BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) "Now that we have this roadmap, it allows us to move forward." Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tells WBEN, now that the state stadium study is in, the goal is to get a deal done by the end of the year.
New York State released its long-awaited study on a Buffalo Bills stadium on election day.
The 91 page report from AECOM, a firm hired by Empire State Development, makes one recommendation: build a new stadium.
It did not specify which site is preferred by the state, saying the decision will be based on negotiations.
Industry insider Marc Ganis, President and Founder of SportsCorp Ltd., who has worked on more than two dozen successful sports facility projects, had three immediate takeaways, in an interview with WBEN.
1. "The site next to the existing stadium (in Orchard Park) is by far the preferable site."
2. "The cost differential is very clear between the 2 locations."
3. "The study is done. In order for the state to move on a deal, they have to
do their due diligence on their own. It's done in time to get a deal done with the Bills before the 2022 political season, which is very important," said Ganis.
On Orchard Park being the preferred site in the report, Ganis says it cites "one plus years" for construction. "I'm telling you," he said, "as someone who has been in this industry, it is 2 to 3 years if not longer, to build downtown." Plus, he said the property would need to be acquired. There will be eminent domain issues. And infrastructure upgrades would be required. Those items add not just time, he said, but uncertainty and potential cost to the project.
On where the negotiating parties go from here, Poloncarz said the goal is to have a deal on major terms done by the end of the year. "We want to have a location, as well as cost sharing, and issues such as who's responsible for cost overruns, and things like that. It means there's going to be a lot of meetings between now and December 31st," he said.
Poloncarz said the parties will fully digest the report, get back to the bargaining table and try to hash out a deal.
The Bills are under contract to remain at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park through at least 2023. The team has said they will not negotiate an extension without a deal in place for a new facility.
Poloncarz said he's confident the current facility will be safe through 2026.
"We're never going to put people in a stadium that is unsafe. Our goal is to move as quickly as possible so we can move in that direction, so by 2026, we're playing in a new stadium."
A deal could be reached in 3 or 4 months, according to Ganis. "Empire State Development Corporation is very experienced in these deals. And the NFL is very experienced in these deals. That's very helpful," he added.
Ganis said something that is not publicly known, is that the NFL has been in contact with the state and coordination is already taking place. "You have very experienced people at the NFL who are assisting with this as well."
This is a second study on a new Bills stadium. The first was a private study commissioned by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The Pegulas prefer to build an open-air stadium in Orchard Park, mainly due to the fan experience and tailgating as well as the prohibitive cost of a downtown stadium.
With two stadium studies in the mix, which one takes precedence at the negotiating table? "They're so close," Ganis said, "that one doesn't take precedence over the other." He said it is logical, reasonable and preferred to go to Orchard Park. "Much greater certainty, much lower cost and a quicker time frame."
The most important thing is timing. "Don't let this drag on so it becomes an integral part of the 2022 political season. Get it done before that so it doesn't become a political football," said Ganis.
