$PRESS - New Buffalo Bills Stadium - Populous Architect

https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2022/07/12/phillips-lytles-nason-working-under-a-microscope.html And she is leading Phillips Lytle’s oversight of a mandated environmental review for the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park. The review is being done by Erie County as part of the stadium’s pre-development stage. _____________ https://www.wgrz.com/article/sports/nfl/future-of-the-bills/what-to-expect-during-5-years-of-buffalo-bills-stadium-construction/71-5061f1a9-5fcd-4308-8835-d2c3062920e1 - Construction on the new Buffalo Bills stadium is on pace to begin in the spring, according to Pegula Sports and Entertainment officials. The public might not be seeing a lot of work on the $1.4 billion, 1.35 million-square-foot complex yet, but procedural steps are taking place behind the scenes. They include prepping the 242 Abbott Road acres where the stadium will be built. The 62,000-seat stadium will be 14% smaller than the 72,000-seat capacity at Highmark Stadium. A maintenance and equipment storage facility also will be constructed, along with a public plaza along the facility's Abbott Road main entrance, just south of Southwestern Boulevard. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.wgrz.com/article/sports/nfl/bills/gilbane-building-turner-construction-arc-building-partners-strong-contenders-for-stadium-contract-buffalo-business-first/71-3dbd673a-b3d1-45fc-bca6-3b8fe1700ab5 - Three of the region's largest general contractors are expected to be named co-general contractors for the Buffalo Bills stadium project. Sources have confirmed that Gilbane Building Co., Turner Construction Co. and Arc Building Partners will be co-general contractors for the proposed $1.4 billion new Orchard Park stadium. The official announcement likely will be made in early July, sources said. As general contractors, the firms would oversee the construction of the stadium -- which could be one one of the largest public sector/private joint development ventures in Erie County's history. The hiring of the general construction team is a considered a key pre-development milestone. Read the full story from our partners at Buffalo Business First. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2022/06/27/buffalo-bills-stadium-general-contractors.html Three of the region's largest general contractors are expected to be named co-general contractors for the Buffalo Bills stadium project. Sources have confirmed that Gilbane Building Co., Turner Construction Co. and Arc Building Partners will be co-general contractors for the proposed $1.4 billion new Orchard Park stadium. The official announcement likely will be made in early July, sources said. As general contractors, the firms would oversee the construction of the stadium -- which could be one one of the largest public sector/private joint development ventures in Erie County's history. The hiring of the general construction team is a considered a key pre-development milestone. All three are considered "strong contenders" and leading the short list as the construction team, sources added. _________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2022/06/13/caesars-sportsbook-buffalo-bills-partnership.html A new kind of premium seat is available to Buffalo Bills fans on gamedays this fall. It's tailored to individuals who want to gamble while watching Josh Allen chuck it down the field. The Caesars Sportsbook lounge at Highmark Stadium will have capacity for 300 to 400 people, include an age-restricted section, and will debut at the Bills home opener this fall Sept. 19 (a Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans). The space - formerly the Business Class Club - will be retrofit with screens, technological resources and other amenities. The Caesars facility isn't a sportsbook in a traditional sense, primarily because it doesn't have to be. Gamblers can enter bets on their phones. But it is an example of the closer relationship these days between National Football League teams and the gambling industry, as states legalize sports betting across the U.S. "This is the first time we've had any kind of sports lounge in our facility," said Dan Misko, Pegula Sports and Entertainment senior vice president of business development. "It's an experiential space and a way to engage fans that we haven't had." New York state legalized gambling in January. Shortly after, the Bills announced separate partnerships with FanDuel and Caesars, which are among the dozen or so apps approved for sports betting in New York. Attendees of Bills games won't be restricted to using the FanDuel and Caesars apps, but the partnership with the Bills is a marketing opportunity for those companies. The team's news release noted the Caesar's partnership will include "broadcast and digital content across Bills' properties, TV-visible in-game signage and access to unique fan activations at Highmark Stadium." One example: Caesars offered $250 toward Bills season tickets for people who download its app and placed a $50 wager by March. Misko said more promotions will follow - including specific betting opportunities for people using the space - and also said Caesar's employees will be on-hand in the lounge. "They're looking for brand awareness," Misko said. "We have very strong engagement, a very strong digital and social media footprint, and we're providing Caesars with access that will help them with customer acquisition. That's a major focus for them." It's also a sign of things to come. Misko said the goal is to build a long-term, symbiotic partnership between the two sides. The experience at the lounge in the coming years will impact the design of the $1.4 billion stadium to be constructed next door, Misko said. The new stadium is expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 season. "Our hope is that good experiences at this space will lead to stronger demand from fans," Misko said. "Our goal is to pilot-test