BUFFALO, N.Y. — 2 On Your Side obtained the full signed Buffalo Bills stadium agreement from Erie County through a FOIL request on Wednesday.
On Monday, the NFL owners approved financing and plans for a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
The $1.4 billion project will utilize $850 million from taxpayers. The Erie County Stadium Corp. will contribute $600 million toward construction, and Erie County will pay $250 million.
Under the new agreement, Erie County will not own the new stadium.
"We are getting out of the football business," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, explaining that unlike the current stadium, the new one will not be owned by the the county but instead by ECSC, with whom the Bills will sign a 30-year lease.
Read the full agreement obtained by 2 On Your Side here:
On Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said a portion of the casino fund that was paid to the state through the gaming compact with the Seneca Nation of Indians will be used toward building a new football stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
The owners will also use personal seat licenses, or PSLs, to help pay for the new stadium. A personal seat license gives you the right to buy season tickets for a particular seat, or seats, at a stadium, meaning there's an additional cost to purchase tickets.
There are still some questions about the development around the stadium. Orchard Park officials are interested in using the opportunity to bring more development around the new stadium property, which is currently lacking around Highmark Stadium.
There is also the question of parking while the new stadium is being built in Highmark Stadium's parking lot.