Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Orchard Park Supervisor Joe Liberti does not want development history to repeat itself.
When the Buffalo Bills moved to Orchard Park in 1973, the fans followed but because of constrictive zoning only limited development in Orchard Park happened along the Abbott Road complex - now called Highmark Stadium.
Liberti, and his fellow Orchard Park town board members, want to make sure this time around - when "new" Highmark Stadium opens this summer along Abbott Road that developers will find a more welcoming town.
"We don't want fans just coming to the game, tailgating and then going home," Liberti said. "We want them to linger and spend some extra time here."
To do that, Liberti said a wide range of developments should be encouraging in a swath of the town around the stadium that is being called a "gateway mixed use" area under a new master plan being reviewed. A formal vote on the master plan won't happen until later this year.
"More input is needed," Liberti said. "We need to hear from our residents. We need to hear from Hamburg and Erie County."
Development, Liberti said, won't happen over night.
Rather, it will be incremental and well-timed.
First on Liberti's list: Seeing at least one hotel developed.
The town is considering a four-story height restriction. Some development interests would prefer a five-story or six-story ceiling.
Also on Liberti's development wish list: Mixed-use, multi-tenant projects that bring apartments and retail together.
"I would love to see more restaurants and boutique shops," Liberti said.
There are some early signs that the stadium has piqued the interest of developers.
Case in point: Last month a property anchored by a convenience store and located just across from both stadium sites sold for more than $1.1 million.
"The bottom line, we want the development community to feel comfortable around the stadium," Liberti said. "We definitely want to be more welcoming."