Do You Really Want A New Stadium With A Dome?

[BillsImpossible]

I no longer want a new stadium, but if a new stadium is built the last thing the Bills need is a dome on top of it.

After going to the game last week against the Packers, I've had a change of heart.

The atmosphere was electric prior to, during, and after the Bills won.

Even the cheeseheads were impressed.

"This is what football is all about," a cheesehead said to me as we all stood around a fire drinking beer and eating homemade stew.

Packers fans felt right at home in OP.

The same kind of game day experience can not be replicated in downtown Buffalo.

There's something about being outside in the middle of country/rural land in Orchard Park. It's open, not closed in. It's a big space to work with and has served the WNY community very well over many years. It works well, very well!

The local police in Orchard Park and Sheriffs Dept. have been working Bills games for a long time and do a damn good job of making sure everyone has a good time and gets home safe. They know how to turn a blind eye in the right situations for the sake of keeping the peace and standing for freedom in America. Orchard Park is not a Nanny State.

Walking down the street on Southwestern Blvd. with beers in our hands, the police stood on the corner watching us go by freely, and I said to myself, "Thank God, America's still alive."

What would the police do in Buffalo?

Makes the average fan that goes to 1 or 2 games a year wonder, "Do I want to go to a game in downtown Buffalo? Will my car get stolen? Will I get ticketed for drinking my Molson Golden?"

Back to the Golden Dome.

If the Bills played the Packers last Sunday under the cozy comfort of a dome, I honestly don't think the Bills win that game.

It wasn't the weather, it was the atmosphere. Domes are a buzz killer. They're loud, but CenturyLink Field is louder without one.

Football was and still is meant to be played outside.

Retractable roofs are a cop-out. It's cold and rainy. Close the roof. Really?

Who are we? The Miami Dolphins?

What do the Packers, Giants, Patriots, Steelers, *Cowboys, Ravens, and Broncos all have in common besides multiple Super Bowl wins?

They all play in outdoor stadiums. Asterisk next to the Cowboys, Jerryland is a wannabe dome. Good.

Domes spell doom to me. Maybe that's why the Vikings chose to build a new outdoor stadium?

Atlanta plays in a dome. Not good.

Detroit plays in a dome. Not good.

Peyton Manning played in a dome stadium most of his career, and has 1 less Super Bowl than his brother even though he's the best quarterback ever.

Teams that have played under a dome haven't had any success in the NFL until the Saints and Colts won the Super Bowl, and that was almost 10 years ago.

I really wonder what the fans of the Buffalo Bills think about building a new stadium now that we've had a full 8 game home season at RWS.

If the people of Erie County could vote between keeping the Ralph or building a new stadium downtown, I think most people would keep the Ralph.

[OpIv37]

do I want a downtown dome stadium, meaning me personally?

No.

But you, me and the other people here are the diehard Bills fans. We'd watch them play in a high school stadium with metal bleachers in a blizzard if we could drink in the parking lot before the game started. We don't care about any of the frills. A decent view, a nice replay board, and we're happy.

The problem is that the NFL and the team aren't trying to market to us. They're trying to get more casual fans to show up when the team is losing. They're trying to get wives/girlfriends to be willing to go to the game with their man. And most importantly, they're trying to sell luxury boxes.

Open air stadiums in the middle of nowhere don't do that.

I'd be happy with an open air stadium in the same spot but the economics of the league have changed and it simply won't work.

[Scumbag College]

Dome or no dome it's all about luxury and corporate boxes if you are talking a new stadium.

[BillsImpossible]

do I want a downtown dome stadium, meaning me personally?

No.

But you, me and the other people here are the diehard Bills fans. We'd watch them play in a high school stadium with metal bleachers in a blizzard if we could drink in the parking lot before the game started. We don't care about any of the frills. A decent view, a nice replay board, and we're happy.

The problem is that the NFL and the team aren't trying to market to us. They're trying to get more casual fans to show up when the team is losing. They're trying to get wives/girlfriends to be willing to go to the game with their man. And most importantly, they're trying to sell luxury boxes.

