BRO on BFO: Bills Stadium, New President for the CTRC, Brown for Lieutenant Governor, UB's John Simpson, Restaurant Week
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Leave a commentOh that's brilliant. Build a new 80,000 seat stadium surrounded by water with no access except one road heading in and out of the place?
Back to the drawing board.
If a downtown stadium should ever be built, it should be built on the site of the Perry Projects.
But a new stadium is not going to be built. Because of how NYS is run, the cost would be around $500M on the low end. Since Ralph has ZERO interest in doing anything with the team, the only chance Buffalo would have is with a new owner.
The current valuation of the Bills franchise, according to Forbes, is around $900M. Not to piss in everyone's cheerios but there is ZERO chance any owner can provide the debt service on $900M with the team in OP. The region can not handle the ticket prices and the stadium does not have the boxes. Even if the boxes existed, the companies with the needed cash do not.
The moment the Bills are sold, the new owner is going to move the team to an area of the US that will build a new stadium for the team AND to a region that can afford higher ticket prices.
"possible scenario that would place Byron Brown in the Lieutenant Governor's seat"
That's far fetched now. Byron is still popular locally and could easily win again in 2013 as mayor, but the Stokes arrest/non-arrest episode has made him damaged goods for Lt Gov or any higher elected office beyond Buffalo's borders. Maybe after the Census if a Congressional district is drawn with him in mind he might have a chance at that. The more likely scenario is he stays mayor until he gets bored or convicted (probably bored), and then eventually Golisano, Pigeon, and his other rich supporters will help him get a higher paying non-elected position.
that sounds about right.
I agree that a new stadium doesn't make any sense until our current stadium is beyond repair. Whenever that is and if we win the lotto ;) At that point we need to rethink how we do business for both the team, access (for everyone) and the environment.
Reality...when Ralph Wilson dies the Bills will be sold and moved. There is no need, nor will there ever be a need, for a new stadium. This is also a Buffalo football fantasy however I feel it is slightly more likely. UB football isn't in danger of leaving. UB stadium only seats 35-40k, and once the Bills leave some of their fan base may support college football....maybe in 10-15 yrs UB football will need a new stadium...downtown? Assuming the program continues to improve.
Spilled Milk
UB would NEVER build a stadium downtown. The trend in college football is to build on campus for various reasons.
Like I said...unlikely...but morel likely than the Bills ever doing it.
I'll admit I didn't have the time to read the previous article's 2000 comments, but it seems to me there could be many ways to save the current stadium. Back in the early 70 there were plans filed in Orchard Park to build the current stadium WITH A DOME ! I saw them, in the town engineering office. Why not brush them off and update it with a dome? Is a Buckminster Fuller dome out of the question? In 1960 Buckminster designed a dome to cover 2 miles ! Can you imagine the possibilities with today's materials and technologies? see http://www.bfi.org/node
PS have you ever parked your own car in Orchard Park in the big lots or many small satellite lots? Do we get free mass transit that no one will use or will we park on the side streets in the first ward?
Linksfiend had a great image. with all that space , why not put the "proposed" Peace Bridge Plaza there and leave the front park and Columbus neighborhood as is ?!
Man I love the idea of the stadium next to Concrete Central but the thought of some drunk Bills fan either falling into the river or driving their car into it just seems very likely
Other than looking cool from an aerial perspective, putting a new stadium in that location is about as dumb as it gets.
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on the stadium. didn't think about it before but think of the environmental impact. a buff news write in yesterday complained about what a mess the ralph parking lots were after last weeks game. the buffalo river is dirty enough already. imagine how much trash would end up in it if the river was on three sides of the stadium
Really? That's the your main concern?
naw dude. all my concerns were already voiced in the reader submissions original article. this was an afterthought.
I'm not sure about the engineering feasibility of this, but: what about capping the landfill in Tonawanda and building the next stadium there when it's necessary? Reasons for:
(1) Plenty of space for the stadium and for parking (which is an important revenue stream
(2) quick acess to the 290 and 190
(3) closer to Canadian fans
(4) closer to the higher population density areas of Erie County, Niagara County and Southern Ontario
(5) I think the Amtrak line that runs from Toronto is just to the east (Maple Leaf route)?
See location here:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/80765026/