It’s about time we took a trip back to Buffalo, New York to find out what the latest in the ongoing saga, more drama that is the Buffalo Bills new stadium proposal. Before we dive into the Bills stadium news, I’d like to encourage you to subscribe to the Archive of Everything to keep up with the latest NFL news and interesting history videos. Alright now on with the video.
The Bills have called Highmark Stadium home since 1973. It has received some minor updates throughout the years, but when comparing it to other modern NFL stadiums, it truly looks like its from a bygone simpler era. Not only is the stadium outdated, but it’s also literally falling apart. An engineering study by Erie County where the stadium is located, recommends replacing the upper deck of the stadium in 3-5 years in order to prevent a collapse.
That is a very tight timeline to avoid costly repairs on an outdated stadium, and the Pegula family, the owners of the Buffalo Bills are keenly aware of this. That is why they are playing hardball with local and state officials to get a new stadium financing deal in place fast. The Pegulas appear to have won the fight for exceptionally generous stadium financing. The new complex which would be located across the street from the current Highmark Stadium would cost around $1.35 billion dollars. Of that cost, nearly $1 billion dollars of it would come from the local and state public taxpayers. An additional $200 million would come from a loan provided to the Pegulas’ by the NFL, with the final $150 million coming from the Pegulas’ themselves.
The new stadium would be built in what are now the Lot 3 and Lot 4 parking lots across the street from Highmark Stadium. It would have a footprint of about 1.5 times the size of the current stadium, truly massive when you compare it to satellite imagery. The stadium would still be open air to preserve the spirit of Bills outdoor games, but 80% of seats will be covered to protect fans from the elements. Seating capacity would be similar to other small market venues with 60,000 to 62,000 seats and an additional 5000 fan party deck where fans could view the game. Much of the financing deal rides on a league meeting set to take place at the end of March 2022. If the league approves it, expect plans and construction to start rapidly. While the stadium is being built, the Bills would remain in Highmark Stadium, which would be demolished upon completion of the new facility.
4 окт 2024
