Hochul, who was raised in Hamburg, said her “No. 1 focus has been keeping the Buffalo Bills at home” during talks with the Pegulas and Poloncarz that began in earnest shortly after she became governor in late August.
“This has been a long process, tough negotiations,” Hochul said.
The highest direct public contribution to the construction of a stadium, prior to the proposed Bills deal, was the $750 million invested in the $1.9 billion Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. It was built to lure the Raiders franchise from Oakland to Las Vegas.
Locking the Bills into Western New York was a top priority and an immutable instruction Hochul gave her staff.
“I said, ‘I want it ironclad that if we’re going to make this commitment, that they have to stay,’ ” said Hochul, who describes the 30-year lease as including a penalty that would require the team “to pay back the entire cost of the stadium” if it were to move.
Poloncarz, 54, said of the deal: “There’s a very good chance I many not even outlive this upcoming lease that we’re entering right now.”
Public documents related to the terms of the deal were not immediately available.
The deadline for passage of the state budget is Friday.