uncle flap Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 The first members of this group, called the New Stadium Working Group, are New York Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, Buffalo Niagara Partnership CEO Dottie Gallagher-Cohen and Empire State Development President Kenneth Adams. http://www.wgrz.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2014/02/10/new-bills-stadium-group/5378083/ http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/cuomo-names-first-members-to-group-tasked-with-exploring-new-bills-stadium-20140210
Pondslider Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 This bit: “The general experience is that a stadium just plopped down somewhere without sustainable development around it isn’t the best development,” he said. is interesting to me especially with Harbor Center going up and some of the recent waterfront development. It still seems like a longshot that someone is going to come up with the $800 million being quoted as the low side in the article, but at least something is happening I guess.
Marv's Neighbor Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 21 Board members seems excessive. By the time any action may be taken, many of the politico's will be out of office. At the end of the day, don't forget "the 12th Man" who will have to pay for, and live with their solution
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 This bit: is interesting to me especially with Harbor Center going up and some of the recent waterfront development. It still seems like a longshot that someone is going to come up with the $800 million being quoted as the low side in the article, but at least something is happening I guess. I wonder if any potential Buffalo owners have ever given thought to trying to bring on an MLS team. Soccer is fairly popular in the area, especially in Rochester, and it could help support a stadium that is dedicated to American football. It seems like there are places just as cold - Seattle, Portland, Toronto - that have teams in outdoor stadiums. I would think it would be worth it to look into the costs of starting a Buffalo version of an MLSE-style corporation to support this kind of initiative tied to the Bills or Sabres with a waterfront development strategy at the forefront of the proposal.
BringBackFergy Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 Beaurocrats in charge of stadium planning...it took 40 years to get the waterfront going. Peace bridge still in the works 20 years later. Yeah, I feel confident.
T master Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 This is great news for the Bills & keeping them in B/lo ! I am impressed that they are moving forward due to what was said when the talk of using the water front as a site was mostly of a negative vibe . If the Bills want to stay viable in any way they need to have a new stadium & the people & the area have to start realizing that there are only 32 NFL teams in the league which is something special to have . The Bills are a part of the great history of the city & it would be terrible if they left for all concerned . The city, state & county would lose a ton of revenue & jobs that help the local economy not to mention what the mentality of the area would be with out the team . I'm not saying they need to stay at all costs but i am saying they need to do as much to keep the Bills in Buffalo as the were willing to give the Mets & Yanks new homes , beside the Bills are the only true NY state team ! The others only have the name but the Bills are the real deal in NY !! Go Bills !!!
TheZone78 Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 Why are politicians involved at all? There is a private group with a serious proposal on the table that are chomping at the bit to get a multi purpose facility built and yet nobody will listen to them. Amazing. If you put Government in charge of the Sahara Desert in five years you would have a shortage of sand - Milton Friedman
PromoTheRobot Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) Beaurocrats in charge of stadium planning...it took 40 years to get the waterfront going. Peace bridge still in the works 20 years later. Yeah, I feel confident. You are generalizing without knowing what held things back. The big reason was the NFTA which for some reason controlled all the Buffalo waterfront. What changed is NFTA giving up control to the city. That, plus Brian Higgins got things moving. Mayor Brown did a lot to clear a path, but the A-numero-uno reason is Terry "Daddy Warbucks" Pegula. You need a billionaire patron and Buffalo has one now. Why are politicians involved at all? There is a private group with a serious proposal on the table that are chomping at the bit to get a multi purpose facility built and yet nobody will listen to them. Amazing. If you put Government in charge of the Sahara Desert in five years you would have a shortage of sand - Milton Friedman The group you are referring to is sort of an outlier. It's not government stopping them. Even the Bills are not interested in what that group is saying. And don't kid yourself. NOTHING gets done privately without government being involved at some level. PTR Edited February 11, 2014 by PromoTheRobot
T master Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 At the end of the day, don't forget "the 12th Man" who will have to pay for, and live with their solution Is the alternative worth no solution ? They can stay where they are at lose the team , jobs, & revenue to the state, county & city or look forward & keep the Bills where they belong in B/Lo !! Also give the area more jobs, more revenue, & hopefully when the stadium is finished bring more in the way of other economic growth from bringing in more entertainment & growth from brining in other people to enjoy the new part of Buffalo . Change can be good !!
zonabb Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 It gives me great confidence that this complex decision-making, from the fiscal to the siting, is being overseen by a committee chock full of visionary, progressive, and urban thinkers with long track records of successful implementation of status quo shattering projects like Byron Brown and Paul Dyster, whose cities are held high as examples of urban revitalization, increased jobs for all, the eradication of poverty, and improved education for all. Why would it include any outstanding economists, bankers, urban planners, or developers? Because it's nys... Politics before common sense. Dottie Gallagher Cohen? That's gotta be a joke. She went from running the CVB to being miscast to run the do-nothing BNP, which along with the aforementioned political hacks and their predecessors have failed this region for 60 years by engaging in self serving policies. Read the book Power Failure for your dose of why we can never expect much from this incestuous group of power hungry hacks and why we're in this position to save the Bills. Can't wait until the county list comes out but here's some guesses.... Richard Tobe. If it happens I'll post why it's obvious. He'll probably pick a staffer from the ECIDA even though he and Brown and Gallagher-Cohen are board members. Also someone from the NFTA and from ECHDC. There will be no one who could be seen as a common WNYer who brings some expertise to the table. Local non-politicos who should have a seat at the table? How about George Hasiotis, who was behind the outer harbor stadium idea? Like the idea or location or not, he's obviously done his homework and would be knowledgable. But he's not a political insider as far as I can tell because he doesn't seek everyone's political approval to just have an idea, which makes you against the system. How about Bob Shibley, dean of architecture and planning at UB who knows more about planning that all these jokers combined? Why not a guy who knows urban design and how to incorporate projects into cities and make them work. Makes too much sense. So many good choices for the county executive but they'll all best insiders. The recommendations here should be glorious.
