RyanC883 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I understand your point of view, but I think it's highly unlikely (and unwise, honestly) for WNY to build a football-only venue. Just ain't gonna happen. Any new stadium must contribute to the economy in multiple ways, far beyond anything that a football-only venue can. Yep, this is very true. A big indoor could potentially host the Final 4, instead of merely hosting the opening round of the tourney in Buffalo. (depending on how the NCAA counts hotel rooms, if it counts Buf and Toronto, or Buff and Rochester they would be enough). Been there a couple times and sterile is a good description. It's so cavernous that sound gets swallowed up so even if the home town is cheering you'd never know it. You'd think that they'd run some acoustical studies prior to building the darn thing but it just isn't a great place to experience an NFL game. It's almost like football is the sideshow. Definitely need to ensure they have the acoustics correct for maximum noise. I'm sick of hearing about Seattle's 12th man. We can be louder given the right venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not at the table Karlos Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) This. Any pipe dreamers who think a new stadium will bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo, need to pack up another one. didnt goodell say any new stadium that fits the criteria (domed stadium if up north) will get a shot at a super bowl? It was a couple years ago when I heard this. I want to say it was a clip played on jim rome after the lions stadium was built. I may be wrong. ...I agree with all that say the Superbowl will not EVER be in Buffalo. Along with the the hotel issue there just are not enough Fortune 500 Companies located in WNY and sorry money talks when they want to bring in clients to wine and dine. As for tailgating, unless your going to clear blocks for a parking lot then the the great days of tailgating end. Hotels are being built all over buffalo. Have you ever been to downtown buffalo??? Half of it is parking lots. 25,000 hotel rooms within an hour drive is needed. Im sure that between buffalo, niagara falls(not sure if international hotels are considered if so great) and rochester we will have enough Especially with all the hotels that are being built. Edited March 20, 2014 by kr632 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 At some point in time ownership will change hands, and hopefully the new owner / 's build a state of the art stadium in or around Buffalo for Bills fans Presuming of course that they also build a winning team first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 i have seen Lucas oil stadium from the outside and i think it looks pretty cool. but i hope that if they ever get around to building a stadium here they do whatever they can to make it look as much as possible like the ralph as they can. that could be cool too, right? i like that we have a bowl for a lower level and if they could do something like that and keep the same general layout and sightlines down low while putting whatever fancy crap they need on top of it...i don't know, I'm not an architect, but i think it would be cool and unique if the bills could build a "throwback" stadium with whatever modern crap they need also part of the construction. as archaic as everyone says it is, god knows we all love it when we're in there watching a good team, i think it would be neat if they could preserve that somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yep, this is very true. A big indoor could potentially host the Final 4, instead of merely hosting the opening round of the tourney in Buffalo. (depending on how the NCAA counts hotel rooms, if it counts Buf and Toronto, or Buff and Rochester they would be enough). Definitely need to ensure they have the acoustics correct for maximum noise. I'm sick of hearing about Seattle's 12th man. We can be louder given the right venue. i agree about the noise.. i think we are the loudest, if we had seattle's layout at the ralph, it would be no contest.. as it is, as loud as we are, lots of noise goes afar because of the expanse of the bowl and nothing to hold the noise in.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) You have to consider wind loading for any downtown stadium. A big box like Lucas Oil Stadium would face nasty winds off the lake. Edited March 21, 2014 by PromoTheRobot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonabb Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I think they need to think of building a smaller stadium that is not wicked expensive and break the mold of gaudy garbage like Dallas and Arizona. A stadium like they use in the English Premier League, like Emirates, would be great. You drop the seating down to 55,000-60,000 since in reality the number of people willing to pay top dollar to go is declining and the home experience is excellent. This limits supply and demand goes up, overcoming lost revenue from less seats by recapturing it by higher prices. The firm that designed Emirates, Populous, is the firm that designed Emirates and the RWS improvements. If the state and local govts are going to come to the rescue for a new owner wanting a new stadium, a cost-effective yet quality stadium is what taxpayers should demand. Or it has to take the Heinz Field approach. There's a stadium built in the early 2000s for around $300M. It's more of an open design than a bowl, cutting down on construction costs. Compare that to the $1.7B on the MetLife stadium, which is an enclosed bowl. The difference is that in the open heinz field, the seating is only 65,000. At MetLife its 82,000. Each are different sized markets and stadium size seems to recognize that. So the issue here is that if a new stadium is what a new owner wants and uses as ransom to stay, it has to be done well but inexpensively when they ask for public dollars. And that means no dome. There is zero justification for the best stadium, which every new stadium tries to be. It has to be the best fiscal and operation stadium for Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judman Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I think Lucas Oil Stadium looks like a barn. I'm not a big fan. I don't like a dome either. BUT, if a domed facility in downtown Buffalo or perhaps teetering on the precipice of the Niagara Gorge or in some reclaimed quarry meant the Bills stay in the area... I'm all in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Exactly! Show me the money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisonbrigade Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Just say no to a dome. The Bills are about blizzards not AC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 The club seats at RWS involve PSLs that run about $1,500 per seat per year. I'm curious to know how everyone would feel about paying that, or more, per seat in a new stadium, just for the right to buy season tickets? Would season ticket numbers decline by half, or more? I just wonder how this thing will be funded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Just say no to a dome. The Bills are about blizzards not AC. How many games have you attended in December? