Syracuse-based real estate developer Scott Congel has added Dallas-based architecture firm HKS Sports & Entertainment and Buffalo First Deputy Mayor Steven Casey to his team, moves that underscore his “commitment to present a multi-purpose complex to the NFL should he pursue building a new stadium” for the Bills on land adjacent to the old Seneca Mall site, according to Robert McCarthy of the BUFFALO NEWS. Congel said that he “remains interested in the possibility of bidding for ownership of the team.” He said that HKS will “remain committed” to the $700M multi-purpose complex proposal even if “the stadium concept never materializes.” Congel said that he recruited HKS to “concentrate primarily” on the complex, but it “stands ready to complement the development with an adjacent stadium design that he says fits 21st century requirements for a facility devoted to far more than eight to 10 football games per year.” Congel: “They bring a great knowledge of sports to this. But they also bring in other business beyond NFL games. It’s all about the other events.” HKS Principal John Hutchings said, “It’s hard to justify money for a stadium used only eight to 10 times per year. But if you have concerts, and moto-cross and basketball tournaments, you raise the bar. It creates a lot of dynamic for the folks of the NFL and of New York.” McCarthy notes adding HKS and Casey “significantly ramps up the Syracuse developer’s already intense efforts to undertake one of the biggest private projects in area history” (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/16).
