Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday afternoon that negotiations with the Buffalo Bills on a deal for a new stadium are "right on track."
Hochul didn't say when a stadium deal might be announced.
"We need to continue our conversations with the team. They've been very productive for a number of months here. And my administration is the one that jump started the conversations that were going nowhere," she said during a news conference at Seneca One tower.
"My No. 1 objective with respect to the Bills is to make sure they stay in Buffalo and to get them a new home," she added.
With the NFL owners meeting coming up next week, Hochul said negotiations were "right on track."
"We're very excited about the Bills with the new players that are coming," she added.
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Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula are negotiating with New York and Erie County to finance a new $1.4 billion open-air stadium on Abbott Road, across the street from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Public contributions could be around 73% of the cost – or $1.022 billion of the estimated price tag – as has been standard for recent stadium deals in other small market NFL cities, according to a Buffalo News analysis. The bulk of the funding would come from the state.
Hochul was also asked at the news conference about reports that former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo might consider running against her for governor.
"I am so focused right now on the next two weeks, to get through a budget that will take care of the needs of New Yorkers, and we've come through this pandemic. And I'll focus on the politics later on down the road," she said.
Matt Glynn
