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The City's so-called Plan B proposal for a new arena just north of the existing Saddledome took a big step forward Monday, and in the process, the inauspicious CalgaryNEXT proposal took a step back. While the move doesn't bode well for the proposed transformation of contaminated land in the West Village area, City Council voted 12-3 against a motion "to cease any further consideration of the CalgaryNEXT concept," leaving the concept alive, but on life support.
The alternative proposal, which appears to be the one favoured by Mayor Nenshi at the moment, would see a new home for the Flames built in Victoria Park, just west of 5th Street between 12th and 14th Avenues SE on a surface parking lot currently owned by the Calgary Stampede. The City owns the Saddledome and will be swapping the land with the new arena site if the proposal receives the thumbs up.
Unlike the CalgaryNEXT scheme, the Plan B option excludes a stadium for the Stampeders, leaving their dreams for a state-of-the-art fieldhouse in limbo. Nonetheless, Council has instructed the city-owned Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) to continue discussions with the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) and report back as soon as possible.
A cloud of uncertainty has been hanging over the CalgaryNEXT proposal as questions linger over the public benefit of the project. Initially estimated at a cost of $890 million — with CSEC putting forward $200 million of its own money — the City had been asked by CSEC to contribute another $200 million in exchange for a fieldhouse that would be dedicated for public use when the Stampeders weren't occupying the space. CSEC had also hoped to borrow $250 million, possibly from the City, and repay the debt with a ticket tax on future events. The remaining $240 million would come from a community revitalization levy, a loan that leverages anticipated property tax revenues. A City report released in April 2016 acknowledged that taxpayers would pick up most of what they pegged as a $1.8 billion project, which would include widespread decontamination of the creosote-riddled soil on the site.
SkyriseCities will continue to follow the news as the story develops. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the Forum thread or leave your comment in the section below.
