Op-Ed: Building a community benefits agreement for a new Bills stadium

In October, I wrote a column for the Bee explaining why a community benefits agreement (CBA) was the key to making a new Buffalo Bills stadium a smart investment for New York State. In this week’s issue, I’d like to zero in on the specific benefits that I believe we must secure before any state money is spent on a stadium project.

Studies have demonstrated that stadiums often provide little economic benefit to their communities. That’s why we must demand high-road economic development practices that provide a clear benefit to WNY as a condition of any financial support from the state. With a CBA, we can guarantee that our investment will create an economic ripple effect that will offset the cost to taxpayers.

I’ve identified six areas that demonstrate how a CBA can help accomplish this goal:

Local hiring for construction work:
The stadium construction project should meet specific benchmarks for local hiring, utilize minority/women-owned contractors to the greatest extent possible, and require the utilization of local vendors whenever possible. We also need assurances that all construction labor will be performed by unionized workers.

Wage protections for stadium workers:
Stadium jobs will exist as long as the stadium is in use. Demanding family-supporting wages and protecting these workers’ right to unionize will help the state’s investment have a long-lasting impact.

Plans for public transportation and traffic management:
This great, publicly owned amenity must be available to all Western New Yorkers. The current stadium is essentially inaccessible by public transportation, denying many people the opportunity to attend games or work at the stadium. We also need a traffic management plan that does a better job getting people in and out of parking lots than the gridlock we have become accustomed to.

A community fund to support Erie County residents:
When this project is completed, we will have a world-class stadium, but major disparities between cities and towns in Erie County will remain. To help address these disparities, a community fund should be established – and augmented by the Buffalo Bills Foundation – to help fund enrichment activities for children in disadvantaged communities throughout Western New York.

A stormwater management plan:
A new stadium will feature one of the largest areas of paved surfaces in Erie County. Without an effective stormwater management plan, it would contribute significantly to the pollution of our local waterways. All stormwater generated at the stadium should be absorbed and processed on site.

Support for Orchard Park:
Under the current agreement, Orchard Park is responsible for significant overtime pay for police officers that work on event days. As the home to the new stadium, Orchard Park must be held harmless for these overtime costs.

We all want to secure the future of the Bills, but we can’t let our community’s passion be used against us. We know we can’t count on a new stadium to drive economic development, but getting specific concessions like the ones listed above can help ensure that the state’s investment will have a real, positive impact.