[News] CalgaryNEXT Announcement. New arena details emerge.

[upperloge77]

Originally Posted by MarkGio

Too bad the game rink isn't. Maybe there's some NHL rules.

But that's smart because its building its brand. Kids play scrimmage in the morning and stay to watch the Flames practice. Then they go a play again afterwards while the NHL game is played on a big TV. Maybe you can train with a random Flames player in the gym. It's about involvement.

Smart marketing

Flames play game, Hitmen practise on practise ice. Hitmen play game, Flames practise on practise ice.

Foo Fighters concert in event arena, Flames practise on practise ice.

The main rink most likely won't be used for many community purposes as that is what will be hosting the concerts, games, monster trucks, figure skating etc.

I'd love to see an indoor 50k hockey game. Would be weird, 100 feet from the new Flames home ice, but novel enough now and again.

No mention of Dinos playing at the stadium. Wonder if they'd go for that, or want to redevelop McMahon into something more CIS suitable (say, 5000 seater). I'm also interested as to where the Stamps would practise. Fieldhouse most likely, but with them talking about football, soccer, track events...that turf is going to be moved. A lot. That's not exactly a super speedy transition that allows for a lot of other uses occurring when it happens, is it? How long does it take to drop the Fieldturf down at Skydome for an Argos game after a Jays game? If it's just used for gamedays, then Stamps would still need to sort out some sort of practise facility. Unless they go across the river at Broadview Park (drop in a pedestrian bridge and could be a pretty quick trip).

[upperloge77]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Why does a football stadium need to be across the street from a hockey arena?

Pointless.

yeah, what a horrible idea...

[Chingas]

I like the overall idea and I am sure if will look a lot sexier when finished. That being said I am a little disapointed in the poor initial renderings while introducing what amounts to a billion dollar project. Not to mention they have had plenty of time to prepare something a lot more polished. When looking at the different renderings nothing matches up. It hurts my head!

[Jay Random]

If Ken King was telling the truth, they're looking at two different designs for the arena interior, one of which is entirely new – structurally different from anything that has been built before. I suppose they didn't want to show drawings and renderings based on one design and then use the other.

I can understand that, but I agree, the pictures they used were extremely tacky and fake-o. (Nobody noticed, but I made a remark way, way upthread about the buildings looking like something out of SimCity.) That's got to hurt the optics of the presentation.

But frankly, one great weakness of the Flames organization for decades has been that they have no understanding of optics. If they had, they wouldn't have replaced a perfectly good uniform with a hand-me-down from the Bavarian luge team.

[playmaker]

^
IMO one of the better examples is the Sports Park Stozice in Slovenia which integrates 17.000 football stadium and a 13.000 multi-purpose indoor arena with the shopping center. Things are reasonably close to each other yet the whole place does not feel crowded.
Though I've never been to Calgary and know nothing about the West Village area, I really like the design below and perhaps something similar (in larger scale) would be a nice fit.

[stamps]

I don't like the multi purpose Field house/ Football stadium , stands do not look symmetrical for football games and it is visually unappealing .... I guess it is a compromise to secure funding .... I hope this is only preliminary and the real product is designed a lot better .... I thought multi sport facilities were a thing of the past , its like we are going backwards in regards to the football stadium ....

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by stamps

I thought multi sport facilities were a thing of the past , its like we are going backwards in regards to the football stadium ....

In the U.S., where football franchises are licences to print money, multi-sport facilities are a thing of the past.

In Canada, where football is a break-even proposition at best, nobody can afford to build a stadium to be used 10 days a year. You'd damned well better have a multi-purpose facility if you intend to justify the cost.

(And don't talk to me about Regina and Winnipeg. Those stadiums were built on massive government gimmes, without any attempt to justify the cost beyond ‘Look, shiny! That equals prestige, right?’)

Calgary falls between two stools. It's not a big enough market for a standalone football stadium to be viable, but not small enough to think that building one at public expense will somehow make it look big and important. So if you want a decent place to play football, it will have to be rolled in with something else.

[stamps]

I would just like to add that this Fieldhouse/Football stadium design reminds me of the new pedestal designed Flames jersey ... crappy would be the word .....

[stamps]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

In the U.S., where football franchises are licences to print money, multi-sport facilities are a thing of the past.

In Canada, where football is a break-even proposition at best, nobody can afford to build a stadium to be used 10 days a year. You'd damned well better have a multi-purpose facility if you intend to justify the cost.

(And don't talk to me about Regina and Winnipeg. Those stadiums were built on massive government gimmes, without any attempt to justify the cost beyond ‘Look, shiny! That equals prestige, right?’)

Calgary falls between two stools. It's not a big enough market for a standalone football stadium to be viable, but not small enough to think that building one at public expense will somehow make it look big and important. So if you want a decent place to play football, it will have to be rolled in with something else.

