Out with Northtown Plaza, in with Station Twelve.

WS Development broke ground on the new shopping plaza on Tuesday, starting in motion the construction of a new lifestyle center in Amherst.

“Station Twelve will be a little bit of quirky, will be a little bit unexpected, it will be a very connected place to shop, dine, work, sweat, and play,” said Brian Sciera, the senior vice president of leasing for WS Development.

The new center will have plenty to offer, like restaurants, stores, and even green space.

Harvey Bitterman, who lives in Toronto, says he would give this place a try when it opens.

“When I do come to the U.S., I’m usually in north Buffalo, like in Amherst, Williamsville, Tonawanda, so I do a lot of my shopping in this general area,” he said.

Brian and Jacinta Daniels live in Buffalo. They appreciate the new development coming to the area.

“It was vacant for a long time. They didn’t really have too much over there, so now that they have broken ground, it’ll be cool to see what they do with it,” Jacinta said.

“What I’m seeing is a lot of growth, people trying to do things and have ownership and that’s really a good thing like I’m seeing people who have pride in their areas now and it’s really nice,” Brian said.

Those behind the project say when shoppers visit Station Twelve, they’ll have a pedestrian-friendly experience due to elevated buildings and landscaping. They also consider the Amherst community a place with a lot of potential.

Stores are expected to open at the new center in about a year.