Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Many reports suggest that construction is progressing at a solid pace for the new Highmark Stadium along Abbott Road in Orchard Park. A recent stadium update report notes concrete is being poured for the upper concourse area of the new stadium, an area nearly parallel to the old stadium's peak height.
A number of people are starting to take notice of the progress for the future home of the Buffalo Bills come the 2026 season of football in Orchard Park.
"I think people are shocked at how big it is, and how much taller than the existing stadium it is going to be," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz in an interview with WBEN.
"When we announced that we have a deal and here's the basic schematics, people just didn't get it. Now they're starting to see with the steel that's going up-and-up-and-up, it's much larger than the existing [stadium]."
It's now been over a year since construction of the new stadium commenced, currently being built adjacent to the current stadium along Abbott Road.
Poloncarz is confident the stadium will be ready to go ahead of the Bills' 2026 season.
"It is on time, which is important," he said.
"And hopefully, by this time next year, we'll have a completed shell of the stadium, and a lot more that's going to be going on. I feel very confident that we're going to have this thing done on time so that when the season starts, it's definitely going to be football going on in there."
With a new stadium also comes opportunities for new development nearby.
It's not uncommon for new restaurants, hotels and other experiences to be arise around the site of a new stadium. However, if there's anything being built more than several stories tall, the Orchard Park Town Board will have to change their zoning codes.
"I fully expect we would see hotels and other types of development there, but the Town of Orchard Park has restrictions on zoning," Poloncarz noted. "I know the Town of Hamburg does not, and I fully expect you're going to see a lot of development in Hamburg, which is right on the line."
Poloncarz hopes the Town of Orchard Park considers changing their zoning laws or, at least, creating a special zoning district around the stadium to accommodate. He says the town could receive additional tax revenue that may offset the costs associated with working their police department during game days.
Some properties around the stadium have recently gone up for sale on Southwestern Boulevard and Big Tree Road. This includes the KK Food Mart, with the property up for sale or lease but no price listed.
The eventual sale of these properties could provide opportunities for some potential development.
As far as what Poloncarz expects and hopes to see, he believes the year-round facility that is the new stadium will bring great economic prosperity for future year-round venues in Orchard Park.
"If it's just associated with the football game on game days, it's not the same. I think you're going to see retail and entertainment development, because it's going to be a full-year facility," Poloncarz said. "Granted, it does not have a roof on it, but it's going to be used for so many other things during the year. Even this year, there was the Luke Combs concert at Highmark Stadium in April and people were like, 'Are people going to go to a concert in April?' And they did. They had a huge amount of people for two concerts back-to-back. So I definitely see that area growing, and once the new stadium is open, there'll be other uses of it."
Does this include the possibility of the stadium hosting future soccer-related events?
"The stadium is being built to soccer specifications for the International Soccer Association, so I fully expect to see soccer games there in the summer and in the spring," Poloncarz added.
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