Buffalo Bills New Stadium To Be Placed Where
By Dennis Amo
Oct 12, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula talks to fans before a game against the New England Patriots at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
With Ralph Wilson Jr. passing away during the regular season and the status of whether or not the Buffalo Bills would be staying in Buffalo or the surrounding area was up in the air, it was only until Terry and Kim Pegula put down a 1.4 billion dollar bid to become only the second owners of the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, that it became evident for Bills fans and the organization that a long standing continued tenure would be situated here in Buffalo.
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The next question on the minds of Buffalo Bills fans and the organization is whether or not to build a new stadium and where is the best spot for the stadium to be placed.
Whether or not a new stadium is needed is a question that will give a different answer depending on who you ask. Some in the NFL league office believe that it is a must for the Bills to have a new one built. Others believe that some more renovations could be done, to bring the current 40+ year old stadium into the 21st century.
Ralph Wilson Stadium has just gone through a number of renovations, so any type of new stadium probably won’t happen until a couple of years down the road.
A study has been done and narrowed down to 4 sits where a new stadium would take advantage of developing areas within Buffalo and also be able to handle a new stadium in the area.
The 4 sites recommended by AECOM, an architectural consulting firm out of Los Angeles, land within the Buffalo area. 3 of them are proposed in the downtown area all in close proximity to each other and the other is literally just a hop skip and a jump from the current place of the Buffalo Bills home.
"The three downtown locations, two situated on Michigan Street and one centered in Conway Park on South Park Avenue, were chosen in part for both their ability to maximize the effect of a new stadium in the development of the surrounding area, as well as the existing infrastructure necessary to keep construction costs from becoming exorbitant.The fourth location, where Ralph Wilson Stadium currently stands, was recommended in large part because of the existing traditions associated with the location, as well as the possibility of a renovation instead of a rebuild, dramatically cutting into the amount of money required.– WGRZ.com"
The current lease on the stadium with the Bills is sitting at 8 years, so I am sure that there will be more consulting that will be done on possible spots. Keeping the Bills in Orchard Park, I think would allow the tailgating aspect to continue as it has for so many years. Moving it downtown will limit that experience and might cut down on some other aspects as well.