T master Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 I don't know why the talk is out side of the Buffalo area . I was just in town last week & drove down the river to where it meets lake Erie there are a ton of empty abandon buildings all along the route & people are bitching about using that land for a stadium ???? HUH ? Is there any huge plans for developing that land ? NO ! Other than it sitting there vacant & losing vital tax revenue for the next lets say 10 yrs what is the beef about the water front as the site ? A stadium would generate jobs , tax revenue , more permanent jobs & tourism dollars !! People in western NY had better wake up & realize that in order to get you have to give or sacrifice something & if you want to continue to be ONE of 32 cities IN THE ENTIRE WORLD that has a NFL franchise your going to need to pony up something !! And by giving that piece of land that would be used to bring more canadian tourism to B/Lo not to mention revitalize another part of Down town to go along with the construction of the hockey complex that is being built around the first Niagara Center, not to mention the casino, that would make that entire part of the city a happening place . But no let's not take a chance of forward thinking & just leave that land sit vacant & MAYBE some one will come along & want to do something with it in the next 20 yrs or after we are all dead & our beloved Bills are in heaven forbid LA ... There just needs to be a renewed thought pattern to get those in Western NY out of the backwards way of thinking ! Move into the future to keep the Bills & more positive growth back into the area !!
qblax16 Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 I personally love the Batavia idea, but it's bias, as I fly into Syracuse usually to pick my pops up before heading to orchard park. I can bet that the Syracuse influence would be much heavier, and the Toronto/Canadian influence wouldn't be much different (possibly a slight decrease). It would reagonalize the team to more of central NY. Might even get some Albany Bills fans out????? My uncle lives out that way, and I bet he'd be more likely to come to more games!
Homey D. Clown Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Not aregueing to argue. Just thought the absolutely no reason statement was blatantly incorrect. But I can see you're back peddling so that's good. Nice try on the low brow back peddling comment... not biting, since I'm just not sure how you even came up with or perceived that. I deleted the rest of what you wrote by and large due to my lack of interest moving forward...
todd Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 It further opens up Rochester, Syracuse and other areas east for easy access to games. If Batava was the site of the stadium, the number of season ticket holders from Rochester would increase 10x. I would. It is a 2.5 hour trip home for me after a game to the east side of Rochester. Not great when I need to work the next day. Can someone explain how Batavia is in the mix as a potential new stadium site? I keep thinking this is a joke but it continues to be in the conversation, at least in media reports. I will grant that Batavia has land and good Thruway access, but what else? How does a Batavia site add to Buffalo's or Niagara Falls' critical mass for economic development purposes? How does it entice popular or corporate support from Southern Ontario and put a stake in the heart of Toronto's NFL ambitions (which in my opinion is critical to the long term survival if a Buffalo franchise)?
voodoo poonani Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 I don't think Erie county would allow the Bills to leave even if they're in the area. Plus there is the whole tax base to pay for the stadium. If the counties came to some sort of mutual arrangement, I'd be surprised. It could only be done under pressure from the state.
mrags Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 (edited) Funny how people can only see things in a vacuum. Infrastructure is not an infinitely fixed liability. Investment in a new stadium and supporting commercial/entertainment complexes gives the very reason to do something about it... we'll said sir. Well said. Same argument I've been saying about a stadium downtown as well. Were not talking about just a new stadium if this thing ever materializes. Were talking about a complete change in the area. Infrastructure will not only be changed, it will be chosen because it needs to be changed. Buffalo, NF, Batavia... Whoever gets this thing, will get not only a billion dollar stadium, but probably another 500-1billion in infrastructure changes. I'm talking subways (real ones, not the joke we have now), roadways, public transportation. Huge changes if this happens. Edited May 13, 2014 by mrags
bills1960 Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Buffalo deserves the economic benefit of the stadium. Not Batavia, not NF.
Woody Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 I come all the way from the Albany - Schenectady area. Batavia sounds great.
mrags Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 I come all the way from the Albany - Schenectady area. Batavia sounds great. Batavia helps the region. It links Buffalo and Rochester very closely. There's much to gain In this move towards growing both cities together. It also makes Syracuse closer to Rochester. Regionalization.
Adam Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 The more I think about this, the less likely it appears to me that the stadium will be anywhere outside Erie county. All talk of regionalization aside, this is a basic economic reality. The county has put in too much money for too long to allow stadium revenues (such as they are) to slip away, and neither Niagara nor Orleans county has anywhere near the population/political juice to force Erie out. Something in northern Erie County (near UB) would solve many of the transportation issues, and have plenty of highway access, but I also think it likely that something in the Lancaster area, near the Thruway, will get attention. Ironically, probably close to where that mythical early dome was intended to be. For it to remain inside Erie County, it would have to be inside the I-290 loop or somewhere between Rt. 400 and 219.
stony Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Nah...you can easily take 63 in/out of town from the east and either route 5 or 33 in/out of town from the west. I grew up just south of Batavia, and think it would be one of the worst sites possible. The whole "midway between Buffalo and Rochester" thing is overrated. Syracuse is a mixed market too. In theory yes. However, 33, 5 and 63 all become the same road through Batavia. It's a pain to drive through on a Friday afternoon at 5. Can't imagine it if 70,000 people converged on it at once.
