Bleeding Bills Blue Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 20 minutes ago, eball said: I'm just sayin', I would LOVE a downtown stadium with places to go before and after games. I'm just at a different place in my life and mega-tailgating in a parking lot isn't as important any more. If they put it where Conway park is - you can build a garage on the one side, and utilize casino garage for overflow (maybe split the parking rate 50/50 - ). Rip out the perry projects and move a few businesses and you probably have sufficient parking. Could even do foot bridges from the riverworks side if you needed more space. Logistically that would need to be improved though to get cars in and out. The toughest part will be how to get 70,000 people in and out of downtown with 1 highway there going north/south and a ton of side streets. Right now the stadium sits between 219 and 90 - so you have a way north/south whether you turn right or turn left. There would probably be an uptick in shuttles and Uber/Lyft - but it would definitely be helpful for some of the businesses down there. Riverworks and the Casino would get some major cash on game days.
teef Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 39 minutes ago, eball said: I'm just sayin', I would LOVE a downtown stadium with places to go before and after games. I'm just at a different place in my life and mega-tailgating in a parking lot isn't as important any more. i'd be ok with this too. it's just too hard for me to do the all day tailgate, so i'd much rather swing by a few places before the game instead. that being said, i'm fine if they keep with the mega tailgating as well. at this point, i get there an hour and a half before game time, so i'm good either way. 1
wagon127 Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: Im not so worried about the tailgating downtown as much as the traffic. A Sabres game with 15-19K people locks up traffic to a miserable degree. People leave Sabres games (no matter the score) between the 2nd intermission and 2/3 through the third period to avoid getting stuck. Its awful. Have you ever tried parking by the baseball field? There's next to no traffic after games. Its a little bit longer of a walk, but you get home a lot faster. That won't help you leaving a 70,000 seat football game, but for the arena it would. Edited March 27, 2019 by wagon127
Reed83HOF Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 17 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: Asked if he wanted a domed stadium, Terry Pegula initially said, "No," then said, "We'll see what the study says. It's all about what we think our fans want, what they would prefer."
YoloinOhio Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 Just now, Reed83HOF said: Asked if he wanted a domed stadium, Terry Pegula initially said, "No," then said, "We'll see what the study says. It's all about what we think our fans want, what they would prefer." He doesn’t want one. But I think it’s going to come down to that study. Looking at similar cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland - no dome. Indy and Detroit do have one. I would go with retractable. 3
BuffaloHokie13 Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 If I could start a gameday at Flying Bison or Pearl Street and then walk to the Casino after the game I'd be pretty happy. 2 1
Reed83HOF Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 3 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: He doesn’t want one. But I think it’s going to come down to that study. Looking at similar cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland - no dome. Indy and Detroit do have one. I would go with retractable. All comes down to if they want it to be year round for other events during the "gray season", if it is to be truly football only - no dome for me... When I was younger, the weather never bothered me - now it does a bit, but not enough to say I would be in favor of a dome - it makes the game too sterile IMO, elements are part of the game. I know some can and will point to low attendance in late November and December games in the last 20 some odd years, but that is a simply a function of having a $hitty team that is out of or has no chance of the playoffs, build a winner and the fans will come. 1
BuffaloRebound Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 I think the dome becomes a negotiating point between Pegula and the government. Retractable dome probably doubles the cost. Pegula says we don’t need dome for football. Government pays for if it wants it to hold non-football events. 1
sullim4 Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: He doesn’t want one. But I think it’s going to come down to that study. Looking at similar cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland - no dome. Indy and Detroit do have one. I would go with retractable. I agree. I'd be really surprised if Terry or Kim wanted a dome. I don't think they go with a retractable roof though - it adds significantly to the cost of the facility and it's very expensive to maintain. Out here, the Mariners asked for well north of $150 million from King County for stadium maintenance, a major chunk of which was tagged for repairs to Safeco's (now T-Mobile Park's) retractable roof. I'm sure the technology has improved over the last 20 years, but it's still a major long-term expense. The Bills would be better off installing those overhead heaters they have in the club areas in more places around the stadium if they're concerned about December temperatures.
ddaryl Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Forward Progress said: Please don't move the stadium downtown!! I have been to plenty of stadiums across the league and downtown stadiums have the worst tailgating. St.Louis was the worst that I have been to. The only thing going on outside of the stadium were street vendors peddling their souvenirs. reality is they don't want tailgating. They want people in the local bars and restaurants and then inside the stadium spending money. I agree tailgating is the shiz nitz.... but if public money is to be used then return on investment is a must and you will not get that same level of ROI in a suburban stadium. Where as a downtown stadium will prop up more localized businesses.