Open air stadiums in the middle of nowhere don't do that.

I'd be happy with an open air stadium in the same spot but the economics of the league have changed and it simply won't work.

When you say, "it," won't work, what is, "it?"

[OpIv37]

When you say, "it," won't work, what is, "it?"

An open air stadium in the middle of nowhere.

I think a downtown dome is the most likely to be economically viable.

[Novacane]

Yes. I want a dome.

[BillsImpossible]

Dome or no dome it's all about luxury and corporate boxes if you are talking a new stadium.

If a new stadium is built in downtown Buffalo, is Terry Pegula going to pull a magic wand out of his ass and fill corporate luxury boxes with businesses and fans that don't exist?

A new stadium needs new forms of revenue to pay for it. The corporate dollars aren't there, and a new stadium isn't going to magically create something out of nothing.

Fans that sit in the 200 level, "Club Section," at Ralph Wilson Stadium are the red seats that are often more than half empty, but they don't count as official seats to be a sellout.

These are premium tickets that go for about $100 a game, with heated seats, heat lamps above, a huge bar, and basically no wait time to take a leak, but the Bills still can't sell those seats out.

The market dictates.

[OpIv37]

If a new stadium is built in downtown Buffalo, is Terry Pegula going to pull a magic wand out of his ass and fill corporate luxury boxes with businesses and fans that don't exist?
.
he's gonna have to if he wants the team to remain economically viable in Buffalo.

[BillsImpossible]

he's gonna have to if he wants the team to remain economically viable in Buffalo.

Economic viability is what the Ralph is all about.

I don't think the average fan can afford $200 per ticket seats in Buffalo and PSL fees on top of it to pay for a new toy we don't really need.

Goodell says we really need a new stadium, but now that Terry and Kim Pegula are in charge I don't think what the Commissioner says matters any more.

[BillsImpossible]

If I was Terry or Kim Pegula, I'd want to concentrate as much money as possible on the team itself, not a new stadium that would cost more than 9 Mario Williams contracts.

[WagonCircler]

Retractable. It's the best we can hope for.

The question is no longer 'Will there be a new stadium', it's when and, to a much lesser degree, where. This is a done deal.

I'm totally with the OP on what football is and should be. But I'd rather have some of that than another cookie cutter Ford Field. That would be a nightmare scenario.

A retractable 60,000 seat stadium would ensure sellouts, even with the inevitable price increases.

I also honestly believe that the dome would be open for 80% of Bills home games.

Tailgating is going to die, unfortunately, but it is unchangeable. It has to with the modern NFL economics. It sucks, but it is what it is. And if it has to be, then at least with a retractable dome we'd get football under the sky, instead of some sterile indoor version of it.

[Mr. Cynical]

Retractable. It's the best we can hope for.

The question is no longer 'Will there be a new stadium', it's when and, to a much lesser degree, where. This is a done deal.

I'm totally with the OP on what football is and should be. But I'd rather have some of that than another cookie cutter Ford Field. That would be a nightmare scenario.

A retractable 60,000 seat stadium would ensure sellouts, even with the inevitable price increases.

I also honestly believe that the dome would be open for 80% of Bills home games.

Tailgating is going to die, unfortunately, but it is unchangeable. It has to with the modern NFL economics. It sucks, but it is what it is. And if it has to be, then at least with a retractable dome we'd get football under the sky, instead of some sterile indoor version of it.

This. I think a retractable dome is the best of both worlds. It allows the Bills to keep the "cold Buffalo weather" advantage over warm weather/full dome teams, but it also allows them to close it up if a major storm hits again so that they aren't forced to go tin cupping for a place to play.

[TacklingDummy]

Dome or nothing.
Sorry but sitting in the cold sucks.

[DraftBoy]

Retractable Roof Stadium with PSL's, Luxury Boxes, and limited tailgating is what we're getting whether we like it or not.

[Historian]

I want a dome.

The weather sucks in Buffalo after September 15th. We have already had one crippling snowstorm as early as October 11th, and the weather is getting weirder by the year.