Mike in Horseheads Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 All I know know is when I come through Batavia cutting up from 390 to get to The Falls it's already a pain in the ass. I can't even imagine putting a stadium there and the mess that would cause. I mean what are you supposed to do build a new toll booth at the exit with 20 gates for 8 times a year.Someone said they already had the hotels, really that nice Comfort Inn at the thruway exit, It's a dump. I seriously doubt it's going to make the cut but it is closer to home without traffic. ...Hey Chemung County down here would be a great place! Right in the the middle of the state, lot's of farm land to build on...or knock down whats left of Elmira and build it there. For canned footage we have a picture of Mark Twain and Ernie Davis. I'm sure it could be done on the cheap!... Just throwing it out there
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Nice try on the low brow back peddling comment... not biting, since I'm just not sure how you even came up with or perceived that. I deleted the rest of what you wrote by and large due to my lack of interest moving forward... It's not my post you need to read or delete to see the back peddle. Anyway you call NF unintelligent, with no possible argument where I presented loads consider Jim Kelly who apparently inspires you advocates it. Is he unintelligent about this situation? I am all for downtown buf or Niagara Falls stadiums or just leave it where it is... There is a sound argument for, buf or NF to Reclaim some semi-urban wasteland instead of just paving over another cowfield. Yes Batavia will be better for some, worse for others, but the big picture is no more compelling than OP. No ripple effect except for a few different people allowing cars to park in their yards. No real infrastructure opportunities, no collateral growth potential. Just the equivalent of another big box store out in the middle of a remote field.
artmalibu Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Batavia would be good in that traffic would be coming from the east and west. Getting in and out of the stadium would be much easier.
KRT88 Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 WHY? There is NO point in putting the new stadium in the middle of the country! Stadium needs to be in Buffalo. I have family that lives in Attica and goes to Batavia all the time and that site makes no sense.
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 (edited) I have family that lives in Attica and goes to Batavia all the time and that site makes no sense. What are they in for? Edited May 13, 2014 by over 20 years of fanhood
Maguire's Beer Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 Erie County has the juice here. They have a full third of the slots on the Stadium Committee, they have the lease, and they appear to be working hand-in-hand with the state on the project. And lest we forget, it's the population center of WNY. That's not to say that things can't change, but as it stands, Erie County is the prohibitive favorite. So where's the most likely spot in Erie County? While good arguments can be made for Amherst near UB, OP, and even the Outer Harbor, I'd bet on the Perry Projects. Why? 1) The Municipal Housing Authority wants out of the development, which has something like 50 percent occupancy. IOW, the land will be easily procured, and it's a large enough plot. 2) There's already substantial development on three sides of the site - the Inner Harbor/Canalside to the east, Larkin District to the west, and Riverbend to the south. And serious developers have been buying up land in the Old First Ward neighborhood immediately south of the Projects. 3) Great infrastructure - adjacent to the 190, and extending Metrorail down Perry (or South Park) wouldn't be that hard. Plus the bar infrastructure is already there. Could be wrong, but I like the idea.
Campy Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 As alluring as Monday Quarterback Club meetings at The Polk-A-Dot sounds, no way in bloody hell will the new stadium be be built in Batavia. As they are playing up the Ontario angle, moving it farther away from the border makes zero sense. Personally, I'd like to see it downtown provided parking and tailgating options were well thought out. The tailgate scene at urban stadiums I've been to is pretty bad.
PearlHowardman Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 This move would certainly open the Syracuse market which has no current allegiance to an NFL team. When the Buffalo Bills do well, Syracuse is wall to wall Bills fans. When the Buffalo Bills don't do well, Syracuse just follows the Orange football team and anticipates the upcoming Orange basketball season. I'm glad to hear that posters here realize that having a stadium in Batavia will bring in Bills fans from Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Games will sell out, easily with the combined population of these three cities and the easy location on the NYS Thruway.
MarkAF43 Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 When the Buffalo Bills do well, Syracuse is wall to wall Bills fans. When the Buffalo Bills don't do well, Syracuse just follows the Orange football team and anticipates the upcoming Orange basketball season. I'm glad to hear that posters here realize that having a stadium in Batavia will bring in Bills fans from Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Games will sell out, easily with the combined population of these three cities and the easy location on the NYS Thruway. A very serious question with no sarcasm intended. How many fans do you think won't go that are living in Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Amherst etc not to mention Canada? Would we still sell out if we lose a good portion of that fan base who won't travel the 40 minutes or so to get to Batavia?
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