Renovating KBC(BN Paywall)

[Zamboni]

15 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Can a renovation of KBC be done in stages, or does it have to be one off-season?

They can do whatever the hell they want as far as timeline. They can do small  renovations over the course of 10 years. Or do multiple large renovations over the course of three months.

[mjd1001]

59 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Football stadium ---> 50+ years old
Hockey arena ---> 26 years old

It can wait a year or two.

Never said it cant wait...as a matter of fact in my post I said I understand the need for a new stadium first.  The only point I was making is that newer amenities mean more to me in an arena than a stadium. 

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by mjd1001

[Claude Balls]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:11 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

Wouldn't it be easier, and you'd get a better result, by building a new arena on one of the parking lots next door? Cleveland expanded the footprint of Quicken Loan Arena, making the concourses wider and adding a lot of features. The arena was in use even with construction.

I guess you could do that to KBC. You could overbuild the plaza and Perry Street, even South Park Avenue, maybe incorporating the DLW Terminal into the arena. They did an amazing job with TD Garden in Boston. The arena is completely swallowed up by retail, restaurant and hotel development. You have to pass through it to get to the arena.

The footprint of that new development was a parking lot, and was where the old Boston Garden sat. But any new retail space in Buffalo would likely cannibalize existing shops and restaurants nearby. There's only so much money to spend in WNY.

I was there when it looked like a big warehouse with no windows. Gotta admit as much as I can't stand everything Boston, the place looks amazing. Complete 180 from the original look.

[Taro T]

On 9/8/2022 at 2:06 PM, Marvin said:

Can a renovation of KBC be done in stages, or does it have to be one off-season?

Really depends on what they actually want to do.

Back when they were doing the preliminary studies on renovations they were looking at major changes to the seating bowl.  Up to and including options like replacing the theater style seating in the 100's between the blue lines with tables and chairs similar to those in the 200s near the bar except they'd be sold as seasons.  That could & would be completed in a single off-season.  Stuff like widening concourses (where feasible, it isn't apparently in many spots) would likely take longer.  Upgrades to the climate control systems could likely be done in 1 off-season but could be delayed by other work.