this at Highmark Stadium in a meaningful way as we come up with concepts and designs for the new stadium, with the plan to build something best-in-class that still centers around football and sports." __________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2022/06/06/sabres-season-tickets-revenue-fans-john-durbin.html There is, of course, a lot going on in the Pegula world these days. PSE's business interests also include the Buffalo Bills, which recently brokered a deal for a new $1.4 billion stadium in Orchard Park, and downtown Buffalo real estate holdings that include LECOM Harborcenter and the Labatt Brew House. ____________________ https://www.mdjonline.com/tribune/regional/erie-county-legislature-approves-100-million-down-payment-for-bills-stadium-construction/article_aab0c9ab-91ef-52cd-87be-d0dcc4df789c.html Erie County Legislature approves $100 million down payment for Bills stadium construction May 12--The Erie County Legislature on Thursday took a key step in the process to get a new stadium built for the Buffalo Bills, but an even bigger step will wait for another day. The Legislature voted unanimously Thursday to set aside $100 million -- $25 million more than County Executive Mark Poloncarz requested -- as a down payment on its $250 million stadium obligation. That move is expected to save tens of millions of dollars over the life of the county's stadium loan. But the Legislature did not act on the memorandum of understanding outlining the broad terms of the stadium deal. The moves are the latest in the deal that will end with the Bills in a new $1.4 billion home, with most of the money coming from state taxpayers and Erie County taxpayers footing about 17 percent of the total. Initially, the county planned to put $75 million up front, and some Democratic legislators had initially been reluctant to earmark more. But a push by Minority Leader Joseph Lorigo and other Republican-sponsored legislators to put more cash toward the stadium project proved persuasive. So did repeated acknowledgement by both the administration and the County Comptroller's Office that the county could afford to set aside the additional money and still have millions left to roll into county savings. "I really think the people who benefit the most today are the Erie County taxpayers," said Lorigo, C-West Seneca. Majority Leader Timothy Meyers, D-Cheektowaga, added, "I don't want it to be said that this body cannot work together. Because today, we did work together, and it was for the benefit of the residents of Erie County." Poloncarz told The Buffalo News he was satisfied with the outcome of Thursday's vote. While the county administration preferred to set aside a more conservative amount this year and decide later how much more cash to put toward its stadium obligations, no one disputed that it would be financially prudent to allocate more cash toward the project prior to any stadium bonding to reduce the county's borrowing costs. The amount the county would pay toward $1.4 billion stadium construction, between cash and borrowing, is $250 million. Another $800 million, along with maintenance costs, would be paid by the state. With the county putting down at least $100 million in cash, the county caps its borrowing for the new stadium at $150 million. A preliminary analysis released by the Comptroller's Office indicated that putting down the additional $25 million from surplus cash could save the county at least $42 million over the life of a 30-year loan for the new Bills facility. The figure would likely be higher as interest rates rise. Given the county's positive fiscal health, there's a possibility that even more cash may be put down toward the stadium in the future, but Poloncarz said it was too early to know. "It's possible, but it would require a substantial surplus again for 2022," he said. Borrowing for the stadium project is not expected to happen until next year. Chairwoman April Baskin, who had previously said she was opposed to putting more money down toward the new stadium, said that in speaking with Lorigo and hearing from the county budget and comptroller's offices, it became more clear that putting money down toward the stadium now will free up millions more in the future to redirect toward other county priorities. "I feel like we really listened to each other's governmental perspectives and completely silenced all politics," she said. "And that is the type of way I'm going to encourage us all to lead moving forward because it hasn't always been that." By allocating an additional $25 million from the county's budget surplus for the new Bills stadium, along with a multitude of other spending allocations for both legislators and the administration, the $174.5 million surplus will result in $11 million flowing into the county's reserves. Meanwhile, the memorandum of understanding outlining the terms of the overall stadium deal is still awaiting approval by the County Legislature. Baskin said she expects that to be approved within the next few weeks, but felt the Legislature had a heavy enough agenda for this week. Baskin is part of the team that is supposed to be negotiating a community benefits agreement to ensure that money is invested back into Erie County and local communities as part of the stadium agreement. However, no meetings have yet been scheduled. Poloncarz said attorneys are working on some draft framework language regarding the community benefits agreement that will be shared with all parties. But he expressed more concern that the MOU with the state and the Bills get approved at the Legislature's next session in two weeks. "We've got to get that done," he said. Technically, Pegula Sports & Entertainment is supposed to wait until the memorandum of understanding is formally approved by the Legislature before beginning architectural design and engineering work on the new stadium. But that work is already underway. Baskin said the MOU isn't being held up and that the votes clearly exist in the Legislature to get the MOU passed. