AP exclusive: Bills propose new 60k seat stadium by (update - 2025)

[SDS]

12 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

I'm old school.  I am watching on a Pioneer Elite 60 inch PLASMA!

 

The blackest blacks.  In it's day, the ultimate flat screen.   Still superior to my top o' the line LG 65 4k I have in the city.

I also have one. Christmas tree fell over last year and scratched my AR coating. 😡

[RyanC883]

60k would be okay for a dome with the noose amplification.  For outside in Buffalo its pathetic. “Seats protected from the elements”, what does that mean?  Cold is the biggest “element” in winter, and only a done protects from that.  

[SoCal Deek]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

 

That would be an awful hockey experience 41 times a year.

Ugh!  I’m going to guess that you’re not going to be designing it. Really talented people would. 😉

[Beast]

8 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Ugh!  I’m going to guess that you’re not going to be designing it. Really talented people would. 😉

If it was as easy as you make it out to be there would be something like that already in the NFL/NHL or In the NCAA.

[SoCal Deek]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

If it was as easy as you make it out to be there would be something like that already in the NFL/NHL or In the NCAA.

If you look back through I said it’d be really challenging. Once again, I’m not promoting this concept. I simply offer that it might be the only downtown concept that makes sense in a city the size of Buffalo where the owner owns both teams. I’m actually much more in favor of an open air facility with covered seats in Orchard Park. 

[YoloinOhio]

 

 

 

[BigBuff423]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

I don't believe a retractable dome is beneficial to anyone. But I DO believe a dome is the best fit for the city and team. I also think it provides for enhanced fan experience. That said, at the end of the day, the Bills building a new stadium is a life-long dream. To have a state-of-the-art facility which can be supported by a top NFL team, is something I don't know that I ever truly believed was possible - especially during those dreary years where there didn't seem to be any viable hope for a Super Bowl caliber team and franchise. 

[Doc]

Again I doubt it would cost much to go from the fans-covered stadium to a roof.  But apparently the fans surveyed don't really want a roof.

[May Day 10]

They were never even able to get the multi-use baseball and football stadium right.  Football/Hockey is laughable.

 

I went to a Tampa Bay Lightning game at Tropicana Field.  They had it re-purposed the best they can for hockey.... but it was like watching a game in a giant cavern.   One of the Sabres' arena's biggest problems is the lack of intimacy created by the terrible/gradual grading of seats, combined with that ridiculous and hideous bubble-roof.

[Not at the table Karlos]

10 minutes ago, Doc said:

Again I doubt it would cost much to go from the fans-covered stadium to a roof.  But apparently the fans surveyed don't really want a roof.

With a roof you have to enclose the entire building. Then heat and cool it. 

[Mr. WEO]

11 hours ago, SDS said:

I also have one. Christmas tree fell over last year and scratched my AR coating. 😡

 

The coating is very sensitive!  Mine has a scratch from when one of my kids wiped it with a towel years ago.  They weight a ton, too--will heat your living room in the winter.

 

11 hours ago, BUFFALOBART said:

I remember seeing a 50" Plasma screen for the first time, many moons ago, and being very impressed by the picture quality.. I can't remember the brand, but the $5k price, sure got my attention!

The refresh rate on those old Plasma's blows away most contemporary screens!

 

Both my 60 and 50 inch Elites are 15 years old and have the same great picture quality--a totally different picture from my 65 LG OLED.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Freddie's Dead]

2 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

They've kicked the can down the road at least the last 15 years.  Rich Stadium is nearly 50 years old.  It's time for a new stadium.  The devil is going to be in the details.  Two questions nobody asked on GR55 this morning:  1.  If you haven't even engaged an architect yet, how are you estimating $1.4B?  2.  Why does a downtown location add $.5B to the cost?

[loyal2dagame]

The biggest takeaway from that twitter interview for me is the statement about 62k seats in the new stadium with nothing finalized and that the total number can still change.  I'm still thinking 65k seats is the sweet spot.

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

 

"county would still own the stadium".

 

County will be demolishing stadium they just dumped 130 million into less than 10 years ago.  The majority of that money can't be recovered. Bonds will be paid off for a hole in the ground....as new bonds are issued for the next one.

[Freddie's Dead]

13 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

"county would still own the stadium".

 

County will be demolishing stadium they just dumped 130 million into less than 10 years ago.  The majority of that money can't be recovered. Bonds will be paid off for a hole in the ground....as new bonds are issued for the next one.

 

That about sums it up.  For a venue that can only be used for 4 months outside football season, where the revenue goes to Erie County, and the economic benefits go to a suburb.  The City of Buffalo only benefits by keeping the Bills in WNY.  Maybe they can still build it downtown with a dome, but Pegs is pushing hard for an outdoor venue in OP.

[LabattBlue]

3 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

So maybe $200 mil for a fixed roof?  If so, it is a shame that it will not be part of the new stadium. 

[ProcessTruster]

On 8/31/2021 at 1:59 PM, JohnNord said:

 Not at all and it has more to do with logistics than the usual cold-weather weather excuse (though that probably does effect things too)

 

The biggest issue is that the Orchard Park/Buffalo area probably couldn’t handle the amount of Super Bowl visitors. Even, if they could the accommodations wouldn’t be very good.   Buffalo is not meant to host an event like the Super Bowl in any way

ah heck, have it there anyway... new stadiums get SBs.  period.   make it so Mr. WNY Commissioner

[Mr. WEO]

8 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

That about sums it up.  For a venue that can only be used for 4 months outside football season, where the revenue goes to Erie County, and the economic benefits go to a suburb.  The City of Buffalo only benefits by keeping the Bills in WNY.  Maybe they can still build it downtown with a dome, but Pegs is pushing hard for an outdoor venue in OP.

 

 

He wants the state/county to bear the majority of the cost and he knows a downtown project, due to it's much higher price tag,  is a nonstarter for the local/state government.

 

He doesn't care where the stadium is, as long as it's paid for.  Why would he?

[Rochesterfan]

9 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

He wants the state/county to bear the majority of the cost and he knows a downtown project, due to it's much higher price tag,  is a nonstarter for the local/state government.

 

He doesn't care where the stadium is, as long as it's paid for.  Why would he?

 

I think this is mostly right - he would care where it was built to better support his other investments like Downtown Hotels and Restaurants and help bring infrastructure to help improve the area around the hockey stadium to bring more and better tournaments in.  Money he could make outside of the sport itself.

 

The more important piece though - I believe - is to get the most public funding possible and the lowest cost and have it owned by the county - so they pay upkeep and renovation costs that will come every year because it is open air.

 

I think if this had been done 5 years ago - they would push downtown big time, but PSE has been getting rid of the poorly managed restaurants downtown and therefore there is less for them.  We will see with the ECC campus - if the Pegula’s are gifted some land to develop around the stadium or if they eventually push to have a new rink built out in OP in the next decade.  
 

This decision has the potential for additional impact down the road.