The Buffalo Bills' lease included a provision allowing for the creation of a
working group to explore options for either a new stadium for the team, or an extensive retrofit of their current
Highmark Stadium. On February 10, 2014, Governor
Andrew Cuomo's administration appointed Buffalo Mayor
Byron Brown, Niagara Falls Mayor
Paul Dyster, Lt. Gov.
Robert Duffy, Buffalo Niagara Partnership CEO Dottie Gallagher-Cohen and Empire State Development President Kenneth Adams to a new study board to discuss the feasibility and plans for a new stadium. Later, on March 6, 2014, the County of Erie appointed its seven members to the board, including future New York State governor
Kathy Hochul, then with
M&T Bank, and Richard Tobe, the Deputy Erie County Executive. Shortly after the death of owner
Ralph Wilson, on March 27, 2014, the Bills selected their members for the panel, including U.S. Senator
Chuck Schumer, Bills CEO and President
Russ Brandon, local developer Louis Ciminelli, Bills CFO Jeff Littman,
New Era Cap Co. CEO Christopher Koch among others. The group's first meeting was held on April 1. On November 5, 2014,
Terry and
Kim Pegula joined the working group. In mid–January 2015,
AECOM, retained by the State of New York, released a report detailing suggested stadium sites based upon criteria of site size, cost of land, infrastructure and external development, among other factors. The study narrowed the search to four sites.
Initial planning and exploration The Pegulas indicated on July 31, 2015, that they had no immediate plans to pursue a new stadium. The situation remained unchanged as of November 2017. By March 2018, the Pegulas had entered the "very early stages" of exploring long-term stadium options for the Bills. In September 2018, the Pegulas stated that they would begin planning the new stadium, or possibly renovating the current one, after the
November 2018 gubernatorial elections, as state funding would likely be required. During the fall of 2018, PS&E hired consultant
CAA ICON to handle stadium planning for both the Bills and the
Buffalo Sabres, with no constraints on potential locations. Concurrently, Erie County has created a new stadium fund, for which $500,000 was set aside in 2018 with the same amount earmarked for 2019. The first
focus groups were assembled in February 2019. Mark Poloncarz, the current county executive of
Erie County, New York, stated in 2012 that a stadium in the city of Buffalo would not be feasible, as too much property in the city remained in private hands, which would trigger an
eminent domain lawsuit if it were seized to build the stadium. He reiterated those concerns in 2019, though in that case he stopped short of ruling out a stadium within the city so as not to disrupt negotiations. During the January 2020 State of the League address, NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell stated in regard to the Bills' stadium plans: “Those are things that the group has to settle collectively and to address over the next several months, if not sooner.” On June 18, 2021, the Pegulas chose
Legends Global Planning to represent ownership, consult on a new stadium and sell sponsorships and premium seats for the venue. In addition, an unnamed source claimed that the Bills were planning to build a new stadium in Orchard Park to replace Highmark Stadium, with two of the television stations in
Rochester, New York reporting the unnamed source's claims as fact. A June 19 report from
WGRZ in Buffalo, also neither confirmed nor denied by any officials, stated that the Bills strongly preferred to build a new stadium and not attempt any further renovations on Highmark Stadium.
Finalizing negotiations In early August it was reported that Pegula Sports and Entertainment had made their first offer demanding full taxpayer funding of a new stadium in Orchard Park at a cost of $1.1 billion, part of a broader $1.5 billion package that would also include renovations to
KeyBank Center, Buffalo's indoor sports arena. The Pegulas reportedly threatened to relocate the team to
Austin, Texas if their demands were not met, though they had not contacted anybody in Austin prior to suggesting the idea. On August 31, 2021, the Bills submitted their plans for a $1.4 billion, 60,000-seat stadium in Orchard Park to representatives of the state and Erie County to be completed by 2027. The proposed capacity was 12,000 seats less than Highmark Stadium and 1,500 seats less than
Soldier Field, the lowest capacity stadium currently used in the NFL (and whose main tenant the
Chicago Bears are also exploring a new stadium). The new venue will not include a roof, but was designed so that about 65% of seats would be protected from the elements. Because the stadium would not have a roof, it would be ineligible to host the
Super Bowl. Civic leaders in Buffalo argued that Buffalo lacked the infrastructure to host a Super Bowl, nor any other event large enough to make full use of the venue outside of football. For that reason, they believed that the Bills should not bother trying to build a stadium for such events, nor bid for them. Western New York's harsh winters also played into the team's decision to make the new stadium open-air. Buffalo's reputation for cold, snowy weather often makes for compelling television and has long formed a part of the team's and city's identity. The stadium would be owned by New York State, a change from the current stadium which is owned by Erie County. Of that $600 million funding, $418 million will come from funds seized from the
Seneca Nation of New York for funds overdue as part of the compact to operate the
Seneca Niagara Casino,
Seneca Allegany Casino and
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. The state will also contribute $100 million over a 15-year period for maintenance and $6 million per year over the course of the lease for capital improvements, both figures to be adjusted for
inflation according to the
Consumer Price Index. Neil deMause, co-author of the book
Field of Schemes (2008), has criticized the financing plan for not taking present value of money fully into account. For example, much of the construction money will be paid upfront, whereas the hoped-for increases in economic activity and tax revenues will take place over the next 30 years. == Construction ==