Give me an inside venue, with restaurants, merchandise shops, and a Bills museum. Sort of a combination of the field house and the stadium.

Then lets have events all year round in it.

If ever a city needed a dome, it's Buffalo.

[YardRat]

I prefer an outdoor stadium, but as others have stated we're going to end up with a dome or retractable roof, most likely downtown. I like the Ralph, a lot, and have heard many comments from out-of-towners at games, or friends from other markets that have attended a game there, regarding what a great football venue it is, but the NFL has changed and unfortunately Buffalo is going to have to change with it.

[imbondz]

yes I want one of everything

[Meathead]

Fans that sit in the 200 level, "Club Section," at Ralph Wilson Stadium are the red seats that are often more than half empty, but they don't count as official seats to be a sellout.


all those seats are already sold. the ppl that buy them usually have tons of money so the empty seats are either them sitting inside or just not coming and dont care about the tix not getting used

[Meathead]

i have too many awesome memories of epic bad weather games to ever be enthusiastic about a dome

isnt it ironic that hockey has always been an indoor game and its fans cant get enough of the so called winter classic. you know if you do it every other week its sorta not classic. how about the winter memorable, or the winter mildly unusual

[notacon]

Yes. A retractable dome, in downtown.

Orchard Park location for a stadium sucks. The stadium built there sucks. It always has sucked and was built for the stupidest of reasons...to save money.

[mightysimi]

Has Pegula come out and said he is paying for a stadium on his own? If he is looking for any public money, things like retractable roof or even a roof at all can get slashed to reduce to cost on the stadium. Now if he is paying for it? I believe football is meant to be played in the elements. Open air for me.

[WagonCircler]

Has Pegula come out and said he is paying for a stadium on his own? If he is looking for any public money, things like retractable roof or even a roof at all can get slashed to reduce to cost on the stadium. Now if he is paying for it? I believe football is meant to be played in the elements. Open air for me.

It will be a combination of him, private (Delaware North) and public funds, offset in part by PSLs.

[trapezeus]

pegula said that it was made clear upon purchase that a new stadium is needed, and they will move forward with that.

as he builds up downtown, i think he wants to have more things come through buffalo. a dome ensures that.

in the end, it will matter about costs. can a dome be put on with taxpayers willing to see that it's open more than 8 weekends a year? if not, we will get an open air stadium. if retractable is too muhc, but people see a value in a year round building,

[Uncle Jesse]

I want a new stadium, with a retractable roof. I've sat through enough 35 and rain games in my time as a season ticket holder where it's old now.

The team has no advantage these days in snow, so you might as well become modern and get a retractable roof. That also opens tons of options for year round use.

[Bill Cody]

I'd be happy with an open air stadium in the same spot but the economics of the league have changed and it simply won't work.

In the end this is a math problem that Peg will do. You have some revenue gains with a dome that are probably pretty significant but on the other hand a retractable dome doubles the cost. The Cowboys can make that investment with confidence but Buffalo ain't Dallas. That's Peg's challenge. Sure he has a huge billfold but he's a businessman, the math has to work and he's going to be running the numbers. Does it? I don't know. I'm skeptical the state is going to pony up anything for the building itself, infrastructure yes.

[WagonCircler]

Terry doesn't do anything on the cheap.

[Bill Cody]

Terry doesn't do anything on the cheap.

But pretty sure he drills for gas where he knows there's gas

[MidnightVoice]

Lambeau Field seems to do pretty well without a dome and with tailgating

[delectrolux]

Just an aside, the OP is wrong about the Vikings new stadium. It's going to be a fixed roof stadium. For all the reasons that people are giving for a dome in Buffalo.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Dome or nothing.
Sorry but sitting in the cold sucks.

AMEN!!

Coming from someone (ME) who has not missed a home game in 14 straight seasons sitting out in the cold freaking BLOWS!!!!!! SICK OF IT.

I went to the Detroit game and I can tell you the home field advantage we get from the noise of a dome is a HELL of a lot more than cold weather.

