Bills release first renderings of future stadium

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After the model of a woody for a caller Buffalo Bills stadium was agreed to successful March, the squad officially released the archetypal renderings of the aboriginal stadium astir precisely 7 months later.

Ron Raccuia, enforcement vice president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, said Thursday connected WGR 550 successful Buffalo that the renderings are "effectively" what the stadium volition look similar extracurricular of insignificant tweaks.

The images see 1 look astatine the exterior of the stadium and 1 of the interior of the open-air stadium, which includes stacked seating and a canopy overhang to support fans from the elements.

The canopy volition screen 65% of the seats and assistance support against upwind and precipitation. It volition enactment unneurotic with the perforated multidimensional exterior tegument of the stadium that creates upwind disorder to forestall swirling winds from getting to the tract level.

Outside the stadium includes a plaza the squad is calling "family circle" that features 3 ample buffalo statues. The Bills privation the plaza to beryllium a gathering tract year-round for the assemblage and said the exterior was built to item "the team's tendency for a ocular individuality that reflects immoderate of the humanities architecture of Buffalo, portion besides delivering a modern appearance." The exterior allows for immoderate ocular of wrong the stadium from the outside.

The stadium is scheduled to unfastened successful 2026 and volition beryllium crossed the roadworthy from wherever the Bills' existent stadium, Highmark Stadium, is successful Orchard Park, N.Y., wherever the team's signifier installation is besides located. The Bills are moving with architectural steadfast Populous arsenic good arsenic with Legends, a consulting radical moving connected stadium development. Groundbreaking is expected successful 2023.

Less than 2 weeks ago, the deadline was pushed backmost to implicit the last negotiations connected the $1.4 cardinal stadium until December successful bid for the authorities to implicit an biology interaction study. The deadline, moved for the 2nd clip successful a six-week span, volition present beryllium 30 days aft that survey is received.

"We're taking our time. We're moving good with the authorities and the county," Raccuia said connected WGR. "We've got different deadline. We'll proceed to enactment each time to get it to the decorativeness line. That's truly wherever we're at. It's conscionable 1 of those things that's conscionable taking a small longer. Nothing to get acrophobic about. We'll support progressing the mode that we person been."

Funding for the stadium includes a grounds $850 cardinal of nationalist funding, with $600 cardinal coming from New York authorities and $250 cardinal from Erie County.

Highmark Stadium opened successful 1973 and is the fourth-oldest NFL stadium.