Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
It is not that simple. Does CSEC benefit from the Stampede using the facility? There is a little more nuance to that point than your opinion would suggest.
There is also another fundamental issue at play here that doesn't get as much discussion as it warrants, IMO. And that is the location.
Arenas, in cities this size, are not good investments, which is why funding is such a major issue and source of contention. But an extension of that is that an arena does attract a large amount of development around it. CSEC (or the owners) wants to develop other projects around the arena, in order to leverage their investment.
The city wants the arena to be part of their development plan. They have their own plans for the area surrounding the Victoria Park location (thus the city also sees benefit in the project). And further to this, the Stampede Board wants that location, and wants to benefit from the arena as well.
There is no right or wrong here, simply two very different agendas. And IMO, this is the real source of the cavernous distance between the two sides.
|
The $185 million (what’s the exact number again) offered by the city to help CSEC to complete this project more than covers whatever offshoot benefits the city might receive from the project. Many studies have shown that amount to be insignificant. The primary beneficiary (primary is probably not strong enough a word here) is CSEC. It’s their building.
No one is stopping Flames owners from purchasing surrounding lands and developing there.