The Buffalo Bills National Footfall League team plans to build a $1.4-billion stadium in the Buffalo, N.Y., suburb of Orchard Park after state and Erie County officials agreed to contribute more than half of the expected cost.

The franchise has hired architecture firm Populous to design the stadium and is “in the process of finalizing” a construction manager, said Ron Raccuia, executive vice president of team owner Pegula Sports and Entertainment, in an interview posted on the团队的网站。

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said the project would support about 10,000 construction jobs. The stadium would be built under a project labor agreement negotiatted with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Buffalo, she added in a statement. Raccuia said the team expected to have the project labor agreement, construction coordination agreement and other key deals signed by Sept. 1.

Taxpayers may cover $850 million for the project. Hochul said the state will contribute $600 million, pending approval from legislators. New York lawmakers are due to approve a state budget by April 1. Erie County legislators are expected to vote on a $250-million contribution in the next 30 days.

Hochul touted the team’s economic impact as a reason to include public funding, saying that revenue attributed to the team’s income, sales and use taxes will add up to more than $1.6 billion over the 30 years.

她说：“纽约人可以放心，他们的投资将被团队产生的经济活动所弥补。”

州长补充说，融资的公共份额比以前的体育场交易要小的百分比。1970年代建造了该团队目前参加的Highmark Stadium的建设，与1998年的翻新一样，全面融资。2013年的另一次翻新工程是73％的公共融资。

As part of the deal, Erie County would transfer ownership of the current stadium and its adjoining complex with practice facilities and office space to the state, which would also own the new stadium and complex, and lease them to the Bills on a 30-year term.

"After two difficult years of the pandemic, this public-private investment is exactly what's needed for hard working families in Western New York," Gary LaBarbera, president of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, said in a statement.

The public funding plans drew criticism from some lawmakers, who compared the price to other items debated for inclusion in the state budget. In atweet,州参议员Zellnor Myrie（D-Brooklyn）称这是体育场的钱“要吞咽的硬药”，并指出了纽约市的一家国家经营的Covid-19-19-19-19次医院，他说需要更多资金。

AECOM进行了一次analysis last year for state development agency Empire State Development comparing construction of a new stadium to another potential renovation of Highmark Stadium. The firm recommended construction of a new stadium, estimating that the useful life of the current stadium even with renovations would not necessarily be worth the lower cost.

分析还指出，将团队保持在市场上的经济价值。它的所有者曾表示，他们不会续签目前的体育场租约，该租约在2023年中期结束，这意味着他们可能已经将球队带出了布法罗，而没有新的体育场。

The new venue will have fewer seats than the 71,000-capacity Highmark Stadium, according to Raccuia. Instead, it will feature larger seats and concourses. The team anticipates having the stadium built in time for the start of the 2026 football season.

TheBills的ADPRO体育训练中心2019年，在Bills Drive上还进行了1800万美元，25,000平方英尺的扩张。