BUFFALO, N.Y. — After months of fine-tuning the parties involved in brokering a deal to keep the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park and build a new stadium have reached their final agreement.
In a collective statement Tuesday, the Bills, Erie County, and New York State said "that all documents and contracts" for the project had been signed and that they will be submitted to the Erie County Legislature for review.
The legislature has pledged to spend 30 days reviewing the multi-part deal after which a vote for or against it will occur.
The deal is made up of nineteen separate agreements including a new non-relocation agreement, a new stadium lease, and a finalized community benefits deal.
The new lease and non-relocation agreement will start when the future stadium is largely finished in 2026 and will last 30 years.
"Today marks another significant step taken as we approach a groundbreaking ceremony later this spring. We are thankful for the public/private partnerships we have shared to make this project in Western New York a reality,” the three parties added in their collective statement.
Under the new non-relocation agreement, the Bills cannot "entertain any offer or proposal to relocate the Team" nor seek out an offer that might move the team within the first 25 years of the deal. Even then, any move discussed in the final five years of the deal would have to occur after the termination of this deal.
If Bills' ownership should choose to sell the team, the same terms would apply to the new owner, although, the Bills are also restricted from selling the franchise to anyone who, to their knowledge, might intend to move the team during the non-relocation term.
As part of the community benefits agreement (CBA), the team has pledged to invest at least $3,000,000 annually to "support the social, educational, and economic health of the Region." It requires workforce inclusivity and diversity, a living wage requirement, support for affordable housing, food insecurity, educational access, social justice, and mental health initiatives.
The CBA also includes a public transportation hub that will be incorporated into the stadium complex. It also calls for the county and the Bills to work together to develop a foot traffic plan for pedestrians to navigate Abbott Road from Southwestern Blvd. to Milestrip Road.
Extensions to the current lease and non-relocation agreement were also agreed to as part of the deal.
This is a developing story that will be updated as 2 On Your Side reviews all the associated documents. To read the documents yourself click here.
Tuesday's announcement comes several weeks after the Erie County Stadium Corporation (ECSC), the state entity that will own the stadium from which the Bills will lease, approved a shell of the deal.
At that March meeting, ECSC also signed off on the first $300 million in state aid for the construction of the new stadium. New York State has committed to funding $600 million of the $1.4 billion project, with the NFL and the Bills investing $550 million and Erie County $250 million.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Tuesday during a brief press conference that the deal has been sent to the legislature and that he hopes they approve it.
"They will schedule those hearings possibly over multiple days because there are a lot of documents to talk about and then they will go through their process and vote up or down and I hope they vote up," Poloncarz said.
The Legislature's next scheduled session is April 13.
However, Chairwoman April Baskin has previously told 2 On Your Side she would be willing to schedule special sessions if needed to get the deal introduced and voted on promptly.