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Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald
Where is the incentive for the Flames to even stick around? "Her Worship" is dreaming in technicolor if she thinks CSEC is going to continue being nothing more than a tenant to the City. She's also high if she thinks the City is going to draw in a partner like AEG without giving up massive real estate holdings around the arena site for AEG's future development benefit. It is also questionable whether AEG would be allowed to play in the Calgary space since they have an ownership component of the LA Kings and the NHL would see that as a conflict of interest. The City needs to tread carefully here. This ownership group has provided some incredible stability to the sports entertainment scene in Calgary, and if life is made difficult for the Flames, CSEC may just pull the plug on it all.
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Man, you’re really missing the point on this idea. The whole idea is to get a proper developer to commit to building something in the area. If that means the city’s contribution is mostly land, so be it. A group like AEG is very experienced at building arena districts. And your purported “conflict of interest” makes no sense since they also built T-Mobile with the largest ownership stake in the arena. They also built the Sprint Center in KC, which you previously suggested as a relocation target.
A party like AEG is obviously interested in the anchor tenant, but more interested in the other 300+ days a year where they can make money from concerts and such plus leasing and sales of everything else in that area.
Now, CSEC has a decision to make: be a part of the process albeit at a reduced profit model because a third party is involved, step up with more investment, or try to leave. But I don’t see how that’s going to work in their favour if the city has a commitment to build a suitable arena for them to play in. What’s their argument going to be? We have to move because this new state of the art building wasn’t built exactly to OUR specifications, despite it being built by someone who has more experience building arenas?
This is so much more than hockey, but please, continue to call a mayor actually trying other options an idiot because she’s not bending over for CSEC and asking for more punishment.