Don't rule out Niagara Falls, N.Y. as Bills future home

[jahnyc]

JW,

 

I appreciate all of your insights and information. There are a lot of pages in this topic and many of the others that relate to future ownership of the Bills. To cut to the bottom line, do you get the sense there is a real possibility of local ownership or at least a potential owner from outside of the area that will be willing to keep the team in the Western New York area?

 

Thank you.

[Delete This Account]

JW,

 

I appreciate all of your insights and information. There are a lot of pages in this topic and many of the others that relate to future ownership of the Bills. To cut to the bottom line, do you get the sense there is a real possibility of local ownership or at least a potential owner from outside of the area that will be willing to keep the team in the Western New York area?

 

Thank you.

 

very much so. doesn't mean there shouldn't be room for concern. i've been on record as saying i'm 70 percent confident team will stay in this region.

[Prickly Pete]

That would double the price of the stadium and take years and years

 

Oh...okay. Thanks. I guess they should just stick with the Fan Sacrifices.

[jahnyc]

Thanks, JW.

[May Day 10]

 

 

Oh...okay. Thanks. I guess they should just stick with the Fan Sacrifices.

 

It stinks. They have destroyed niagara falls over 40 to 50 years. In order to raze the chemical plants and clean all that up, it would likely be over a billion dollars and take a decade. It would require money from the federal government, state, and lawsuit settlements.

 

It's really really sad what they have done to the place.

[HopefulFuture]

It stinks. They have destroyed niagara falls over 40 to 50 years. In order to raze the chemical plants and clean all that up, it would likely be over a billion dollars and take a decade. It would require money from the federal government, state, and lawsuit settlements.

 

It's really really sad what they have done to the place.

 

Try hundreds of billions oif dollars to clean it up. It cost Oxy 1.2 billion for soil restoration from 92 to 09. And that was for a mere 12.2 acres of land.

[Prickly Pete]

"Crimes against humanity" as far as I'm concerned.

 

Niagara County is a toxic mess, and corruption runs deep. The people that have controlled it are last people that should benefit from anything the NFL might bring to the area. I don't believe it will happen anyway, so I'm not gonna worry about it.

[Mr. WEO]

again, you seem to think it's an obligation by suggesting i share here what i know and/or have been told. you make assumptions in regards to who the AP has or may not have spoken to. you make take a wild flying guess as to what prompted the story, and now you suggest that i lay my cards on the table because you somehow feel obligated to know.

your guesses and assumptions have been laughable, and you seem to revel in the process of digging yourself deeper.

i'd suggest you stop, but i doubt you'd listen.

 

jw

 

and i certainly hope you're not angling to suggest that i reveal my sources. i block you in a moment's notice if that is the case.

 

jw, why not just end the guessing? What would be the harm in reporting what his intentions are. Serious question. How is it not newsworthy?

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

your response to this is completely laughable. fully and completely.

 

jw

That's WEO's calling card. Apparently they've convinced themselves that NF is somehow inaccessable by car. As much as I would prefer downtown by the FNC that land is too tempting. A stones throw from the Rainbow Bridge. Throw in Millstein's connections and it's hard to imagine NF not getting a strong look.

[Delete This Account]

jw, why not just end the guessing? What would be the harm in reporting what his intentions are. Serious question. How is it not newsworthy?

 

read the gdam story. what i reported is what i reported. you are either obtuse or illiterate or both when it comes to me spelling things out.

 

jw

[TXBILLSFAN]

 

JW -- any chance you are planning or could you plan a story on the sale process itself and the details of the estate/trust and how that works legally and what roles Mary Wilson, Littman (or whoever is trustee) has, when does NFL get involved (i.e. do they vet candidates, is there a committee of owners); does prospective owners bid or negotiate, do they present any business plan to Wilson, estate, NFL etc. etc. --- NFL teams are not sold very often, in the case of Bills, NEVER before -- it would be great read to know what the process is, the players etc --- if that's not possible, it would still be a great read after the fact, although, I'm sure not as great if the buyer ends up with plans to move team ---

[Chico2]

I hope they put it on the Canadian side. The horseshoe falls and Canada is a lot nicer than the American side. Plus they already have nice big and beautiful hotels there.

[TSNBDSC]

read the gdam story. what i reported is what i reported. you are either obtuse or illiterate or both when it comes to me spelling things out.

 

jw

 

served

[dhg]

 

Niagara Falls makes sense on many levels.

 

jw

 

Respectfully disagree. Can't even think of one level.

[ET1062]

Respectfully disagree. Can't even think of one level.

 

Level 1. Proximity to Toronto, you would be able to see the TO skyline from the cheap seats

Level 2. Plenty of available and cheap land near the Rainbow Bridge

Level 3. The Rainbow Bridge, Canadians can park and walk to games without having to drive their cars through customs.

Level 4. Niagara Falls is an international tourist destination, a NFL tourist attraction to go along with a new stadium would draw tourists from all over the world, and who would be their team? Da Bills.

Level 5. Football season isn't tourist season, the Bills could partner will all the major NF CA hotels to offer game and hotel packages for fans.

 

Finally and a little off point, I have heard a lot of bitching about the GI bridges, I am pretty confident that NYS would suspend taking tolls 4 hours prior and 3 hours after home games.

Edited April 14, 2014 by ET1062

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

Level 1. Proximity to Toronto, you would be able to see the TO skyline from the cheap seats

Level 2. Plenty of available and cheap land near the Rainbow Bridge

Level 3. The Rainbow Bridge, Canadians can park and walk to games without having to drive their cars through customs.

