City seeks plan for field house complex
The city is planning to hire a consultant to create plans for redeveloping the 100-acre site at Foothills Athletic Park and the Mcmahon Stadium lands that could one day be home to a new multi-sport field house. Bid documents are expected to be released this month and a consultant could be selected in late February, a council committee heard Monday.
“The consultant that we’re looking for is (to) work with all stakeholders involved to develop a master plan,” said field house committee chair Coun. George Chahal. “We’re looking (to) make sure that we have a proper planning framework and redevelopment plan that really ties and connects all the great pieces of infrastructure that we have in place around that site.”
“It’s the University of Calgary, it’s the Foothills Hospital, it’s the train station that we have there, and the roadways that surround the site.”
Not unlike the entertainment and cultural district pitched for East Victoria Park, the city could be looking at the creation of another district in northwest Calgary that would be dedicated to education, health and sport, according to municipal documents.
The district would cluster multiple facilities or assets owned or operated by the City, the University of Calgary and the Mcmahon Stadium Society.
Earlier this year, council dedicated $19 million in “startup funding ” from developer-funded levies to proceed with design and planning work associated with a new field house at Foothills Athletic Park.
The approval was made in the spring before city council was confronted with more challenging economic headwinds.
Small business anger over rising property taxes, municipal budget cuts and a new provincial government have all contributed to increased uncertainty around municipal spending on capital projects.
This project benefits all Calgarians of all ages, from amateur sports to collegiate sports.
Council recently re-litigated its decision to contribute $290 million toward a new NHL hockey arena at the urging of at least one city councillor who said the city shouldn’t be giving money to the owners of the Calgary Flames while cutting budgets. Councillors ultimately elected to proceed with the plan.
Asked whether investment in a new athletic facility, such as a field house, would face the same criticism, Chahal said Monday that the two projects are fundamentally different.
“This project benefits all Calgarians of all ages, from amateur sports to collegiate sports, and I think it has got a different scope compared to all other capital projects,” said Chahal.
And while the city’s project “roadmap” suggests construction on a field house could begin as early as 2022 and be completed by 2024, city administration acknowledged Monday that build out of the area could take 10-20 years.
Chahal said it’s important the city takes the time to come up with a plan in order to be prepared if funding from other orders of government materializes.
He said he hopes the federal government recognizes the importance of a multi-sport field house since Calgary is the only major city in Canada without one.