.”

In fact, Young has two other senior housing projects in the works: 50 units on Transit Road in West Seneca and another 51 units nearby on Southwestern Boulevard.

The Houghton campus, meanwhile, comes with eight buildings, totaling 57,000 square feet of residential and commercial space, but all except the main building will be cleared to make way for new development.

The project, tentatively called “Southgate Senior Campus,” would have 240 senior units, 20 bungalows for more independent living, as well as an assisted-living facility.

The senior campus will include such amenities as a 20-seat movie theater, an ice cream parlor and a beauty salon, Young said.

“That’s something a little different that you don’t usually see,” Young said.

The property was listed for $2.5 million, but Young declined to disclose his purchase price.

The property won’t need to be rezoned, but Young will need site plan approval from the town and will submit project designs after the first of the year.

Young, however, said he recently detailed plans for the surrounding neighbors, who seemed pleased with the project.

While in the midst of a populated suburb, the property has remained relatively secluded and wooded.

“It’s just an absolutely gorgeous piece of land,” Young said. “We’re trying to keep it as a campus where folks can walk around and can use the grounds.”

The sale, however, doesn’t mean Houghton plans to uproot from the Buffalo area.

The contract allows Houghton to use the main building for two years to continue its adult-degree program.

“After that, we’ll look to rent or lease space in West Seneca or the Southtowns area,” said Sharon Myers, director of public relations at Houghton.

Founded in 1883 as a seminary, Houghton College is a four-year Christian liberal arts school that enrolls nearly 1,200 students, most on its main campus in the hamlet of Houghton in Allegany County, about 65 miles southeast of Buffalo.

The college, though, no longer needs the large West Seneca campus, which requires significant upgrades, Houghton officials said.