Part 5/11:
The redevelopment process accelerated after political changes in New York State. In August 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul, a longtime Bills fan from Buffalo, took office. Her administration quietly pushed the stadium deal forward, with a hefty price tag of $1.4 billion. Of this, nearly $850 million—more than any previous U.S. stadium deal—came from taxpayer and public funds, including $600 million from the state and $250 million from Erie County. Financial experts like Victor Matheson have criticized this level of public expenditure, calling it one of the worst stadium deals in U.S. history because of its disproportionate cost relative to community benefit.