ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Take a drive down Abbott Road and you’ll see the Bills’ future is getting clearer by the day.
But drive a little further, and you’ll see Orchard Park isn’t sure it’s ready to join.
There’s an ongoing battle in Orchard Park over zoning, and it continued to play out Thursday night at a meeting held by councilmen John Mariano and Joe Liberti.
Some want the town to change with the Bills, but others feel the opposite.
“There's already 31 restaurants within three miles of the stadium. How many more do we need?” one resident at the meeting said Thursday.
Those in favor of the change have backed a proposal submitted to the town board to rezone the area immediately surrounding Highmark Stadium and the new stadium from Southwestern Boulevard to Route 20A, as well as two other areas — one northeast of the stadium around South Benzing Road, and one at the northwest corner of Milestrip Road and Southwestern Boulevard.
The proposal would rezone them into “Development and Research 2” zones, allowing for buildings up to five stories, surpassing the current limit of 2.5 stories in the town.
That would pave the way for a new entertainment district in Orchard Park with hotels and restaurants to attract fans, similar to the area’s around Lambeau Field in Green Bay and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
“We're not looking to put a Walmart in or a Lowe's or a Home Depot or any big box stores,” Liberti said. “We're looking for local, grassroots commercial businesses. … Anything that's for entertainment, that's what we're looking for in these zones.”
But those in opposition, which was the majority of the people that attended Thursday’s meeting, say despite their address, the Bills aren’t the “Orchard Park Bills” and that residents should be able to have a life separate from the team.
“We have a community here, and we should be concerned with protecting what we have,” one resident said.
On Oct. 2, the town board will hold a vote on the proposal, and residents will have one more opportunity to voice their opinions beforehand.
The Bills’ future will be here in two years. But come opening day, Orchard Park may not be ready to join them yet.
“We just have to get ready for it,” Liberti said. “And that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to get ahead of it … I don't want Orchard Park to be this one big parking lot.”