The Buffalo Bills stadium battle has been simmering for a while, but now it finally has what it’s been missing: a grandiose, hugely expensive plan for a new stadium with a retractable roof. According to the Buffalo News, a company called Greater Buffalo Sports & Entertainment Complex — which formed early this year and is based in Delaware, giving new meaning to “greater Buffalo” — will today present the city Common Council with a plan for a $1.4 billion development project that would include a 72,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium, on land owned by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.
Obviously, $1.4 billion is quite a bit more than the $200 million that the Bills were talking about for a renovation of Rich Stadium, so where would the money come from? According the the News, GBS&EC vice president George Hasiotis helpfully explained that while
it was premature to talk about financing a stadium but that based on other stadium projects across the country, it was reasonable to expect the State of New York to pay about $400 million, the NFL $200 million to $400 million. Such a project would bring in hundreds of millions for the construction trades, since 10,000 such jobs were expected to be generated, he said.
Well, yes, if you spend $1.4 billion on construction, it’d be hard not to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction industry. Ah, the wonders of “economic activity.”
In any event, those “reasonable” figures are likely to raise some eyebrows both in Albany and at NFL headquarters: $400 million is more than the state has kicked in for another other recent stadium project, and the NFL’s G-4 stadium fund caps out at $200 million per team. Plus, the project would apparently require an “option” on 167 acres of harborfront property owned by the state-run Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which it’s not clear whether GBS&EC would pay for.
Still, if nothing else, Buffalo now has a stalking horse notable enough to make the newspaper, which if nothing should be enough to make $200 million for renovations look cheap by comparison. As I’ve noted many times before, half the battle for teams seeking stadiums is shifting the debate from whether to build something to how and where to build something, and by that measure, even overpriced vaportecture is an important first step.
Sure a cheaper stadium could be built, 1.4 billion is a bit excessive, but here’s the reality, if the Bills don’t get a new stadium they will not stay and Buffalo. The people of this city need to stop being so cynical when it comes to this stuff, we either want to move forward or get left in the dark.
Wow, interesting stadium design.
In Seattle Hansen’s got a provisional MOU and still hasn’t shown plans.
@Rob: If the only thing a rustbelt city like Buffalo has to “move forward” with is a $1.4bn stadium deal for a perennial bottom feeder NFL team, then holding onto a pro sports franchise is the least of their worries.
Economic studies have consistently shown that pro sports are not economic drivers in the city in which they play. Instead, they’re results of positive economic growth in a city prior to a team taking root. In other words, economic growth attracts professional sports; professional sports does not attract economic growth.
Sometimes cities shrink. Sometimes cities die. There’s more to reality than the central planning of the economy, and in fact this central planning really has no positive impact on reality. There are larger, more uncontrollable forces at work in the world than bureaucrats in ivory towers planning every detail of our lives. We need to live up to these facts. And when we do, we’ll realize that, at times, certain people, certain towns, certain areas just aren’t deserving of the things they used to be deserving of. If the Bills move, then taxpayers of Buffalo just saved $400m in stadium costs. Put the money to better use…
Ralph and the state go half and half on a rerenovation to the Ralph.
A smart and sane idea that apparently isn’t flashy enough sadly. Feel free to disagree with said stupid idea.
It will be a shame if the Bills left Buffalo & Western New York and they end up in Toronto. As a Canadian who has lived in Ottawa for my entire life, it is annoying to hear about the Leafs, Blue Jays & Raptors on a daily basis. Imagine if Toronto got an NFL team… it would be extremely annoying. Having said all that, the taxpayers in Buffalo and the state government of New York need to ask themselves whether they want to build a new stadium, renovate Ralph Wilson Stadium or do neither. It’s up to them at the end of the day.
NFL and US broadcast outlets won’t allow a franchise to move to Canada for the same reasons that Montreal won’t ever see MLB again. The loss of a US market, even one as small as western NY would effect the NFL income from broadcasters who don’t have an outlet in Toronto.
Only reason why the Jays are still there is because of the strength of Rogers.
stunning… its about time buffalo comes out from the shadows and gives wny a project that yells we,re back. we showed the world in 1900 what we could do with the pan am expo.we been scared ever since to make any noise.keep politics and hands out of the till. this is for us ,our families our kids the bills,and our pride. we will be moving home,thats right home next summer.people who say you can,t go home never had a home to go to.be proud build it.buffalo will rise again and mr wilson sell the the team to jim kelly and his backers. remenber there was a time kelly wanted to leave buffalo until everything he wanted for his family was ….in…..buffalo…….biffalo is rising lets get the worlds attention again ,this time go for the ride and never let go. thank you
“NFL and US broadcast outlets won’t allow a franchise to move to Canada”
Great point Paul. I figured the same thing and it completely escaped my mind when I wrote my post earlier this week. By the same token, I cannot see the Bills moving to Los Angeles (when the Rams, Raiders and Chargers are considered candidates to relocate back to America’s second largest city). Besides, at least 60% of the seats for the Bills game in December against the Seahawks at Rogers Centre are priced at under $100. For this reason, I can’t see Toronto getting an NFL team at all. I think that the Bills will remain in Western New York for the long term.
“I think that the Bills will remain in Western New York for the long term.”
I can’t see the Bills remain in Buffalo for the long term unless someone is willing to buy and keep the franchise in Buffalo.