ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — New zoning passed by the Town of Orchard Park means there are height limits for buildings within 1,000 feet of the stadium, but why?
During Wednesday night's board meeting, Supervisor-elect Joe Liberti shared the reason.
"There was a threat assessment that was performed around the stadium," said Liberti. "We don't want to hinder any type of development; we just want to be safe."
We wanted to check out how this applies in other NFL cities. Turns out it doesn't.
"Every other stadium has a large hotel right next to it," said Don Lorentz, Executive Director of the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce. "How did they get away with it?"
We looked at the home of the 49ers, Levi Stadium, which opened in 2014. There's a Hyatt Regency across the street that's 15 stories high.
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is right near Mandalay Bay, which has 43 floors.
The only other stadium under construction is in Nashville, and feet away stands an 11-story hotel.
"This is the newest, most elaborate stadium, and we have nothing to show for it around it," said Lorentz.
WATCH: Developers share concerns about zoning rules around new Buffalo Bills stadium
It's unclear why this impacts us and not them. It changes what business owners nearby had planned.
"Hotels, retail centers. Now they gotta go back to the drawing board and say, that's not gonna happen," said Lorentz. "What they did is they tied their hands."
They were hoping to work with developers on buildings at least four stories high.
"When you talk to development heads, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, they're not interested in a two-story hotel, the economics don't work," said Ardwin Carducci, owner of La Galleria on Southwestern Boulevard.
Lorentz is hopeful the town will grant exemptions for some areas in that zone.
We reached out to the Bills, and they sent over a statement about the new zoning:
“The Bills organization appreciates the Orchard Park Town Board's due diligence and approval of the first phase of a zoning plan for mixed-use development around new Highmark Stadium. Yesterday’s unanimous vote is an important step toward improved development and an enhanced experience for anyone visiting our world-class stadium for years to come. Much work remains, but this vote represents meaningful progress.”
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