BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Buffalo Pro Soccer has announced it will no longer move forward with its plan to build a stadium at Elk and Lee Streets in the City of Buffalo.
The team said it has reached an agreement with South Buffalo Development to terminate its lease after it was unable to work through disputes relating to the operation of the neighboring PVS Chemicals facility.
WATCH: Buffalo Pro Soccer scraps plan to build new stadium at Elk and Lee Streets, will search for new home
The plan to build the stadium was announced in April. The team said it would feature 7,600 seats with 12 suites, two private party areas and club-level seats. Plus, office and training areas for the team.
From the start, the selection of the site was controversial. It was the former Medaille University Sports Complex, but the university stopped playing at the site because of the strong smell of chemicals from the PVS. Medaille filed a lawsuit, saying the smell of sulfur dioxide was causing eye and respiratory irritation. However, a month later, a judge dropped the temporary injunction against the plant.
We previously spoke with Peter Marlette, president of Buffalo Pro Soccer, about concerns surrounding the site last April.
“We took this very seriously going into this," Marlette told 7 News in April. "We did significant research in the months leading up to making this decision.”
But, in a statement to 7 News in April, PVS stated in part, “This is simply not the location for such a facility."
On Friday, I spoke with Marlette about the decision to no longer pursue the site for the stadium.
"There was a neighbor at that site that was doing everything in their power to make it very difficult for us to develop that site and build our stadium there," Marlette explained.
PVS Chemicals is on Lee Street, right next to the proposed stadium site.
"The persistence, and the very clear, high motivation of this neighbor to make sure that we either didn't end up there, or if we did, wouldn't succeed there, that's what ended up being the deciding factor, not what happened previously with Medaille. We knew all about that," Marlette. said. "At the end of the day, it just made more sense to walk away from this lease and move on to a different site and a less complicated and better opportunity."
PVS provided the following updated statement after Buffalo Pro Soccer's announcement:
"PVS has stated from the beginning that the soccer stadium is an incompatible use of an area that is zoned for industry. We wish the soccer team success in finding a new site and bringing professional soccer to Buffalo."
Buffalo Pro Soccer is now working to find a new site for a stadium and has officially reopened the site selection process with plans to play its inaugural season in 2027.
"One benefit to being so deliberate about making this decision in the first place is we had those three finalist stadium sites that were reported on months ago before we made this decision," Marlette said. "Those other two sites are also excellent."
The only potential site Marlette is willing to identify is the former HSBC Atrium parking lot in the city's Cobblestone District, owned by Douglas Jemal. He would not name other potential sites.
In January, first reported by Buffalo Business First and confirmed by 7 News, the parking lot between Perry and Scott Streets was one of three sites being considered for the stadium.
WATCH: Downtown site among three being considered for soccer stadium for Buffalo Pro Soccer
The organization already sold season tickets, but said all deposits made by the club’s Founding Members will still be applied to Buffalo Pro Soccer’s inaugural season.
The team has invited fans to share their voices and get updates at a community town hall on July 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hydraulic Hearth in Larkinville.
The Valley Community Association, Inc. issued the following statement in response to Buffalo Pro Soccer's announcement on Thursday:
"The Valley Community Association is disappointed that the 2 entities, Buffalo Pro Soccer and PVS Chemical, couldn’t come together to reach an agreement for the benefit of the neighborhood. Having Buffalo Soccer in the Valley would have given recognition to the Valley and would have been an economic catalyst for the predominantly low income area. Our children and seniors are disappointed in the move. The children created posters and a short video expressing their excitement for the community meeting that occurred in May. The seniors were also looking forward to attending the games. Moving the soccer field out of the area will prohibit some of our residents from experiencing professional soccer in Buffalo."
