BUFFALO – Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula began fielding stadium questions almost immediately after purchasing the team in 2014 from the estate of franchise founder Ralph Wilson, Jr.

Will they stay in Orchard Park at a facility that opened during the Watergate scandal? Will they build a new stadium on that infamous site in Buffalo's snowbelt?

Or — drum roll please — will they go downtown where already their investment of $2 billion has transformed Buffalo into a sports and entertainment destination, adding a new NFL venue to their legacy?

Cognizant of a most-recent $130-million renovation to New Era Field funded mostly by taxpayers, the Pegulas have politely dodged stadium questions like LeSean McCoy juking a linebacker.

That’s why it had to be some relief to finally announce on Tuesday that the time is right for the train to move down the tracks one way or another.

Two heavy hitters in the stadium business, CAA ICON and Populous, have been hired to help the Pegulas “identify the best options for ownership, fans and the community.’’

The Pegula’s privately funded study will also involve potential renovations to 23-year-old KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres, their red-hot NHL team.

During a lengthy news conference with Bruce Popko, chief operating officer for Pegula Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Rochester Americans and operates Blue Cross Arena, the term “fan experience’’ was mentioned more often than pucks hit the glass during the Sabres’ morning game day skate.

When teams want venue upgrades, it’s always about the “fan experience,’’ as if the fan is to blame.

What the fan wants is timeless: affordable tickets, cheap parking, cold beer, warm food, toilets that work and oh yeah, a team that wins.

And yes, in today’s climate, a snazzy scoreboard with all the bells and whistles and free Wi-Fi.

KeyBank Center, which has had a half-dozen minor upgrades over time, is a palace. But that’s coming from a guy whose city last built an arena in 1955.

If the Pegulas' venue study decides KeyBank needs more indoor communal party space and phone charging stations, that’s great. Lump it into the big picture, which is the inevitable construction of a downtown football stadium that will impact everybody in western New York.

The venue study kicked off by the Pegulas will cross every "t" and dot every "i." It will be due diligence on steroids, including input from fans, which is customer service at its finest and terrific public relations.

But while everything is in the “germination’’ stage, Popko said, it’s obvious where this flower is going to grow. On the city shoreline of Lake Erie.

Here’s why the Bills are destined for a new downtown stadium:

1. The Pegulas don’t do anything small, so forget remodeling an old house. A new downtown stadium, projected cost $1 billion, would be a coup de grace on their Buffalo renaissance, which includes HarborCenter, their $200 million hockey playground and the recent Labatt project.

2. The Pegulas already own land on potential stadium sites and parking lots in the burgeoning Cobblestone Entertainment District. How much? “A decent amount,’’ confirmed Popko. Developers, like former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, have skin in the game, too. In other words, follow the money.

3. A 2014 state-funded study to renovate New Era Field for what would be an eighth time put the cost at $540 million, which would include needed structural work to the upper deck. That’s half of what a new stadium would cost. Is that wise?

4. A new Bills stadium has been discussed for two decades, ever since Doug Flutie mania sparked a sale on luxury seats and persuaded Wilson to sign a new lease in 1998. How many more Band-Aids does New Era get? And construction costs aren’t going down.

5. The cost of a new stadium wouldn’t all fall on taxpayers. The Pegulas and the NFL would be sharing the burden. To improve their chances of landing public funding, the Pegulas hired Christopher Schoepflin last month to handle external affairs and strategy. He was with Empire State Development, the economic-development arm of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

6. Lastly, downtown Buffalo is much closer to Toronto than Orchard Park. Tapping corporate money would be a much easier sell than during the ill-fated Toronto Series days.

The Bills lease with Erie County runs out in five years, and an extension would likely be needed to get shovels in the ground and a stadium built where it should’ve been built nearly five decades ago.

“We have some more time in relative terms but we are up against it,’’ Popko said. “We’re in the phase where we have to make some determinations because five years goes in the blink of an eye.’’

He said fellow NFL owners aren’t pressuring the Pegulas into building a more modern venue so they can share in new and larger revenue streams. But it’s an issue that has dogged the Bills forever.

What’s most interesting about this phase of stadium planning is PSE’s willingness to engage the Bills' fan base. Surveys, polling, forums. I’m not sure why’d your hire experts and then defer to what Joe from South Buffalo thinks. But all input helps.

“I think we do have what we think, but the whole point of this is we're going to engage the fan base in a very concerted way to make sure we understand what they think is important,’’ Popko said. “That's the part that we haven't done yet, and that's what this exercise is going to help us with.’’

The 2014 New Era renovation greatly improved the flow of fan traffic. Add in concession stand upgrades, a ribbon board, a new team store and the fan experience was improved noticeably. But it's still a 45-year-old friend with bad knees that isn't getting younger.

The issues remain. How much more do fans expect and what will they pay for?

Those conducting this Bills venue study will find out nothing has changed.

Buffalo is a small-market team with unique challenges and its fans fear two things most — seat license fees to help pay for a new shrine and the loss of the tailgate culture in Orchard Park.

Tailgating “is an absolute essential part of the fan experience,’’ Popko said. “I think our fans do it better than anybody when done responsibly. … It would have to be an essential part of the experience we create now and into the future.’’

If the Pegulas could transport the Big Tree Inn and every parking lot at New Era Field to downtown they would. But they can’t. What they can do is create a new experience.

Fan input is welcomed. But as sure as the snow blows off Lake Erie, there's no stopping a new stadium from happening. And yes, a dome is on the table.

More:Buffalo Bills owner takes next step toward new stadium

More:Five things to know about Buffalo Bills punter Matt Darr

More:Up next for Bills: Dolphins team that's 1-4 in last 5 games but still in playoff picture