BUFFALO, N.Y. — There was a lot of public support for a downtown Bills stadium during a public hearing Monday night.

It’s the first of three public hearings on the topic to be held virtually this week by the Erie County Legislature.

“We know exactly what we're going to get at Orchard Park right? We have it today," said Mike O'Boyle, who supports a downtown stadium. "I don't want to be 10 years from now kicking ourselves because we didn't spend more and didn't take more time.”

There were a few dozen speakers on a call Monday night about the future of the Bills stadium.

Almost all of them advocated for a downtown stadium, preferably multi-use and with a dome.

“Change is the name of the game, and I think if the last two years told us anything is that we need to reinvest in the heart of our city, which is downtown Buffalo,” said Catherine Niederpruem, who supports a downtown stadium.

Supporters said Orchard Park isn’t convenient to get to, for locals or visitors, and it barely benefits the community.

“It was a failure of urban planning, and I think to repeat it and to put another stadium right next to the current one would be us repeating the mistakes of the past,” said downtown stadium supporter Richard Lundberg.

While a downtown stadium comes with a bigger price tag, they say the opportunities it would bring, from jobs to economic development to housing revitalization, are worth it.

“To say that is going to displace residents is very critical," explained former Erie County Legislator and downtown stadium supporter Betty Jean Grant. "But those residents are living now in substandard housing developing that does not take their needs into consideration.”

There was one person who wants a new stadium in Orchard Park, pointing to potential traffic issues downtown and a lack of gameday environment.

“If it was downtown, would be more like Nashville, Tennessee," said Wayne Taniff, who supports a new stadium in Orchard Park. "Then there goes your tailgating and the people live for tailgating in Western New York.”

“Throwing people through tables and spraying mustard and ketchup on oneself does not promote strong economic ecosystems," responded downtown stadium supporter Terry Alford. "Smart thinking does.”

Many called for a community benefits agreement, to make sure taxpayer dollars put into the project pay back into the community.

Ultimately these decisions fall on county and state legislators.

“I would hate to see we miss this opportunity to see Buffalo grow,” said Tracy Smith, who supports a downtown stadium.

Residents just hope their input is taken to heart as negotiations continue.

If you’d like to express your thoughts on a new stadium, two more hearings will take place, one Tuesday night and the last on Wednesday night. Click here for more information on how to sign up.