Urban Development and Proposals Discussion

[Albertasaurus]

I don't see a redevelopment or replacement for McMahon until such time as the current stadium is considered structurally unsafe. Not sure how far away that day is.

Otherwise, the only hope I see is if perhaps they join forces with Cavalry FC to build a facility that is affordable and also usable for both clubs?

 

[ByeByeBaby]

Unfortunately stadiums are a tough sell these days. Last one built was Mosaic about 10 years ago and most are in secondary cities where there's more government subsides to attract investment - Regina, Hamilton, Winnipeg, are the only ones built post 2010. BMO Field is only 28,000 in Toronto. Not to mention the CFL doesn't seem to be doing great financially. McMahon isn't great, but it's not crumbling so it's hard to get groups together to put the money in. We only got a firm plan for the Saddledome once it was clear the building wasn't going to last much longer.

A 50,000 seat stadium opened less than three weeks ago in Toronto. It's designed as a temporary 5-year facility, and it's only for concerts, but nonetheless it's fascinating to see the numbers worked out for that project.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Ideally you want something that can nicely go from 10,000 to 30,000 seat capacity.

The lower end being for Cavalry and Wild. The higher end being for Grey Cup, a big soccer match, outdoor NHL game and a big concert which would actually have higher capacity because you can use the field.

There are a lot of simple designs out there that can be pretty basic, which is all we need. Best comparisons are probably MLS stadiums...

TQL Stadium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Cincinnati
26,000 Seats
Opened May 16, 2021
Construction cost $250 million (343.75 million Canadian)

Energizer Park - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

St. Louis
22,423 Seats
Opened November 16, 2022
Construction cost $457.8 million (629.48 million Canadian)

Q2 Stadium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Austin
20,500 Seats
Opened June 16, 2021
Construction cost $260 million (357.50 million Canadian)

Lower.com Field - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Columbus
20,371 Seats
Opened July 3, 2021
Construction cost $314 million (431.75 million Canadian)

So with a 2025 budget of $500 million Canadian you could probably get something like one of these. You could probably cut out a lot of bells and whistles (roof, permanent amenities, etc.) to maybe get it to $350 million Canadian. That doesn't seem crazy expensive to me. Especially if you put a bubble on it and call it a community recreation space from Mid-November to Mid-April.

 

[Mountain Man]

Unfortunately we are just going to get another renovation on McMahon.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Unfortunately we are just going to get another renovation on McMahon.

The turf has another ten years in it since it was replaced this offseason. I think they'll be out of McMahon by then, CSEC will want more control than they currently get at the UofC owned facility, where they're a tenant.

I forgot they are doing Lansdowne 2.0 in Ottawa...

City of Ottawa to issue construction tender today to build new 5,500 seat arena, north-side stands at Lansdowne

The City of Ottawa will take the next step in the Lansdowne 2.0 project, issuing a tender to build a new 5,500 seat arena and a new north-side stands at TD Place.

www.ctvnews.ca

The City of Ottawa has estimated the price-tag for the new 5,500-seat event centre and a north-side stands at $419 million. Last June, a report from the auditor general warned construction cost estimates could be understated by $73.4 million for the new stadium and north-side stands.

So my guess above for $500 million isn't off.

 

[Albertasaurus]

Realistically, I don't see enough public money being available to build a stadium for a long time. Especially with so many expensive city-building projects already underway.

 

[Mountain Man]

CSEC aren't going to build a stadium, and getting the city to build them one is a non-starter. McMahon is going to stay for a long, long time.

 

[InfrastructureEnthusiast]

Eventually we will need to just do it. I wonder what a 'minimal viable product' could look like (and cost). Something like a modern auto-stade where instead of trying to stack facilities to save land, facilities (like concessions, bathrooms) were spread out a bit to save money and make the structure much more simple. Parts of the auto-stade are still in use today.

I still think the above is a reasonable goal for Calgary.

The metro Vancouver population was under 1.5 mil when it opened, and I don't think its ever been considered oversized..

Seems like the bus barn site would offer the best synergy between facilities, could always integrate new bus barns into the basement if there's nowhere else for them to go.

 

[CallmeCatbread]

View attachment 666778

I still think the above is a reasonable goal for Calgary.

The metro Vancouver population was under 1.5 mil when it opened, and I don't think its ever been considered oversized..

Seems like the bus barn site would offer the best synergy between facilities, could always integrate new bus barns into the basement if there's nowhere else for them to go.

We can literally do that on the site of the Saddledome, but instead of the BC place crown thing, make it Pringle shaped like the Saddledome. It can still be a fabric roof, doesn't even need to be retractable (idk how you'd do that with that roof shape).

Add a ring of LEDs around the perimeter and boom. Saddledome lives on.

It would probabky have to be smaller than BC Place though. I agree McMahon isn't going to be replaced for a long time, and probably shouldn't. We could build something smaller that can accomodate concerts for stampede as well as soccer games for our teams. Hell, it could be a great venue for any number of smaller scale sports, concerts, etc that can't fill Scotia place.

Again, no brainer.

 

[Mountain Man]

Again, a football stadium on the Saddledome site will require demolition of the Stampede HQ. Not sure if that's in the card for them at this point, maybe they decide to build something new as part of this revamp Populous are going to look into.

 

[darwink]

I still think the above is a reasonable goal for Calgary.

The metro Vancouver population was under 1.5 mil when it opened, and I don't think its ever been considered oversized..

Seems like the bus barn site would offer the best synergy between facilities, could always integrate new bus barns into the basement if there's nowhere else for them to go.

To pay for the post Olympic round of renovations, the BC government provides $15 million a year, on top of an $8 million yearly operating subsidy. They're in the middle of a third renovation for FIFA, which is now estimated to be $176 million give or take 5 million.

That would be a big cost to take on, given the city and province currently provide $0 yearly to McMahon.

I'd guess that a baseline $1 billion stadium would end up in the $40 million a year range to build and operate.

If can build it AND use it for Rodeo and Chucks, you add a lot of events. The Grandstand is also old. If you made it enclosed, it could also be used as more tradeshow floors. Replace McMahon, the Grandstand, and the Big 4, maybe you start to get to 'viable'.

Eye balling that, it might work.

 

[boreal96]

Ah man I dream of a nice soccer stadium downtown. That would make Cavalry the biggest club in the league, I'm sure attendance would be double of what it is now.

Bonus points if it's big enough to host some national team matches.

 

[kev_427]

IMO the best option would be for the Stampeders, Wild, and Cavalry to team up with the U of C sports teams to build a new stadium on the site of McMahon. Build one stand first then the other, Lansdowne style. They could also build a ~8,000 seat arena for the Hitmen, Dinos, and PWHL expansion next to it.

 

[Roaring Flames]

I think the only new arena we'll likely see built in the future will be a 5k-8k arena for the Calgary Surge as they appear to be ready for it and Scotia Place really doesn't have room for another team. A good opportunity would be with the replacement of Father David Bauer Arena

 

[FCC1982]

I'm of the opinion that new amphitheatre style venue for the coke stage should be built on the current saddledome site with a huge permanent canopy in the same shape of the saddledome. Similar programmatically to the new PNE amphitheatre in Vancouver. View attachment 666662

I was thinking the exact same thing. Makes all kind of sense for a Coca-Cola Stage replacement