EDIT: Total cost to taxpayers? Bills select sports firm to represent ownership in building new open air stadium in OP, targeted for 2025

[papazoid]

i'm still predicting opening day of a new stadium not until the year 2030

[SectionC3]

22 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

I’ll say it again.  It’s not going downtown.  It’s time to put that hope to rest.

 

Say the state says that we’ll provide $600mil for a new stadium.  The cost in OP probably comes in around $900mil, from what I’ve gathered.  The Pegulas then cover $300mil for the stadium.  Maybe some of that is NFL money, maybe some of it is a 1031 from the sale of the Sabres (I’m assuming that’s happening).  Whatever.  Either way, it’s a $300mil bite in OP.  

 

Downtown is different.  There are land acquisition costs that they don’t have in OP.  There are infrastructure issues (new entrances/exits on the 190; reconstruction of arterial roads, perhaps a new practice facility, etc.).  There’s electric issues, sewer issues, parking issues . . . A whole raft of things that I wouldn’t normally think about.  Now, say the infrastructure costs requires a $1.2b outlay for the project.  All of a sudden (I’m sure everyone’s shedding crocodile tears for the rich folks now), the Pegulas need another $300m—for a total of $600m—to cover the costs of the stadium.  What’s the likelihood they recover that $300m in a time sufficient to justify the cost of that capital?  Post-pandemic, my guess is that it doesn’t happen.  Hence the focus on Orchard Park. 

It’s almost like Tim Graham read this before he wrote his recent article. 

23 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

I looked it up and not only was she born in Buffalo but she still lives there with her husband and kids. From Wikipedia...

 

Hochul is married to William J. Hochul Jr., a former United States attorney for the Western District of New York.[73] They reside in Buffalo, New York, and have two children

 

Hamburg.  She’s from the burg. 

[Patrick Duffy]

11 minutes ago, papazoid said:

i'm still predicting opening day of a new stadium not until the year 2030

You're probably not far off on that. Guess it depends on how all the issues and the many things this type of process takes gets sorted out and how quick or slow things can move. With 2030 being 9 years away and also probably won't even get started good for couple years, you may be pretty close.

[ColoradoBills]

23 minutes ago, papazoid said:

i'm still predicting opening day of a new stadium not until the year 2030

 

Well it sure ain't going to be 2025.  I'd say 2027.

 

[T&C]

1 hour ago, Greg S said:

 

I looked it up and not only was she born in Buffalo but she still lives there with her husband and kids. From Wikipedia...

 

Hochul is married to William J. Hochul Jr., a former United States attorney for the Western District of New York.[73] They reside in Buffalo, New York, and have two children

 

She also worked with Tim Russert back when she was a teenager. I have a link but I'm not going to post it here... for fear of

[Doc Brown]

2 hours ago, MaltaBillsFan said:

if only the NYS Governor was from Buffalo...oh wait.

That's really good news assuming Hochul wins in 2022.

[PatsFanNH]

2 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

Exactly. Toronto had the biggest potential and we see how that turned out. Idk...maybe it's still a low-key option.

 

Honestly, San Antonio/Austin is the only other realistic option for an area who wants a team and could pay for it. That's why the rumor started. Hard to envision that move, though. It doesn't really make sense for the NFL. They'd be better off adding a couple expansion teams.

Wouldn’t it be just like the NFL to give say Austin the Bills and then give Buffalo an expansion team… just when the Bills got good again.

[eball]

8 minutes ago, PatsFanNH said:

Wouldn’t it be just like the NFL to give say Austin the Bills and then give Buffalo an expansion team… just when the Bills got good again.

 

Nobody's "giving" the Bills to Austin or anywhere else.  Don't you have a cheaters forum you can visit?

[Patrick Duffy]

2 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

Honestly, San Antonio/Austin is the only other realistic option for an area who wants a team and could pay for it. That's why the rumor started.

Yeah was a silly rumor at that. As far as San Antonio, I remember seeing that mentioned as to be more believable than Austin. Austin was just laughable to me. I would have called BS on  San Antonio also. Although not quite as complete non sense as Austin, it's not far off.

 

You think of all the Cowboy fans which I think out numbers Texan fans that majority of population are die hard Cowboys, you know as they say "Americas Team" lol. That alone makes it hard to believe...add in the fact that Austin officials had no clue and knew absolutely nothing at all about it.

[LeGOATski]

18 minutes ago, PatsFanNH said:

Wouldn’t it be just like the NFL to give say Austin the Bills and then give Buffalo an expansion team… just when the Bills got good again.

History repeats itself...

 

I think serious expansion talk has already started within the NFL offices, though.

