BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Despite New York State conducting its own study which examines the feasibility of a stadium in Downtown Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown is not optimistic a stadium will be built in the city due to the added costs and the Bills desire to keep the stadium in Orchard Park.
"Obviously, as Mayor of the City of Buffalo, I would love to see a stadium in Downtown Buffalo for the Buffalo Bills," Brown said. "The most important thing, though, is keeping the Bills in our community. Keeping them in Western New York and keeping the Buffalo Bills right here where they belong."
Added costs for a downtown stadium near the Perry Projects would include land acquisition and infrastructure upgrades which could cost upwards of $1 billion and push the overall stadium costs to more than $2 billion.
While the Bills have their own study, Brown said the state's parallel study is not a waste of time because they need to do their due diligence and make an informed decision.
It's undeniable that most Western New Yorkers want the team to stay in the region, though questions have bubbled about the true economic impact that a football team has on the region.
"The value of having an NFL team is critically important," Patrick Kaler of Visit Buffalo Niagara told WBEN. "It's not a huge visitor driver for us but it's great consumer awareness. Many of the visitors are just for the visiting teams. Of course, the Canadians that come across, but it's truly a local audience that goes to the games."
Jill Schlesinger in August told WBEN that publicly funded stadiums are "rotten deals" for taxpayers. Despite the argument that it would bring joy to the region, Schlesinger said there are still high costs to attending a game.
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"Who's this really favoring?" Schlesinger said. "The people who already have money...It's so ridiculous because it so favors people who can afford to go to those games. What's the cost of a Buffalo Bills ticket? Even those cheap seats?"
Brown said the Bills impact to Buffalo is significant both economically and culturally.
"Nationally and internationally, the Buffalo Bills help brand Buffalo and Western New York," Brown said. "There are a lot of jobs created and maintained because the Buffalo Bills are here in our community. When people make business decisions, the Buffalo Bills are one of the business amenities in this community that factor into the decision to locate in Buffalo and Western New York. I think the Bills are very important to our community economically and culturally."