buffalobillsfootball Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 Niagara Falls and Milstein may figure in future of Buffalo Bills
Optometric Insight Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 At least it would be more relevant to show the Niagra Falls after every commercial break
RJ (not THAT RJ) Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 Considering that Millstein is the main financial backer of the Reporter, this story is intriguing. It would be lovely for my hometown, but I remain dubious, nevertheless. To buy the Bills and build a stadium, you are talking about $1.5 billion at least. That is a lot of cheddar.
Mr. WEO Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 Wow! This story has it all! - "a new stadium is almost a given." - 140 acres of "prime" real estate that they can't get anyone to develop (not even a "sports museum"!), yet it's worth $1 million an acre! - an elderly man who is "the deal maker who brought Nik Wallenda to Niagara Falls"! And he is Jim Kelly's form er agent! - Jim Kelly! - the Mayor "declined to comment"! - Indian Casinos! - the Montreal "Canadians"-- of the NHL! - a 2 time unsuccesful potential NFL team buyer---from New York City! - "the cataract city"! - the potential for Orchard Park to be developed into some thing more valuable than the home of an NFL franchise! (finally!) Nothing but awesome in this article.
BRAWNDO Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 A couple of thoughts, Milstein is has not done much with the land that he owns in Niagara Falls in the years that he has owned it, which the Niagara Gazette brings up. http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1700247745/Niagara-Falls-not-a-topic-of-discussion-for-Howard-Milstein Now if building a stadium and entertainment complex with the land is part of his plan, that sounds great. Also the completion of International Rail Passenger Station a couple miles north of the rumored stadium would help make it easier to get Canadian Fans there. http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120906/CITYANDREGION/120909762 All and all I am not too keen about Gillett or Milstein as future owners of the team.
Kkspike Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 union,study groups,it would never happen.if you won the mega millions worth $150,000,000.00 and gave it to the falls to build a stadium (with ralphs name on it)they are so corupt and out of touch they would know what to do.
notwoz Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Milstein owns something like 140 acres of prime downtown real estate in Niagara Falls. He's owned it for years and has done absolutely nothing with it. The Niagara Falls Reporter story is so full of maybes and possibles and mights that it reads like a pipe dream -- a crack-pipe dream.
PromoTheRobot Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Milstein owns something like 140 acres of prime downtown real estate in Niagara Falls. He's owned it for years and has done absolutely nothing with it. The Niagara Falls Reporter story is so full of maybes and possibles and mights that it reads like a pipe dream -- a crack-pipe dream. Or a guy biding his time for an opportunity. Why would anyone buy that much of Niagara Falls if he didn't have some grand idea? PTR
Mr. WEO Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Or a guy biding his time for an opportunity. Why would anyone buy that much of Niagara Falls if he didn't have some grand idea? PTR You mean like the sports museum?
PromoTheRobot Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) Somebody had a similar idea about a year ago... That said, I supported this idea vigorously in the past. It puts the Bills closer to Toronto without leaving the USA, it puts the Bills in the middle of an established tourist area, a stadium complex could host other major events and bring in even more visitors, etc. I also think that sitting in the cold sucks. IMO a lot of the so-called die-hards stay home because it's too cold in December. But there are huge hurdles besides money. There is some billionaire whose name I forget who apparently has been buying up big chunks of Niagara Falls (USA) for reasons unknown. Would this guy go for building a stadium? How much would he want? You mean like the sports museum? Yes...a 70,000 seat sports museum with luxury boxes. PTR Edited September 19, 2012 by PromoTheRobot
Mr. WEO Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Somebody had a similar idea about a year ago... [/size][/font][/color] Yes...a 70,000 seat sports museum with luxury boxes. PTR There's already one of those in Orchard Park.
BiggieScooby Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 A Niagara stadium would a game changer. I do love the atmosphere of the Ralph (inside & out) would surely be missed.
JayD Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Niagara Falls is such a dump I hate it when I have to work there I can't imagine it being a selling point for players
BiggieScooby Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Niagara Falls is such a dump I hate it when I have to work there I can't imagine it being a selling point for players NF NY is a dump, NF Ontario is nice. Ever think with the natural beauty, and all the international travelers our team could become an international favorite with visitors being able to take a tour of the stadium and buy Bills jerseys at the teams gift shop?
notwoz Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Or a guy biding his time for an opportunity. Why would anyone buy that much of Niagara Falls if he didn't have some grand idea? PTR His grand plan is to hold the (widely recognized as dysfuncitonal) city hostage until he can make a gazillion dollars. Here's an excerpt from a 2010 Bloomberg/BusinessWeek story: "There's a litany of explanations for this, but for the last decade, through a boom and a bust, several mayors, and nonstop recriminations, a single constant has loomed over the city: the Manhattan real estate billionaire Howard Milstein. In the late 1990s, the municipal government designated a private group backed by Milstein as the "master redeveloper" of 140 acres of downtown real estate. Milstein appeared, at first glance, to be just the man to help the city finally capitalize on its natural potential. He had a hotel and other development interests in Times Square—a fabulously successful example of commercial reclamation—and he proposed to revive Niagara Falls along similar lines, as a casino-centered playground. It never happened. Today, Milstein is still sitting on an enormous swath of land, a ghost town of abandoned homes, shuttered storefronts, and vacant lots in the shadow of a closed-down factory where Nabisco used to make Shredded Wheat. "Precisely because the community was so excited by the promise of an enormous amount of development over a decade ago, I think today many people in our community feel let down by their inability to build something," said the city's mayor, Paul Dyster. Once hailed as a savior, Milstein is now maligned as a slumlord by many in Niagara Falls. "He's a big boa constrictor," said David Crapnell, a Presbyterian minister and community activist, who accuses the developer of "bad faith." To the pastor, the past decade of dithering and decay offers a parable of the risks any city takes when it wraps up its redevelopment hopes with a rich investor.
BuffaloRebound Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 How does a new ownership group even think of building a new stadium if Ralph is selling at least 1 game a year to Toronto? It's bad enough Ralph hasn't made a commitment to keep the Bills in WNY, but re-upping the deal with Toronto for another 5 years and for possibly more than 1 game a year makes it that harder to build a new stadium and keep bills here.
truth on hold Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Been freaking obvious for a while now DT Niagara falls is the obvious spot to relocate and perhaps only way to keep bills in WNY
Shoutbox Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Will a Niagara Falls stadium - compared to a Buffalo waterfront stadium - make getting to games that much easier for Rochester and Canadian fans? If not, then let's get these "environmental and parking issues" resolved and bring the BUFFALO Bills back into the city.
jimmy10 Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Extend the Toronto deal, continue to build the fan base up there, within 5-10 years there's new ownership and a new stadium on the way in Niagara Falls, NY. Build up the transportation infrastructure to easily allow southern Ontario fans to cross the border, and... Who knows? It's so wacky it just might work. I don't pretend to have any answers, but I'm pretty sure that keeping the Bills in WNY will require some creative solutions. So Godspeed to whoever is figuring it out.
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