Stadium Renovations: Latest Drawings

Orchard Park (WBEN) -- The Buffalo Bills on Thursday released renderings of a new Abbott Road entrance plaza, team store, scoreboard and concession upgrades that are proposed under the new lease agreement with Erie County for Ralph Wilson Stadium.

County Executive Mark Poloncarz and several Erie County legislators on Thursday toured the facility with team officials, the architectural firm, and the media to spotlight the new $271 million agreement. The deal includes $130 million in upgrades and still has to be approved by county legislators.

Former Bills linebacker Scott Radecic, who's now working as a principle with the firm Populous, handled the hour-long presentation on Thursday morning. Radecic also led the tour following the presenation.

The improvements will target about eight areas, said Radecic. They include the fan experience, concourse upgrades, better technology (like video boards and more TV monitors), a new retail store, new stadium gates, and improved concession stands. 

It also a one-time state and county payment of $94.5 million next year for new scoreboards, widening concourses and building a new plaza. (pictured below.)   The Bills' share for those upgrades will be $35.455 million.
 
The design process will continue through the 2013 football season, and the improvements should begin in the early part of 2014. 

Erie County legislators, including Lynn Marinelli, Ed Rath, Kevin Hardwick, and others, attended the presentation.  The lawmakers should be considering the stadium lease issue before the month is done, Marinelli said.

Here's the latest pictures:


  The proposed entrance plaza

Enhanced concession areas and concourses

Scoreboard improvements
 

Entrance plaza