ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The state budget is due in April, so we could be just weeks away from knowing even more details about the new Bills stadium, including the cost to taxpayers.
We also still don't know how long the lease would be for, but it sounds like two other important decisions have been made. Gov. Kathy Hochul once again stressed the preference for the new stadium being built in Orchard Park and it not being a dome.
She also said everyone involved collectively determined that the cost associated with renovations was not justified.
Hochul says the conversations with the Pegulas have been productive and they're ongoing. She also said the Pegulas are interested in keeping the team in Orchard Park.
"There are issues to work through, but I feel very confident that they'll be resolved in time to have conversations during the budget process. As everyone knows, this is a very important priority to me and this community, but also the entire state," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
"We are having very productive conversations and those are ongoing. It's also not just the stadium deal, but there's also the lease agreement going forth and those are the details being worked out. Very positive conversations, though."
Hochul also stressed the push that was made to keep the team here.
"I know how important it is to our state's identity, and Western New York's identity, to keep this team here in the State of New York. We know that teams have other options, and that's why I'm negotiating very intently to make sure that we have the right outcome for this community," Hochul said.
The governor was asked if the decisions about an Orchard Park location, and it being an outdoor stadium without a dome, were set in stone at this point.
"We collectively determined that the cost associated with renovations were not justified, and that if we made the investment in a new stadium, that this would be the smartest approach to take," Hochul said. "And then it came down to location, and we talked to and considering Orchard Park versus downtown, and the owners were very interested in keeping the team where they are.
"A lot of interest in the community keeping them right where they are in Orchard Park, and again, even domes, not domes, the reality is it's part of our culture here. We are known for having extraordinary outdoor games."
The reason the governor was in Buffalo on Friday was to announce new affordable housing at an old school.
PS 78 on Olympic Avenue in Buffalo, which has been empty for decades, will become dozens of affordable apartments, including eight for people with physical disabilities. The project will create more than 200 construction jobs and is expected to be done in about a year.