BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Following a press conference on Erie County's 2023 proposed budget, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz addressed questions about the proposed new Buffalo Bills Stadium in Orchard Park.
The original deadline to finalize agreements related to the proposed $1.4 billion stadium was extended by 45 days. A new deadline of Sunday, October 16, was just days away but the deadline has now been extended.
New York State, Erie County and the Buffalo Bills said there was an agreement "to extend the exclusivity period until 30 days after final determination on the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQRA) by Erie County."
According to Poloncarz, the State Environmental Quality Review is expected to be issued in December.
The agreements related to constructing a new @BuffaloBills' stadium and long-term lease are very complicated. All parties are working in earnest to conclude them. I thank Terry Pegula and Governor Hochul and their negotiating teams for their good-faith negotiation efforts. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/5xhd7jj0kv
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) October 14, 2022
Below is a joint statement that was released Friday:
"New York State, Erie County and the Buffalo Bills have made considerable progress and are actively negotiating the final agreements and contracts. As the environmental review process moves forward, we will continue to work towards finalizing all agreements and look forward to breaking ground on a new stadium next year.”
Poloncarz said he gets updates from the council each day and everyone is working in earnest to get a deal done.
"I never thought it was going to get done by the time period that was originally announced," said Poloncarz. "That's why there was a provision in the original MOU that said if we're working earnestly towards a completion we can extend the deadline."