Do the people who talk as if the cold is an advantage to the Bills ever sit back and realize that 90% of our own players come from the south and are not used to the cold weather? THINK PEOPLE.

[DraftBoy]

Forget about the football side for a moment, a dome or retractable roof stadium makes the venue usable year round and generates revenue. That's a huge plus for the local economy.

[Ed]

I don't particularly like the idea of a dome, but it makes too much sense. The arguments to build another open-air stadium are just too weak.

I would also imagine that playing in a dome would help make the Bills more appealing to free agents.

[Bill Cody]

Once you have a retractable dome, who decides when to open it? Do the Bills get to decide or does the league? Just thinking if you had a game you really needed against the fins if you could leave it open just to mess with them

[WagonCircler]

But pretty sure he drills for gas where he knows there's gas


This post is like one of Letterman's pencils that have erasers on both ends. (No point).

[Bill Cody]

This post is like one of Letterman's pencils that have erasers on both ends. (No point).

then you should love it, most of yours don't. The point is Peg didn't get rich by being stupid. If you have some inside info on what his plans are please share. If not you're speculating like the rest of us, just in a more arrogant way.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I think any realistic chance of an open-air stadium ended with that mega blizzard that cost us a home game.

[better days]

then you should love it, most of yours don't. The point is Peg didn't get rich by being stupid. If you have some inside info on what his plans are please share. If not you're speculating like the rest of us, just in a more arrogant way.

A logical assumption would be Pegula puts the football stadium in proximity to the Hockey arena & everything he built around it.

[Buffalo Thriller]

I'm all for the idea of building a nice retractable like Lucas Oil right next to The Ralph, and sending The Ralph out in a blaze of glory.

[Famous Amos]

I no longer want a new stadium, but if a new stadium is built the last thing the Bills need is a dome on top of it.

After going to the game last week against the Packers, I've had a change of heart.

The atmosphere was electric prior to, during, and after the Bills won.

Even the cheeseheads were impressed.

"This is what football is all about," a cheesehead said to me as we all stood around a fire drinking beer and eating homemade stew.

Packers fans felt right at home in OP.

The same kind of game day experience can not be replicated in downtown Buffalo.

There's something about being outside in the middle of country/rural land in Orchard Park. It's open, not closed in. It's a big space to work with and has served the WNY community very well over many years. It works well, very well!

The local police in Orchard Park and Sheriffs Dept. have been working Bills games for a long time and do a damn good job of making sure everyone has a good time and gets home safe. They know how to turn a blind eye in the right situations for the sake of keeping the peace and standing for freedom in America. Orchard Park is not a Nanny State.

Walking down the street on Southwestern Blvd. with beers in our hands, the police stood on the corner watching us go by freely, and I said to myself, "Thank God, America's still alive."

What would the police do in Buffalo?

Makes the average fan that goes to 1 or 2 games a year wonder, "Do I want to go to a game in downtown Buffalo? Will my car get stolen? Will I get ticketed for drinking my Molson Golden?"

Back to the Golden Dome.

If the Bills played the Packers last Sunday under the cozy comfort of a dome, I honestly don't think the Bills win that game.

It wasn't the weather, it was the atmosphere. Domes are a buzz killer. They're loud, but CenturyLink Field is louder without one.

Football was and still is meant to be played outside.

Retractable roofs are a cop-out. It's cold and rainy. Close the roof. Really?

Who are we? The Miami Dolphins?

What do the Packers, Giants, Patriots, Steelers, *Cowboys, Ravens, and Broncos all have in common besides multiple Super Bowl wins?

They all play in outdoor stadiums. Asterisk next to the Cowboys, Jerryland is a wannabe dome. Good.

Domes spell doom to me. Maybe that's why the Vikings chose to build a new outdoor stadium?

Atlanta plays in a dome. Not good.

Detroit plays in a dome. Not good.

Peyton Manning played in a dome stadium most of his career, and has 1 less Super Bowl than his brother even though he's the best quarterback ever.

Teams that have played under a dome haven't had any success in the NFL until the Saints and Colts won the Super Bowl, and that was almost 10 years ago.