[LeGOATski]

6 minutes ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Yeah was a silly rumor at that. As far as San Antonio, I remember seeing that mentioned as to be more believable than Austin. Austin was just laughable to me. I would have called BS on  San Antonio also. Although not quite as complete non sense as Austin, it's not far off.

 

You think of all the Cowboy fans which I think out numbers Texan fans that majority of population are die hard Cowboys, you know as they say "Americas Team" lol. That alone makes it hard to believe...add in the fact that Austin officials had no clue and knew absolutely nothing at all about it.

I wouldn't look at them as exclusive markets. SA+Austin are basically a package deal for an expansion team. And I wonder if they could call themselves the "Texas Somethings" using the whole state as their moniker instead of a city. The same way Arizona, Tennessee, Minnesota, New England do. Would be a tough sell with Dallas and Houston already there. But Houston named themselves the Texans, so...

[Patrick Duffy]

Just now, LeGOATski said:

I wouldn't look at them as exclusive markets. SA+Austin are basically a package deal for an expansion team. And I wonder if they could call themselves the "Texas Somethings" using the whole state as their moniker instead of a city. The same way Arizona, Tennessee, Minnesota, New England do. Would be a tough sell with Dallas and Houston already there. But Houston named themselves the Texans, so...

I just find it hard to see another team in Texas at all. That's just me though.

[LeGOATski]

1 minute ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

I just find it hard to see another team in Texas at all. That's just me though.

3 teams in New York, 3 in California, 3 in Florida....

 

What's so hard about it?

[Greg S]

1 minute ago, LeGOATski said:

3 teams in New York, 3 in California, 3 in Florida....

 

What's so hard about it?

 

When did East Rutherford, NJ become NY?

[Process]

$1.4B budget for an open air stadium in OP is absolutely mind boggling. Minnesota just built a state of the art, glass domed stadium in downtown Minneapolis for $1B. One of the nicest stadiums in the league. I know construction costs are higher now due to Covid, but it still makes no sense. 

 

I would've thought a stadium in OP would cost half of what they are budgeting.

[LeGOATski]

11 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

When did East Rutherford, NJ become NY?

Homerisms aside...

[Saxum]

38 minutes ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Yeah was a silly rumor at that. As far as San Antonio, I remember seeing that mentioned as to be more believable than Austin. Austin was just laughable to me. I would have called BS on  San Antonio also. Although not quite as complete non sense as Austin, it's not far off.

 

You think of all the Cowboy fans which I think out numbers Texan fans that majority of population are die hard Cowboys, you know as they say "Americas Team" lol. That alone makes it hard to believe...add in the fact that Austin officials had no clue and knew absolutely nothing at all about it.

 

Of course it was BS - Pegulas are partnering with Legends owned by Jerry Jones.  The only way Texas gets another team is if Jerry is owner and it is in AFC.

[SectionC3]

4 hours ago, Patience said:

I usually hate the type of post that I'm about to make, but take it for what it is:

 

Have a friend (yeah, one of those deals) whose family is long entrenched and active in NYS and local (West Seneca, Orchard Park area) politics, and I've been communicating with him regarding the stadium issue since the new stadium report came to light.  He's assured me that there is "zero chance" that the stadium deal doesn't get done, and therefore there is "zero chance" the team moves.  Take it for what it is, I suppose.  But he's given me insight on non-Bills related matters that turned out the way he said they would.  

 

I’m hearing the same thing.  I know that EC has been preparing for this day.  I assume the state would have been doing the same thing.  I just don’t trust that the stadium deal is done until it actually gets done.  Logic tells me that it’s going to happen.  But I’m guarded in my optimism, especially after what occurred with Amazon in NYC. Bottom line:  hopefully Kathy makes this a top priority (in addition to the sea of other things she has to do) and gets this thing moving ASAP.  Quite honesty, if I was her, I’d put Poloncarz in charge of the deal because he’s exceptionally competent, he knows the game, they know him, and he can get it done fast. 

[Patrick Duffy]

31 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

3 teams in New York, 3 in California, 3 in Florida....

 

What's so hard about it?

1 team in NY. What's hard to see it for me is I think the fan base for Cowboys are larger than the Florida and Cali teams fan base. Probably whole lot more, along with just Texas itself. I mean basically majority of Texas are Cowboys fans. More than Texans I'd assume. 

 

Just done see another team if moved to Texas having the fan base needed. 

13 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Of course it was BS - Pegulas are partnering with Legends owned by Jerry Jones.  The only way Texas gets another team is if Jerry is owner and it is in AFC.

Even then if that scenario happened, I don't see another team in Texas. Doubt enough Cowboy fans would jump ship. Some probably. Just don't see it in Texas.

[YoloinOhio]

I’m upset that I subscribe to the athletic, I’m logged in, but it won’t let me read the tim graham article on the stadium stuff. I contacted customer support. Can anyone summarize