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not at the table Karlos Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 How many games have you attended in December? The last home game last year against the fins half rhe stadium was in t shirts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I get the argument against a retractable dome, but the economics would make it dumb not to build one. It's location needs to be easily accessible for not only Buffalo and its suburbs, but Canada and Rochester. It seems to me that the design of all these new stadiums are to get you out of the parking lot and into the building. There is no revenue in tailgating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The club seats at RWS involve PSLs that run about $1,500 per seat per year. I'm curious to know how everyone would feel about paying that, or more, per seat in a new stadium, just for the right to buy season tickets? Would season ticket numbers decline by half, or more? Pretty much a key question that I don't see being addressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalobillsfootball Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Not a fan of Lucas Oil Stadium... at least from an exterior design perspective. It just screens rust belt. I seriouly want Buffalo to push the envelope on design and do something far more modern. I also believe we have no choice but to build a stadium with a dome; as the budget for a facility without a roof just doesn't make sense. You repilcate the Ralph and it will sit empty and unused more than 90% of the time. Buffalo needs a new convention center.. The Buffalo Bills will need a new stadium. It's time to marry the two and get it done; and done right. Who knows if Buffalo will ever host a Super Bowl. I personally do not care. But what I do hope we replicate from the Lucas Oil Stadium is the way they incorporated OTHER THINGS TO DO around the stadium. Indianapolis hit a home run when they hosted the Super Bowl and no doubt the city will host another one in the near future. But Buffalo needs to thing big - take advantage of its opportunities to help put this city back on the map. I know it will cost money - no matter how modern and cutting edge - but so will Lucas Oil Stadium. My only concern - how do we build something that has greater shelf life than those dome stadiums that have already been replaced within 20-30 years of life? Buffalo cannot afford to build a new stadium now and then 25 years later. So, the design will need be modern. clean lines, and tastfully done. Nice - but no thanks. I think Detroit when I see this: Go Big... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUNCH OF MULARKEY Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Well of coarse we constantly have to have this gun to our heads that says "build a stadium or lose your team". Kansas City installs new seats and arrowhead is considered "historic, classic" , no problems there. Even after they put all this money into the Ralph it's just B.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 As long as we're in fantasy land, yes, I would love a retractable stadium like Lucas Oil. I hope we keep it to 65-67,000 seat stadium so we can sell out every week. Winning could help us affording this stadium. I just don't see NYS affording this cost, and no new owner will put into a small market these kinds of dollars. Besides the liklihood of Buffalo even with a great stadium hosting a Superbowl is very low. If we did do it, if I remember correctly, Niagara Falls is the best place to triangulate Canada fans, Rochester fans, and Buffalonians. We can only hope NYS could negotiate with a new ownership group if they build it Goodell would give an unofficial to yes on a superbowl. The cool part of the retractable is we can use noise as someone mentioned on the Seattle thing, but also depending on the opponent, retract the stadium to our benefit. I'm sure everyone would like it open for the early season games, and in the December ones, if it's Miami, go to hell and deal with the snow. If NE, depending on our team we keep open or closed. That's the best part of a retractable is you size up your opponent every game vs. the weather. We get back to winning ways and build a stadium like this, I'm buying seasons living in Tampa and would fly up for games. This year the Pats game was awesome as far as taking my boys. They couldn't believe what it was like to see a Bills games vs. a Bucs game (we live in Tampa). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 (edited) The last home game last year against the fins half rhe stadium was in t shirts. They were all drunk and died of hypothermia. All kidding aside I think the whole Buffalo/cold weather thing is a myth. I believe if you build a dome we would sell out every game. Bad football is easier to take when you are comfy. Edited March 23, 2014 by PromoTheRobot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDinRTP Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Went to my first game this year & thought the stadium overall was impressive. But as a football fan, it just loses so much being indoors, very sterile. The crowd noise seems fabricated. More of a country club feeling...more of an event than a good old football game. Good news, it sure cuts down on the drunks. Also, as someone else mentioned with a new stadium, expect some sticker shock. My upper level nosebleeds were $85. But it was worth it to see Fitz-magic throw three interceptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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