I really wonder what the fans of the Buffalo Bills think about building a new stadium now that we've had a full 8 game home season at RWS.

If the people of Erie County could vote between keeping the Ralph or building a new stadium downtown, I think most people would keep the Ralph.

Youre car isnt going to get stolen boss.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Once you have a retractable dome, who decides when to open it? Do the Bills get to decide or does the league? Just thinking if you had a game you really needed against the fins if you could leave it open just to mess with them

Which doesn't make any sense since all our players are from the south and hate the cold too..

This would also take away the bigger crowd noise advantage.

[YardRat]

AMEN!!

Coming from someone (ME) who has not missed a home game in 14 straight seasons sitting out in the cold freaking BLOWS!!!!!! SICK OF IT.

I went to the Detroit game and I can tell you the home field advantage we get from the noise of a dome is a HELL of a lot more than cold weather.

Do the people who talk as if the cold is an advantage to the Bills ever sit back and realize that 90% of our own players come from the south and are not used to the cold weather? THINK PEOPLE.

Coincidence? I think not...the 'smoking gun' has been discovered...

[mrbojanglezs]

there is no way Pegula and/or the state/county will build a stadium to only be used 10 times a year. It will be a multi use facility that can be used for large conventions and other events and likely tie together all the new stuff going on canal side and harbor center.

[stuckincincy]

I can't see how a new stadium is in the cards for WNY, unless it's a privately-funded venture.

[Ingtar33]

Retractable. It's the best we can hope for.

The question is no longer 'Will there be a new stadium', it's when and, to a much lesser degree, where. This is a done deal.

I'm totally with the OP on what football is and should be. But I'd rather have some of that than another cookie cutter Ford Field. That would be a nightmare scenario.

A retractable 60,000 seat stadium would ensure sellouts, even with the inevitable price increases.

I also honestly believe that the dome would be open for 80% of Bills home games.

Tailgating is going to die, unfortunately, but it is unchangeable. It has to with the modern NFL economics. It sucks, but it is what it is. And if it has to be, then at least with a retractable dome we'd get football under the sky, instead of some sterile indoor version of it.

retractable stadiums are never open.

I was invited to a retractable dome stadium for an NFL game. I was visiting family in arizona they took me to a cardinals game. It was in november, it was 78F no wind, not a cloud in the sky. The dome was not open. If you won't open the dome on that type of day you'll never open the dome. Retractable domes just add an extra B to the price of a stadium and never get used.

I want an outdoor stadium with natural grass field, put it off a major thoroughfare like the 190 or 290. I'd like it on the waterfront but even off of the Erie Canal in NT would be pretty cool (you'd have to improve the roads to a NT stadium though). there is lots of real estate in the city something like this could be put. Put it in cheektowaga off the 290/90 interchange. lots of easy access around there and plenty of open space. It doesn't HAVE to be part of a waterfront rehab project. If you put it on the waterfront you'll have to kill the skyway (finally) which would make putting it on the waterfront worth it if only to do that.

I can live with a dome. I wouldn't like it, but i could live with it. I just don't want them wasting their $$ on a retractable dome monstrosity.

[BertSquirtgum]

Downtown dome stadium or no new stadium at all. I want to sit in a nice climate controlled place.

[DetDannyWilliams]

If they build the stadium on the waterfront like so many have been clamoring for, IT WILL have to be a dome or retractable roof IT'S THE ONLY WAY! the way the wind & snow blows off the lake in winter and also the wind chill without a dome or retractable roof stadium you would get frostbite or hypothermia in a hurry. Trust me I've been to tons of Sabres games and I park in a small lot off of Seneca St. and walking to the arena when the wind is blowing it feels like 10,000 knives are being stabbed into you.

[BertSquirtgum]

If a new stadium is built in downtown Buffalo, is Terry Pegula going to pull a magic wand out of his ass and fill corporate luxury boxes with businesses and fans that don't exist?

A new stadium needs new forms of revenue to pay for it. The corporate dollars aren't there, and a new stadium isn't going to magically create something out of nothing.

