Despite recent talk from Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz that the county wants to remove itself from joint ownership of Key Bank Center with the city of Buffalo, Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon says he is not going to panic as he sorts out what the ramifications from the county’s decision may have on the downtown arena and its anchor tenant, the Buffalo Sabres. The main being projected renovations in the millions of dollars range.
“This is all part of those conversations that we'll have. There's mentions of the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency and the responsibility they would play,” Scanlon said. “Their finances and everything are separate from the city of Buffalo properties. So again, we will start having conversations with the county and the Sabres about what we have to do there.”
The county owns the shell of the KeyBank Center while the city owns the land where the arena sits. The Sabres are responsible for any interior work. Discussions with the Pegula Family on the future of the arena will soon be underway, with a strong sense that the Sabres will remain in Buffalo.
