TOWN OF ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Orchard Park Town Board unanimously approved the first phase of a zoning plan to create mixed-use development around the new Buffalo Bills stadium during a packed meeting Wednesday night.
Board members passed two key items regarding the stadium zoning plan. The first established the town as the lead agency to control zoning around the stadium. The second approved the initial phase of zoning changes based on input from multiple public meetings and a comprehensive stadium area study.
The changes aim to promote appropriate development around the new stadium by creating a Stadium Mixed-Use zone, though residents and business owners expressed varying opinions on the proposal.
Mark Lester, a resident who owns a six-acre lot called Yellow Brick Parking near the stadium, said the discussion was overdue.
"I feel that's a step in the right direction. For years, this probably should have gone on years ago when the first stadium was built, but nothing was ever rezoned. As a result, we have little single-family residence right next to a huge NFL stadium," Lester said.
His property likely will not be addressed until Phase 2 of the zoning plan.
Developer Raphael Kolenko, co-founder of Carbon Cap Inc., has submitted plans for an 11-unit multi-residential development about one mile from the stadium. The property is currently zoned for single-family homes only.
"Because the stadium is going to be surrounded by hotels and restaurants and different venues, there's going to be more people working in that area. So why have them come in from other areas and just make congestion, when they can walk to work and just rent in the area," Kolenko said.
He expects his team could break ground within six months to a year once approved.
However, not all business owners support the changes. Ardwin Carducci, whose La Galleria Events Venue has been temporarily shut down due to stadium construction, expressed concerns about the zoning regulations.
"In previous years we've won awards from the garden community. We planted 3,000 flowers every summer. It was sort of an iconic place, and now we're reduced to a parking lot, and I don't want that to continue into the future," Carducci said.
He believes the regulations should allow for more comprehensive development, such as hotels, event centers and retail plazas that would better serve the community.
"A Homewood Suites, for example, an event center, and 4 or 5 shops with a plaza would not be possible under these regulations, but it would be the highest and best use of the property and the most beautiful property for the Town of Orchard Park," Carducci said.
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