Fans that sit in the 200 level, "Club Section," at Ralph Wilson Stadium are the red seats that are often more than half empty, but they don't count as official seats to be a sellout.

These are premium tickets that go for about $100 a game, with heated seats, heat lamps above, a huge bar, and basically no wait time to take a leak, but the Bills still can't sell those seats out.

The market dictates.

My god. You people must be ******ed to think that there aren't enough businesses interested in the Bills to fill luxury boxes. Companies buy them just to give them away to their customers and employees. Get a clue.

[better days]

I can't see how a new stadium is in the cards for WNY, unless it's a privately-funded venture.

Pegula has said the NFL made it clear to him that Buffalo needed a new stadium.

He said a new Stadium will be built.

I think funding will come from multiple sources, Pegula, the NFL, County & State.

[BertSquirtgum]

Pegula has said the NFL made it clear to him that Buffalo needed a new stadium.

He said a new Stadium will be built.

I think funding will come from multiple sources, Pegula, the NFL, County & State.

IMO, it will be 25% Pegula, 25% Erie County, 25% State and 25% NFL.

[BillsImpossible]

IMO, it will be 25% Pegula, 25% Erie County, 25% State and 25% NFL.

You like sitting on fences.

The Bills don't need a new stadium. The Ralph is a gem, let's keep it and not have some slimeball politicians negotiate a new stadium with future tax increases under our noses.

I hope Roger Goodell retires and a new NFL Commissioner takes charge who will command a more American approach compared to Roger Goodell's Russian like dictates.

Goodell may as well be Vladimir Putin holding a gun up against our heads, saying, "Build a new stadium or else, Buffalo!"

Why doesn't Miami get the same 3rd degree type treatment?

Why not Kansas City?

Why not Green Bay?

A $130 million renovation was not enough for Roger Goodell.

Why not?

What more do the Bills need?

Do they need more television screens?

More corporate boxes they can't sell out as it is?

What gives?

Why is the NFL trying to force the Buffalo Bills to build a new stadium?

[WagonCircler]

You like sitting on fences.

The Bills don't need a new stadium. The Ralph is a gem, let's keep it and not have some slimeball politicians negotiate a new stadium with future tax increases under our noses.

Whether you like it or not, there will be a new stadium. Get used to it.

I only hope we can preserve some of our local character with a retractible roof, because indoor football is repulsive and fake.

As to your comments about scumbag politicians, etc., they wouldn't be the ones doing the development.

That would be Mr. Pegula. Az-zholes here can criticize him for the Sabres' record in the short time that he's owned the team, but one he is a first class operator. I spent a few hours at Canalside today. It's ****ing spectacular.

Walking up from Pearl Street, it feels like you're looking at a different city. The replica bridges. The new and refurbished hotels. And best of all--people. Hundreds and hundreds of people.

It's amazing, and it will be even more amazing when there's a football stadium within walking distance.

[Mace]

Whether you like it or not, there will be a new stadium. Get used to it.

I only hope we can preserve some of our local character with a retractible roof, because indoor football is repulsive and fake.

As to your comments about scumbag politicians, etc., they wouldn't be the ones doing the development.

That would be Mr. Pegula. Az-zholes here can criticize him for the Sabres' record in the short time that he's owned the team, but one he is a first class operator. I spent a few hours at Canalside today. It's ****ing spectacular.

Walking up from Pearl Street, it feels like you're looking at a different city. The replica bridges. The new and refurbished hotels. And best of all--people. Hundreds and hundreds of people.

It's amazing, and it will be even more amazing when there's a football stadium within walking distance.

You know, it really is amazing, and the chance for a crown jewel.

It's a phenomenal cold weather attraction, catching fire in the summer with Silo City and such. If they put in that final piece in the right place....I might really think Buffalo finally did this right once and for all, emphatically.

[YardRat]

IMO, it will be 25% Pegula, 25% Erie County, 25% State and 25% NFL.

Well, the NFL share is firmly established at $150mil, so that makes the budget $600mil. Don't think that's enough to buy a dome in today's dollars, unless you plan on roofing it with blue tarps and bungee cords.

