BUFFALO (WBEN) - While negotiations between Erie County, New York State, and the Buffalo Bills continue over a new stadium, the Buffalo Common Council held a public meeting last night to gauge interest in moving the team downtown and to perhaps have more say in the process.
"I would like the Pegulas, whose support is critically important in this whole process, to take a good look at the City of Buffalo," added Councilman David Rivera. "They've invested; they're trailblazers...this is just perfect for them, and hopefully they'll listen to us - we're residents one-third of the County of Erie."
Of course, the major sticking point in moving a stadium downtown is the cost. Some estimates projecting $2.1 billion to build in the city as opposed to a roughly $1.4 billion price tag to build in Orchard Park.
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Several major Buffalo developers were at the meeting, including Rocco Termini and Douglas Jemal. Termini and Ben Siegel, co-founder of the Bills in Buffalo group, presented an economic breakdown and compared the two sites.
Termini speaking in favor of a downtown stadium, suggesting the funding gap between an OP site and downtown could partially be closed by a $10 parking surcharge for events at the venue.
"We want our stadium in Buffalo," he said. "History is filled with almost moments - don't make this our almost moment."
Despite Termini's emphatic interest and proposal for a downtown stadium, Jemal took a much more passive approach to the stadium discussion, saying the community should simply support the Pegulas in whatever decision they end up making.
"I believe what I heard today was a lot of different things, a lot of hoops to jump through to get to where we have to go," said Jemal.
"I think as a city, we need to support the Pegulas and their decision," he continued. "I think we shouldn't be throwing darts at them for what they've decided that the want to do, and the decision should be their decision - they're the ones that have put out hundreds of millions of dollars to give Buffalo a winning team. Their franchise is worth an awful lot of money to other municipalities. This is something I would not play Russian roulette with."
There are three additional public hearings to be held on the stadium issue, all organized by Erie County.
-Monday, December 6, 2021at 6:00 pm, Erie Community College City Campus
Auditorium, Old Post Office Building Buffalo, NY.
-Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 6:00 pm, Erie Community College North Campus Auditorium, Gleasner Hall (adjacent to Youngs Road), Williamsville, NY.
-Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 6:00 pm, Erie Community College South Campus Lecture Hall Room 5102, Building 5, Orchard Park, NY.