BringBackFergy Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 You are generalizing without knowing what held things back. The big reasoon was the NFTA which for some reason controlled all the Buffalo waterfront. What changed is NFTA giving up control to the city. That, plus Brian Higgins got things moving. Mayor Brown did a lot to clear a path, but the A-numero-uno reason is Terry "Daddy Warbucks" Pegula. You need a billionaire patron and Buffalo has one now. What is the NFTA?? A private think tank? No, its a beaurocratic machine. If, as you say, the 40 year delay was attributable to the NFTA, then I think my point is made. You can substitute in the ECIDA and the NYS equivalent and the same result will occur.
zonabb Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) You are generalizing without knowing what held things back. The big reason was the NFTA which for some reason controlled all the Buffalo waterfront. What changed is NFTA giving up control to the city. That, plus Brian Higgins got things moving. Mayor Brown did a lot to clear a path, but the A-numero-uno reason is Terry "Daddy Warbucks" Pegula. You need a billionaire patron and Buffalo has one now. Lots of incorrect facts here. 1) the land was given to the ECHDC, not the city (thankfully). 2) Sorry, the only path Brown cleared was by staying out of the way. Higgins pulled off the transfer working closely with the state because the NFTA is an authority under state law, not local. HIggins and Brown hate each other because Higgins doesn't care about kiss Byron's backside and abiding by his ancient politics. Brown is as worthless a mayor as we've seen. If you mean he's cleared a path by promoting a $600,000 hot dog stand at the small boat harbor, then yes. But if you mean actually making real progress, you're thinking of someone else. Larkinville happened because the developer asked the city to just get out of the way. Sadly, the state and feds have to save the city from its bad leadership. And the transfer was for about 350 acres to a public entity and it had zilch to do with Pegula. Edited February 11, 2014 by zonabb
pimp 2 Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 Lots of incorrect facts here. 1) the land was given to the ECHDC, not the city (thankfully). 2) Sorry, the only path Brown cleared was by staying out of the way. Higgins pulled off the transfer working closely with the state because the NFTA is an authority under state law, not local. HIggins and Brown hate each other because Higgins doesn't care about kiss Byron's backside and abiding by his ancient politics. Brown is as worthless a mayor as we've seen. If you mean he's cleared a path by promoting a $600,000 hot dog stand at the small boat harbor, then yes. But if you mean actually making real progress, you're thinking of someone else. Larkinville happened because the developer asked the city to just get out of the way. Sadly, the state and feds have to save the city from its bad leadership. And the transfer was for about 350 acres to a public entity and it had zilch to do with Pegula. This little illustration is an example of how the more things change, the more they stay the same ! Why do we always look to place blame on who's who to get credit for this or that? This is how we stay buckled down in the mumble jumble of the political limelight and who gets credit or blame (so provincial & typical)...Just get it done & Move on !!! Gotta love this place...so set on destruction from within!
SF Bills Fan Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 NY is a wealthy state. It curses the Buffalo area with taxes, but when stadiums and arenas are needed, money is there. Mario Cuomo was very helpful in getting the new arena done. Maybe his son will help get the new stadium done?
May Day 10 Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 Im all for pouring like half the price of a new stadium and renovate the heck out of RWS. I love the fact that we now have one of the oldest, most unique, and "fan friendly" stadiums remaining. Every 5-10 years, it will be multiplied exponentially and will become an attractive feature in itself.
shibuya Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 The only way the Bills stay in Buffalo is with a new stadium.... AND That Waterfront property just south of the city would be awesome if they can increase the public transportation in and out of that area.. If not then traffic will be a disaster. Hopefully this is the beginning of the new chapter for the BUFFALO Bills
The Wiz Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) This bit: is interesting to me especially with Harbor Center going up and some of the recent waterfront development. It still seems like a longshot that someone is going to come up with the $800 million being quoted as the low side in the article, but at least something is happening I guess. Is this including how much tax payers will be on the hook for? Since we're already forking 200 million to stadium renovations I don't see covering 600 million that hard for an investment group/corp. In all likelihood though, having politicians running this, it just sounds like a way of making money change hands easier for them. Edited February 11, 2014 by The Wiz
C.Biscuit97 Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 Beaurocrats in charge of stadium planning...it took 40 years to get the waterfront going. Peace bridge still in the works 20 years later. Yeah, I feel confident. Completely understand this point. I've felt the same way. But I will say in the past 3 years, I've seen more built in Buffalo than I did my previous years combined. I don't know who gets the credit but a lot of nice things have been happening in the area. It's the one pro of hitting rock bottom. No where to go but up.
boyst Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 I have to believe this is more for show and graft then anything. A political handshake to supporters upstate and a way to send a message that something will change. I have a hard time believing any part of the state East of Rochester gives two craps about Buffalo.
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