Also, the state is going to try to go cheap...you know damn well their study is going to recommend Orchard Park as the site, regardless of how much sense it makes for Pegula to put it downtown.

[BillsImpossible]

Well, the NFL share is firmly established at $150mil, so that makes the budget $600mil. Don't think that's enough to buy a dome in today's dollars, unless you plan on roofing it with blue tarps and bungee cords.

Also, the state is going to try to go cheap...you know damn well their study is going to recommend Orchard Park as the site, regardless of how much sense it makes for Pegula to put it downtown.

If traffic is a problem, people will not want to go to a game in downtown Buffalo if it takes them 3 hours to get home.

Congestion matters.

Compared to Orchard Park, Buffalo is a traffic nightmare waiting to happen.

[Mace]

Well, the NFL share is firmly established at $150mil, so that makes the budget $600mil. Don't think that's enough to buy a dome in today's dollars, unless you plan on roofing it with blue tarps and bungee cords.

Also, the state is going to try to go cheap...you know damn well their study is going to recommend Orchard Park as the site, regardless of how much sense it makes for Pegula to put it downtown.

Hire Larry Quinn for the stadium and they will be awesome bungee cords and tarps people will envy when deployed. Just make sure security gets him out of there the moment it is done though and don't give him a chance to weasel another job out of it.

[Famous Amos]

Whether you like it or not, there will be a new stadium. Get used to it.

I only hope we can preserve some of our local character with a retractible roof, because indoor football is repulsive and fake.

As to your comments about scumbag politicians, etc., they wouldn't be the ones doing the development.

That would be Mr. Pegula. Az-zholes here can criticize him for the Sabres' record in the short time that he's owned the team, but one he is a first class operator. I spent a few hours at Canalside today. It's ****ing spectacular.

Walking up from Pearl Street, it feels like you're looking at a different city. The replica bridges. The new and refurbished hotels. And best of all--people. Hundreds and hundreds of people.

It's amazing, and it will be even more amazing when there's a football stadium within walking distance.

Pegula is responsible for HarborCenter and some grass fields that he donated to Erie County. Canalside is publically funded and run by Erie county harbor development corporation. They did farm out programming to an out of state company.

I would say this though, without Pegula making a strong commitment to downtown, all this other development would be nothing more than speculation. He kicked off the domino effect that netted us the Ohio st. Project, River works, and other private projects.

[better days]

If traffic is a problem, people will not want to go to a game in downtown Buffalo if it takes them 3 hours to get home.

Congestion matters.

Compared to Orchard Park, Buffalo is a traffic nightmare waiting to happen.

Niagara Falls would have been a traffic nightmare.

A new Stadium will not be built tomorrow.

Maybe mass transit improves in Buffalo before the Stadium is built?

[WagonCircler]

Pegula is responsible for HarborCenter and some grass fields that he donated to Erie County. Canalside is publically funded and run by Erie county harbor development corporation. They did farm out programming to an out of state company.

I would say this though, without Pegula making a strong commitment to downtown, all this other development would be nothing more than speculation. He kicked off the domino effect that netted us the Ohio st. Project, River works, and other private projects.

Without Pegula, the space where HarborPlace stands is still a parking lot, and politicians are still trying to woo Bass Pro to the Aud site, which would still be a ditch with no prospects.

[jaybo_05]

retractable stadiums are never open.

I was invited to a retractable dome stadium for an NFL game. I was visiting family in arizona they took me to a cardinals game. It was in november, it was 78F no wind, not a cloud in the sky. The dome was not open. If you won't open the dome on that type of day you'll never open the dome. Retractable domes just add an extra B to the price of a stadium and never get used.

I want an outdoor stadium with natural grass field, put it off a major thoroughfare like the 190 or 290. I'd like it on the waterfront but even off of the Erie Canal in NT would be pretty cool (you'd have to improve the roads to a NT stadium though). there is lots of real estate in the city something like this could be put. Put it in cheektowaga off the 290/90 interchange. lots of easy access around there and plenty of open space. It doesn't HAVE to be part of a waterfront rehab project. If you put it on the waterfront you'll have to kill the skyway (finally) which would make putting it on the waterfront worth it if only to do that.

