Pegula Sports and Entertainment vice president Ron Raccuia told reporters Monday at the NFL’s annual meeting that the Buffalo Bills plan to build a $1.4 billion stadium to remain in Orchard Park, N.Y. Raccuia said the groundbreaking should be in April or May 2023, with the team aiming to complete the 60,000-to-62,000-seat stadium in 2026. When asked about the stadium plans, Raccuia said: “It will be loud, it will be intense, it will be intimate. It will take a lot of the great features of Highmark Stadium and bring them over to the new stadium in a modern, state-of-the-art way.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz also announced Monday in a release that the state, Erie County and the NFL East franchise agreed to a stadium deal. The release read: “Gov. Hochul’s negotiations secured a 30-year commitment for the Bills to remain in Buffalo, and a combined $550 million from the NFL and Bills — approved today by the NFL owners.” The project is projected to create 10,000 construction jobs.
Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in the release: “We took another step today to solidify our collective goal of constructing a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park. We are grateful for the time, efforts and unwavering commitment made by Gov. Hochul and her team throughout this process. While there are a few more yards to go before we cross the goal line, we feel our public-private partnership between New York State, Erie County … and the NFL will get us there.”
Editorial credit: JoanneStrell / Shutterstock.com