Kirby Jackson Posted March 27, 2019 Author Posted March 27, 2019 1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said: How does it work with naming rights? Would New Era have to bid on it and how much does the corporate sponsor typically contribute to the overall cost? I thought that New Era has first right of refusal on naming rights at a new stadium as part of their deal? I could be wrong on that. In terms of spend it will depend on how long the naming rights deal is. If we use Lucas Oil as the Comp their original deal was for 20 years at $122M. Now they host other events there but that deal is also a decade old or so. Hard Rock paid $250M for 18 years in Miami (but again lots of big name events). I would think that the Bills could get $150M over 20 years (or something like that). 1
May Day 10 Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 46 minutes ago, wagon127 said: Have you ever tried parking by the baseball field? There's next to no traffic after games. Its a little bit longer of a walk, but you get home a lot faster. That won't help you leaving a 70,000 seat football game, but for the arena it would. I used to park there primarily, but now, for some reason, as of about 2 years ago, my entry downtown on the Seneca Street exit is gummed up and backed up to the 190, so I have to get to the Louisiana St exit to head up Perry St and too much traffic to get back to Pilot Field without risking being late.
LabattBlue Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) Building a downtown fixed roof stadium is a no brainer. The vast majority(especially those who take clients to games or people with a lot of disposable income) don't want to sit in the ***** weather of November and December where you can get anything from 40 and rain to raging snowstorms and single digit temps. Edited March 27, 2019 by LabattBlue 2 1
wagon127 Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 14 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: I used to park there primarily, but now, for some reason, as of about 2 years ago, my entry downtown on the Seneca Street exit is gummed up and backed up to the 190, so I have to get to the Louisiana St exit to head up Perry St and too much traffic to get back to Pilot Field without risking being late. Yeah, Seneca st is all backed up, but Swan street is completely clear. Get off there! It goes to the exact same place.
Jrb1979 Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said: I have a feeling that the organization will do its best to ensure there are enough places to tailgate. I do think they want to curb the dangerous stuff though. I can see them getting rid of private lots with a move downtown. Police their lots heavily to curb the crazy stuff.
MacGyver Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 1 hour ago, LeviF91 said: We might as well accept it now. Tailgating is dead/dying across the NFL. And that's by design. The NFL probably wants a lot less drunk fans jumping through burning tables and throwing *****'s on the field. When I went to Bills games it was to watch football, not worry about getting drunk and acting like a frat boy. I think a downtown stadium + PSL's will lead things towards a more positive direction it terms of the quality of the NFL gameday experience. 4 1
Stank_Nasty Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said: He doesn’t want one. But I think it’s going to come down to that study. Looking at similar cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland - no dome. Indy and Detroit do have one. I would go with retractable. I was in indy this year. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it until I got in there..... I hated it. it was a beautiful, brisk, sunny day in the low to mid 40's on the walk up the stadium and then you lose it all as you walk into the controlled climate. I was actually surprised how much I didn't like it. and my wife, who cant stand the cold, wasn't all that impressed either. being inside just didn't real right. didn't feel like a gameday. Edited March 27, 2019 by Stank_Nasty 4
Kelly the Dog Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 So Bills fans will be jumping off buildings onto tables instead of off cars. What’s the big deal? I’d like the stadium downtown. It can only help its renaissance. And agree with Kirby. 1
The Wiz Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said: He doesn’t want one. But I think it’s going to come down to that study. Looking at similar cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland - no dome. Indy and Detroit do have one. I would go with retractable. Retractable would make the most sense and would favor everyone. It would also be able to be used for purposes other than football if it was. 1
Chicharito Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 I do not want the stadium to ever move! Why spend a billion dollars on something that is going to be used 12 times a year for football? if it does move down town it would be amazing to knock down the projects next to canal side and the skyway, have a glass wall like Minnesota and have the naval ships in view. That is what I would call a success. If moved!
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