I would rather renovate McMahon and build a separate Fieldhouse than have this awkward looking Hybrid ..... or a much better design ....

[Vulcan]

I thought one of the reasons for a new arena is to collect the parking revenue but according to King there will be little parking as everyone is expected to walk or take the C-train.
I'd like to see the two facilities separated so that maybe a small entertainment area could be between them.
It would have shown more commitment on the Flames side if they had some real working plans instead of some vague ideas. There's not been much accomplished so far other than the Flames dividing up who pays for what. How long has King been working on this?

[sureLoss]

The reason it is one building is because the Flames claim it will save $330 million compared to building them separately.

[GGG]

You can build a stand alone NHL arena for 450 mil. you can build a stand alone cfl stadium for 280 plus land. Why does it cost 1.2 billion to build separately and 890 excluding land for this one.

The numbers dont add up here.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by GGG

You can build a stand alone NHL arena for 450 mil. you can build a stand alone cfl stadium for 280 plus land. Why does it cost 1.2 billion to build separately and 890 excluding land for this one.

The numbers dont add up here.

Where's the fieldhouse in your breakdown?

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by GGG

You can build a stand alone NHL arena for 450 mil. you can build a stand alone cfl stadium for 280 plus land. Why does it cost 1.2 billion to build separately and 890 excluding land for this one.

The numbers dont add up here.

Here's the breakdown from the site...

[Erick Estrada]

The pictures of the fieldhouse/stadium inside certainly didn't appear to be what you would expect from a $400 million facility. That said the renderings were inconsistent as the ends were different depending on which view you looked at. I'm all for the projects going ahead but when asking for this kind of money you think they would have released more impressive renderings than the ones they did yesterday.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by Hackey

As I already said you're taking the word too litterally. If I said "I can't believe he thought people would eat that up" would that have been better for you or would you still be trying to create an issue? I'm gonna assume the later because you like to argue about nothing more than a woman. There's a difference between "sweetening" up the words and straight out lieing. Do you think this arena makes us a world class city? That's quite the spin but if so explain why. If not then I don't see why your so caught up with me finding it a "bit insulting." Meaning did he actually think people would believe that? So ya I guess either discuss the actual topic (the pitch) or continue giving advice like your my mother. Self appointed CP security guard and now life coach lol.

Sorry, are you suggesting Ken was lying in the presentation? If so, that's a pretty strong accusation, and unfounded.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

Why does a football stadium need to be attached to a hockey arena? Pointless...

I get that you may not like the idea of joint facility but pointless? Really? It's like some of you just looked at the pictures and nothing else.

Also if one more person brings up renovating McMahon my head's going to explode as it's like you are living in a vacuum. The Flames ownership didn't just pull this idea out of their asses. They did feasibility studies of the upgrading McMahon a few years ago and it was determined that it would be too costly.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Where's the fieldhouse in your breakdown?

Missing, if you add in the 200 million for it you get to 950 they are pitching for the whole project ex-land. That 1.2 billion separate number feels like a sales pitch.

The more I think about it the less I like using the CRL to fund the arena. If you compare this to the East Village CRL you would spend the CRL money on re-alligning bow trail and to fund the cities share of the Creasote clean and building new parkland along the river front. This would do more to attract residential and commercial investment as building a stadium.

For me to really to support this the flames need to kick in 450 and the CRL needs to be used to improve the area to make it attractive for the commercial investments. Otherwise build just an arena in the 12th ave space using the the ticket tax and the flames 200 million and call it a day.

I'd support the following model

Flames -- 450
City - 200 (fieldhouse money)
CRL - Clean up and bow trail reallignment
Ticket Fee - 250

with the flames owning the complex and responsibile for maitenance with an operating subsidy from the city for the public portion of the field house consistant with arrangements made with other private operators of community facilities like Trico or the YMCA in shawnesse.

The current model leaves the area looking like Seattle. 2 beautiful stadiums in a dumpy area at the outskirts of downtown blocked off from the water by a viaduct with no commercial development to be seen in the area.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I get that you may not like the idea of joint facility but pointless? Really? It's like some of you just looked at the pictures and nothing else.

Also if one more person brings up renovating McMahon my head's going to explode as it's like you are living in a vacuum. The Flames ownership didn't just pull this idea out of their asses. They did feasibility studies of the upgrading McMahon a few years ago and it was determined that it would be too costly.

Thank you.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by upperloge77

yeah, what a horrible idea...

The seattle example is a very good idea of what the finished project will look like including the surrouding areas lack of development and the ugly Alaska way viaduct separting the waterfront from the stadium area and the I-90 interchange comparmentalizing the rest of the space.