Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz today detailed Erie County’s investment in a new stadium agreement between Erie County, Buffalo Bills LLC and the Erie County Stadium Corporation (“ECSC”), a legal entity formed by New York State which will result in not only a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills but a long-term lease as well. Under the major terms of the agreement, Erie County will contribute $250 million towards the construction of a new stadium, with ECSC contributing $600 million and the Buffalo Bills contributing the remainder of the cost, whatever that may be.

“These negotiations were long and intense but have produced a result that keeps the Bills here and does so in a way that provides them a new home with a comparatively modest county investment. I want to thank Governor Hochul and her team as well as Kim and Terry Pegula and the PSE team for working with us to craft an agreement that is responsible, realistic and respectful of Erie County and the greatest football fans in the NFL,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “No one could imagine Buffalo without the Bills and today we are celebrating an agreement that keeps them here, in their rightful place, for the next generation and beyond.”

Under the terms of the agreement, construction of a new stadium will begin on land adjoining the current stadium, which will be transferred from Erie County to the ECSC. ECS will lease the new stadium to the Bills once construction is substantially complete; Erie County will no longer own the stadium. During construction the Bills will bear the monetary risk related to any cost overruns encountered beyond the project budget. Additionally, the Bills will hire an architect, engineers and construction manager to run the project while Erie County and ECSC have oversight powers. Other major terms of construction include:

• a Project Labor Agreement will be entered into by the Bills and the Buffalo Building Trades;
• all County and NYS MBE/WBE rules will apply;
• all work shall be subject to Erie County’s competitive bidding rules, including an apprenticeship law, and;
• the team is required to demolish the current stadium once the new one is built.

Poloncarz continued, “WNY’s labor force will be the winning team to construct this new facility, and my administration fought hard throughout these negotiations for provisions that would protect and benefit the men and women who would be building, wiring, pouring, welding, sawing, painting and otherwise involved in the rise of the new stadium. We couldn’t make this happen without a strong commitment from labor and I am pleased to say that this agreement respects them, keeps these construction dollars local to invest in local workers and families, and energizes our workforce to be a part of the biggest construction job in these parts in many years.”

The agreement also creates a thirty-year lease between ECSC and the Buffalo Bills including a Non-Relocation Agreement prohibiting the team from moving. If the Bills were allowed to move by a court of law, then the team would be forced to pay back all ECSC and Erie County contributions in full during the first 15 years of the lease, declining for the final 15 years, and the stadium would be demolished by the team. Under the new lease, ECSC and the Bills are obligated to fund future capital expenses at the stadium.  Erie County has NO obligations to fund future operating or capital contributions, except the county will fund a capital improvement account using revenue generated by surcharges on ticketing, parking and concessions, the amount to be paid by attendees to stadium events. Whatever amount is generated is the amount contributed.

“This agreement is significant for Erie County not least because it keeps the Bills here, but also because county taxpayers are getting a very good deal. Future stadium-related expenses will be borne by NYS and the Bills as will game-day operating and other costs, resulting in millions of dollars of savings over the life of the lease. Our initial investment is capped and will not go up, even if building costs rise. Labor will be very busy for the next few years as the stadium is built, pumping money into our economy. This is a win-win-win for us,” Poloncarz concluded.

All major documents and approvals between the parties must be entered into by September 1, 2022. These documents include the Lease from ECSC to Bills, the Non-Relocation Agreement, Construction Coordination Agreement and a Community Benefit Agreement.

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