I can live with a dome. I wouldn't like it, but i could live with it. I just don't want them wasting their $$ on a retractable dome monstrosity.

YES. This absurd idea about keeping the roof open in the cold for a home field advantage has been floating around for some time. Of all the stadium scenarios, this one has the smallest chance of becoming a reality, and its not even close. Zero percent chance. Not even 0.00001%. ZERO.

[DetDannyWilliams]

something to keep in mind also...when the lease runs out in 2024 the stadium will be 51 yrs. old

[WagonCircler]

YES. This absurd idea about keeping the roof open in the cold for a home field advantage has been floating around for some time. Of all the stadium scenarios, this one has the smallest chance of becoming a reality, and its not even close. Zero percent chance. Not even 0.00001%. ZERO.


WTF? It's not about keeping the roof open for a home field advantage on bad weather days. NOBODY thinks that. It's about the WNY tradition of getting the most out of every nice day we have here. And it's about not having to watch football in a stale, sterile ****ing indoor building when it's gorgeous 60 degrees outside.

There are maybe two bad weather games every season. Why ruin the other games by sticking them inside a nasty dark hole of an indoor stadium. We spend 4 or 5 months a year indoors, and it SUCKS. Indoor football sucks giant bags of dicks.

[DraftBoy]

WTF? It's not about keeping the roof open for a home field advantage on bad weather days. NOBODY thinks that. It's about the WNY tradition of getting the most out of every nice day we have here. And it's about not having to watch football in a stale, sterile ****ing indoor building when it's gorgeous 60 degrees outside.

There are maybe two bad weather games every season. Why ruin the other games by sticking them inside a nasty dark hole of an indoor stadium. We spend 4 or 5 months a year indoors, and it SUCKS. Indoor football sucks giant bags of dicks.

If it's 60 degrees outside, a retractable dome will almost certainly be closed.

The four NFL teams that currently have retractable roofs (Dallas, Arizona, Houston, and Colts) average playing 67% of their games with the roof closed (basically 5 of their home games). These are for the most part warm weather teams who still get weather in the 70's into December.

Atlanta went through this same discussion a couple of years ago, and Blank decided on a retractable roof that most people here know will rarely be open past September.

[WagonCircler]

If it's 60 degrees outside, a retractable dome will almost certainly be closed.

The four NFL teams that currently have retractable roofs (Dallas, Arizona, Houston, and Colts) average playing 67% of their games with the roof closed (basically 5 of their home games). These are for the most part warm weather teams who still get weather in the 70's into December.

Atlanta went through this same discussion a couple of years ago, and Blank decided on a retractable roof that most people here know will rarely be open past September.

I'm totally convinced that you didn't pull those stats out of your ass.

Really, I am.

And even if they are, that's them, this is not. Terry marches to a different drummer. He listens to what fans want.

[DraftBoy]

I'm totally convinced that you didn't pull those stats out of your ass.

Really, I am.

And even if they are, that's them, this is not. Terry marches to a different drummer. He listens to what fans want.

http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/football/nfl-teams-tend-keep-retractable-roofs-closed/nWcNT/

Really not too hard to Google the topic.

You're right he does, but that means absolutely nothing when it comes to the topic we're talking about. If it's 60 degrees, a retractable roof will be closed.

[stuckincincy]

Population is simultaneously draining out of WNY, and aging. I can't see any sense of any public money going into building a new stadium, other than spending $ for access to a privately built property.

[BertSquirtgum]

Population is simultaneously draining out of WNY, and aging. I can't see any sense of any public money going into building a new stadium, other than spending $ for access to a privately built property.

Better check the numbers again before talking out of your ass.

[stuckincincy]

Better check the numbers again before talking out of your ass.

Really? Check your own numbers before attempting to bluff...

http://www.ppgbuffalo.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/population-2012-garcia2.pdf