Viewpoints: The city center stadium is the best and cheapest choice | Opinion
A state report recommends building a new Bills Stadium rather than renovating the Highmark Stadium where the damage includes evidence of concrete settling. Eve Kowalewski, who has experience designing and siting stadiums, says a downtown site would be the best and cheapest.
Derek Gee / Buffalo News
Eve kowalewski
The new Bills Stadium is expected to be built in downtown Buffalo, where it can be a dynamic addition to the city: urban, pedestrian, and oriented towards public and private transportation.
Currently, there are two sites under study: Orchard Park and South Park.
But there is one downtown site that would cost less in infrastructure costs than either site under consideration. This should prompt the Pegulas to reconsider a downtown location.
The site is just east of Sahlen Field bounded by Michigan, Seneca, South Division, and a point approximately 150 feet west of Chicago Street.
The additional on-site and off-site costs for this site are approximately $ 43 million and reflect similar costs for the Orchard Park site. This number was developed using the same construction estimation methods, same line items, lump sums, unit costs and allowances as found in the state sponsored AECOM report; other costs are based on experience and research.
This site has many advantages: It is in fact “downtown”. This means that it has the advantages of being in the center of the region, in the center of streets, highways, parking, public transport, utilities, outlets and bars, restaurants and entertainment. . The stadium’s presence in Michigan / Seneca will add to the vitality of the city and increase nearby attractions such as Canalside, Cobblestone District, Naval Park, Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, Sahlen Field and KeyBank Center.