An ongoing study of the Buffalo Bills stadium options is about halfway complete, according to an official from ownership group Pegula Sports & Entertainment.
The Bills’ aging New Era Field originally opened in 1973, and could either be replaced or undergo a major renovation in the coming years. Last fall, the Terry and Kim Pegula-backed Pegula Sports & Entertainment (PSE) announced that CAA Icon will conduct a study on the team’s stadium options–including a new facility or a major renovation to New Era Field.
An update on the ongoing study was provided Thursday, when PSE executive Ron Raccuia indicated during an event that it is about halfway complete and that work could wrap up late this year. PSE, which is also having CAA Icon explore potential renovations to KeyBank Center–home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres–is currently keeping its options open for how it will settle the Bills’ stadium situation. More from Buffalo Business First:
Ron Raccuia, an executive with Pegula Sports and Entertainment, offered a project update during the Buffalo Homecoming event Thursday morning at RiverWorks. He said a study conducted on the futures of both New Era Field and KeyBank Center is about halfway done.
Options on the table for the Bills include renovations, new builds adjacent to the current properties or complete relocation. Much speculation has specifically circled around the stadium being moved to downtown Buffalo, but PSE has said suburban sites will also be considered. For the Sabres, talks have centered around modernizing the arena.
“We’ve gone into this without any preconceived notions. We haven’t eliminated one single thing. We haven’t targeted one single thing,” he said. “Fortunately or unfortunately, they’re both coming up for discussion at the same time.”
A PSE spokesman said Thursday afternoon that the company has no plans for public release of the report finding.
New Era Field is currently the sixth-oldest stadium in the NFL, but is slated to move up the list after this season. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum–the NFL’s oldest venue–will lose the Rams as a tenant when a new Inglewood stadium opens in 2020. Also set for a replacement is Oakland’s RingCentral Coliseum, the NFL’s fourth-oldest facility, which is expected to lose the Raiders to Las Vegas after this season.
Image courtesy Buffalo Bills.
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