New Stadium?

Recently New York State announced a funding bill that incudes $1.4 billion dollars for a new Bills stadium in Orchard Park, NY.  That includes $600 million from NYS and $250 million from Erie County. That is $850 million from taxpayers. That would be the largest public subsidy for an NFL stadium ever. No football team in the history of the NFL has ever needed that much money to stay in a city. The Pegula's who own the Bills are reportedly asking the state for over a billion dollars in taxpayer funding. This looks like a scam. 

If this was a multiuse facility located in downtown Buffalo where large numbers of people would have ongoing access then perhaps public taxpayer money would be put to good use but not for a stand-alone football only stadium out in the far suburbs that would only be used 8 to 10 times per year. OK, maybe once in a while there might be a large concert held there. This new proposed stadium also does not have a roof.

The last time this stadium was renovated with taxpayer money the Bills actually decreased the fan capacity of the facility. Sure, they put in some fancy expensive suites for the big wigs but they made the stadium smaller. It is also far away from any public transportation so it must have very large parking lots surrounding it. It would also be interesting to see the number of people who actually attend games in that stadium and see what percentage of the taxpaying population they consist of in New York State.

My feeling is that if this is a taxpayer funded stadium then it should be located in an area that will get the maximum amount of use and that would be in downtown Buffalo or nearby. It should be a multi-use facility that would include a convention center, a concert venue that would accommodate various size crowds and a multiple sports venue. There would also be a hotel and retail space. The South Park area just below downtown would be a good place for the stadium.

There has been some argument from Bills fans that a new stadium needs to have expanded parking lots to enable people to tailgate before the games. These people want to get there many hours before the game to cook their own food, get drunk and party. Tailgating is most likely the most significant reason for the excessive rowdiness and obnoxious rudeness one encounters as Bills games. 

I think there should be minimal parking near a downtown stadium with plenty of public transportation to bring people to the facility from all over the city and parking lots situated along the rail lines. There would be plenty of restaurants and bars available nearby for those who want to eat and get drunk before the game. Oh, wait, bars are not always open on Sunday mornings. I guess that is really the main point for those people. Drinking on Sunday morning is a Bills fan priority. 

Well, if that is the case and the main reason for having the stadium in the center of a parking lot wilderness than it should be done with zero public funding or at least the very minimum and certainly not more than the sales tax revenue generated by the NFL in Buffalo. 

A stadium in the city would boost the economy of the entire region,