Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It's 'go time' for the Buffalo Bills' stadium project after all of the documents have been finalized.
"It's the final step and a great step," said Ron Raccuia, Buffalo Bills Executive Vice President and COO on WBEN Friday. "We've been preparing for this all along. We're ready to go. There's a lot of work being done on Abbott Road already."
Now that there's certainty about the Bills staying in Orchard Park, the focus is shifting to development around the stadium.
The Bills will not take an active role in development, said Raccuia, but they will be very active in supporting and promoting it. "We will be a great partner in bringing content, people and activity to the area. We'll work
collaboratively with the towns of Orchard Park, Hamburg, Erie County and New York State. We think there's great opportunity and we're looking forward to really strong development around the stadium."
When it comes to events, besides football, at the new stadium, Raccuia said they are planning for more large-scale ticketed events. Not a lot more, but more.
"We think the stadium and spaces inside the stadium have opportunities 365 days a year. We think there will be a lot of community events, and private events. There are different meeting spaces, different places to celebrate
and we really feel like the stadium is going to be active most days of the year," he said.
The Town of Orchard Park is currently considering a "stadium overlay district." That would ease some of the zoning regulations around the stadium.
"That means we could have structures, including a hotel, that is higher than 2.5 stories," said Don Lorentz, Executive Director of the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce. "I'm hearing about perhaps a four story hotel." Currently, the town does not have a single hotel.
Lorentz wants to see more events at the stadium as well as a possible museum and water park to make the area more attractive 12 months of the year.
He is hoping that the Town of Orchard Park, within its next couple of meetings, can reach an agreement on where to locate a stadium overlay district and decide on specific regulations for the district.
The new stadium site is undergoing prep work with excavation work expected to begin in earnest in June.