The need to build a new stadium for Buffalo Bills has been talked about for a long time. Several locations are considered, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The most frequently discussed idea is the construction of a new arena in Orchard Park near the existing venue.

However, this is not the only option for Bills, whose management realizes that continuing to play games at the well-worn Highmark Stadium is pointless. Its renovation is also not economically justified as it would amount to $1 billion. Recently, the downtown has been mentioned more and more often among the potential locations of a new facility. This proposal has its supporters as Bills could get closer to their hometown and its inhabitants.

One of the downtown plots under consideration is on Perry Street behind the casino. In the long run, it would be an interesting combination of sports passion with the excitement of casino entertainment. These plans have yet to take shape, so we can offer Buffalo fans and other NFL supporters a good alternative to entertainment such as sports betting on sites like this one here.

© Chess REO (CC)

A fairly large proportion of Buffalo residents support construction in the city center. They recently launched an online petition on the issue aimed at influencing political leaders to relocate the Bills team to the downtown. However, it will not be an easy battle to win, because building there may be much more expensive than in Orchard Park.

This could be as high as $2.5 billion, according to the franchise owners. It does not sound very well considering the $1.4 billion construction expenditure at Orchard Park. What is worse, the location of the stadium in the downtown requires additional infrastructure (expansion of public transport and changes to the routes of highways).

Improving public transport could help residents on a daily basis and would be an additional advantage of building a stadium in the center of the city. It also should be mentioned that, unlike the downtown, there is no shortage of parking spaces in Orchard Park. This is a really tough point to tackle for the venue in Buffalo.

Proponents of building a stadium in the city argue that the larger construction costs will not be covered by the club owners anyway, but most likely by taxpayers in half or more. This is not an ideal solution, especially considering the fact that the fortune of the Pegula family, the franchise owners, is $5 billion. However, the reality is that in many other cities where the NFL is present, taxpayers had to contribute to the cost of the stadium (sometimes they had to pay more than 50% of the construction expenses).

© Paul Solly

Unfortunately, it is necessary because owners may threaten that if they do not receive any help from the city, they will move the franchise to another place in the country where they obtain such help. This is not just empty talk, as in recent years San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis lost their teams in the NFL this way.

The estimated taxpayers' contribution to the erecting of the new arena may be in the range of $500 million - $1 billion. This is a lot, so it is important that local residents have tangible benefits in the long run, not only the reassurance that the Pegulas are not transferring the franchise to another city.

Placing the stadium in the downtown is an additional benefit for local businesses and an opportunity to attract more people to Buffalo, including tourists. We'll find out soon what it will be like. Perhaps new light on the matter will be shed by the disclosure of the stadium study, announced by the governor of New York.