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.spartnerships.com/pipeline/current/pipeline.html New York - Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a joint public-private partnership (P3) between New York State, Erie County, and the NFL's Buffalo Bills for a $1.4 billion new stadium in Orchard Park. Hochul's negotiations secured a 30-year commitment for the Bills to remain in the Buffalo suburb, and a combined $550 million from the NFL and Bills approved by the NFL owners. She will advance a $600 million proposal in the state budget, and Erie County will contribute $250 million. The economic and tax impacts generated from the team will support more than 100 percent of the public share of the new stadium cost. The 30-year agreement details the construction of a new stadium with a minimum of 60,000 seats in Orchard Park. The Bills will negotiate a project labor agreement with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Buffalo, New York and Vicinity, AFL-CIO, on behalf of its affiliated local unions. The deal requires the Bills to agree to a Community Benefits Agreement, which is to be negotiated. Erie County will transfer ownership of the current stadium and adjoining complex, which includes practice facilities and office space, to the state. The state will own the new stadium and adjoining complex, which will be leased to the Bills. The new stadium is expected to be ready for the Bills home opener in 2026. ________________________________________________________________________________ In a sign the Buffalo Bills are closing in on a stadium deal, the team hired Populous architectural firm to draw up designs for its proposed new facility, a person familiar with discussions confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills and their parent company, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, have not announced the decision. The Athletic first reported the news earlier in the day. The move comes as the team is in negotiations with the state and county to reach an agreement that would commit hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to build a stadium across from the Bills' existing facility in Buffalo's suburb of Orchard Park. A state study estimated the proposed open-air, 60,000-plus seat stadium would cost $1.354 billion. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed confidence last week that she can have a deal in place before the end of the month to have the project included on the state budget due in April. One outstanding issue she specifically mentioned was the length of the lease to ensure the franchise's long-term presence in the Buffalo region. The Bills entered discussions last summer with an extensive line-by-line monetary breakdown of the proposed facility, but without actual renderings of what the stadium would resemble. The team said it would hire a firm only after an agreement is in place. Populous is recognized as being among the world leaders in stadium designs. It's portfolio of projects includes Olympic Games venues, including Beijing, and numerous NFL stadiums, including the homes of the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. The Bills are seeking to replace their existing facility which opened in 1973 and has been deemed too expensive to renovate. If approved, the project construction could be completed for the start of the 2026 season.

Seats, 60000 Unit(s).

Division 02 -	Existing Conditions, Subsurface Investigation.
Division 03 -	Concrete, Concrete Forming and Accessories, Concrete Reinforcing, Concrete Finishing, Precast Concrete, Cast Decks and Underlayment, Concrete Cutting and Boring.
Division 04 -	Masonry, Unit Masonry.
Division 05 -	Metals, Structural Metal Framing, Decorative Metal.
Division 06 -	Wood, Plastics, and Composites, Rough Carpentry.
Division 07 -	Thermal and Moisture Protection, Dampproofing and Waterproofing.
Division 08 -	Openings, Doors and Frames, Metal Doors and Frames, Specialty Doors and Frames, Coiling Doors and Grilles, Entrances, Storefronts, and Curtain Walls, Windows, Hardware.
Division 09 -	Finishes, Plaster and Gypsum Board, Tiling, Flooring, Painting and Coating, Special Coatings.
Division 10 -	Specialties, Signage, Partitions, Toilet, Bath, and Laundry Accessories, Safety Specialties, Lockers, Flagpoles.
Division 11 -	Equipment, Vehicle and Pedestrian Equipment, Parking Control Equipment, Pedestrian Control Equipment, Commercial Laundry and Dry Cleaning Equipment, Unit Kitchens, Office Equipment, Foodservice Equipment, Audio-Visual Equipment, Athletic and Recreational Equipment, Athletic Equipment, Interior Scoreboards, Play Field Equipment and Structures, Athletic Field Equipment, Exterior Scoreboards, Therapy Equipment.
Division 12 -	Furnishings, Multiple Seating, Fixed Audience Seating, Stadium and Arena Seating.
Division 13 -	Special Construction, Special Activity Rooms, Athletic Rooms, Athletic and Recreational Special Construction, Fabricated Engineered Structures.
Division 21 -	Fire Suppression, Instrumentation and Control for Fire-Suppression Systems, Fire-Extinguishing Systems.
Division 22 -	Plumbing, Plumbing Piping, Plumbing Equipment, Plumbing Fixtures, Drinking Fountains and Water Coolers.
Division 23 -	Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Instrumentation and Control for HVAC, HVAC Air Distribution.
Division 26 -	Electrical, Instrumentation and Control for Electrical Systems, Facility Lightning Protection, Interior Lighting, Exterior Lighting, Lighting Poles and Standards, Exterior Athletic Lighting.
Division 27 -	Communications, Audio-Video Communications.
Division 31 -	Earthwork, Site Clearing, Earthwork Methods, Special Foundations and Load-Bearing Elements.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Athletic and Recreational Surfacing, Fences and Gates, Planting, Turf and Grasses.
Division 33 -	Utilities, Water Utilities, Sanitary Sewerage Utilities, Storm Drainage Utilities, Electrical Utilities, Communications Utilities.