Level 4. Niagara Falls is an international tourist destination, a NFL tourist attraction to go along with a new stadium would draw tourists from all over the world, and who would be their team? Da Bills.

Level 5. Football season isn't tourist season, the Bills could partner will all the major NF CA hotels to offer game and hotel packages for fans.

 

Finally and a little off point, I have heard a lot of bitching about the GI bridges, I am pretty confident that NYS would suspend taking tolls 4 hours prior and 3 hours after home games.

Also worth noting you can take a train from Toronto to NF. Another travel option. Also there are other ways to drive to NF from Buffalo than just the GI bridges.

[GG]

FWIW, it's clear why NYS would favor a NF site over others in WNY. I think the state knows that no matter which owner ends up with the team, he will have a big stick over the state to throw in development dollars to keep the team in WNY. So since the state already committed to another rebuild of NF, it makes perfect sense they would try to tie the projects together. Whether it works is another matter, but it certainly makes sense for the state to be thinking Niagara Falls over Orchard Park, or even downtown Buffalo, for that matter.

 

As for the travel options, NFL would be a lot easier for Canadians than for Buffalonians. South Ontario would have two bridges to cross, including walking over Rainbow. I imagine Lewiston/Queenston would be easier to upgrade than the mess that is Peace Bridge. For US fans, the biggest infrastructure decision would be to expand GI bridges or to build a new highway along the river or next to NF Boulevard. But if the state already has plans to make those upgrades, placing the stadium in NF would be the logical move from their standpoint.

[May Day 10]

how many games until some drunk guy falls into the Falls or gorge?

 

Travel really isnt feasible. I cant imagine they would just "build a new highway" to Niagara Falls or expand the GI bridges to help out stadium traffic 10 times a year. One accident on one of the GI Bridges or 190 and people will be sleeping in their cars. Or 20,000 cars driving down Pine Avenue and NF Blvd sounds realistic. We are turning a $500 Million-$1 Billion project into a multiple Billion dollar one. Just to fit a square peg into a round and toxic hole.

 

Also, Niagara Falls is so backwards. Hamister had to/is fighting tooth and nail with the backwards council to build a $25 million dollar building there. Its a Wasteland. It has been too long. Too much criminal neglect. I dont even know where lots can/would go. Most of the area is much too toxic/polluted. The rest of the area is "potentially" valuable Falls-side land. Do we really want our side of the Falls wasted/represented by a football stadium and parking lots? There is no magic bullet and that includes Football Stadiums. It was thought that the Indian Casino would be a magic bullet. Instead it was the final parasitic bullet that sucked the rest of life out of the city. It will take decades to undo the damage to Niagara Falls. Like Buffalo, Niagara Falls needs the smaller "projects" to pop up around the border to make it a destination and feed off one another. Not just a Bass Pro, Casino, or Stadium.

 

 

There is just so much less resistance and less $$$ and imagination required at every single other possibility. The extra 10-30 minutes required "from Toronto" isnt going to make or break the team and a new owner's desire to keep the team in Buffalo. That is silly. I used to drive 7 hours to go to and home from games and would see people past Binghamton on the 81 with Bills stuff on their cars from the game. It makes sense if you have many dates a year including weekdays where time is of the essence... but this is predominantly a Sunday sport where people show up at 8-9AM with all the time in the world.

Edited April 14, 2014 by May Day 10

[ET1062]

Directions to Niagara Falls Stadium from Downtown Buffalo.

 

190 N

Exit Niagara St.

Cross Peace Bridge into Canada

Take the QEW to NF CA.

Park

Walk across the Rainbow Bridge

Attend game

Pick up 2 bottles of Crown on your way home

[Chandler#81]

how many games until some drunk guy falls into the Falls or gorge?

 

Travel really isnt feasible. I cant imagine they would just "build a new highway" to Niagara Falls or expand the GI bridges to help out stadium traffic 10 times a year. One accident on one of the GI Bridges or 190 and people will be sleeping in their cars. Or 20,000 cars driving down Pine Avenue and NF Blvd sounds realistic. We are turning a $500 Million-$1 Billion project into a multiple Billion dollar one. Just to fit a square peg into a round and toxic hole.

 

Also, Niagara Falls is so backwards. Hamister had to/is fighting tooth and nail with the backwards council to build a $25 million dollar building there. Its a Wasteland. It has been too long. Too much criminal neglect. I dont even know where lots can/would go. Most of the area is much too toxic/polluted. The rest of the area is "potentially" valuable Falls-side land. Do we really want our side of the Falls wasted/represented by a football stadium and parking lots? There is no magic bullet and that includes Football Stadiums. It was thought that the Indian Casino would be a magic bullet. Instead it was the final parasitic bullet that sucked the rest of life out of the city. It will take decades to undo the damage to Niagara Falls. Like Buffalo, Niagara Falls needs the smaller "projects" to pop up around the border to make it a destination and feed off one another. Not just a Bass Pro, Casino, or Stadium.

 

 

There is just so much less resistance and less $$$ and imagination required at every single other possibility. The extra 10-30 minutes required "from Toronto" isnt going to make or break the team and a new owner's desire to keep the team in Buffalo. That is silly. I used to drive 7 hours to go to and home from games and would see people past Binghamton on the 81 with Bills stuff on their cars from the game. It makes sense if you have many dates a year including weekdays where time is of the essence... but this is predominantly a Sunday sport where people show up at 8-9AM with all the time in the world.

This is true for the Bills but no so for good teams with multiple MNF, TNF SNF and 4:00pm starts to showcase them. Its one of the downsides to being a good team that many of us have forgotten.. We've been 'hid' @ 1:00pm Sundays for years now, with very few exceptions..