Quote:
Originally Posted by Wooster
McMahon doesn't need expansion, only renovation. I would gut the concourse, and add a new facade that extends over the stands as a roof a bit like BMO or Ottawa's stadium. I think that could be done for ~$100m
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That still leaves us with a stadium that is worse than those in the majority of Canadian cities save for Ottawa and Montreal. The stadium needs (at minimum), the following:
- Seats throughout ($10 million or so based on Commonwealth seat replacement)
- Some type of roof covering a portion of the stands. ($55 million to put in place at BMO).
- A climate controlled concourse that is double the square footage of the current one (the current concourse is built for a stadium of 22,000). If you do this, you still have to contend with the tight column spacing for the upper stand supports. (There is no precedent for this exact project, but interior renovations to BC Place, which were cosmetic in nature, were completed in 2009 at a cost of $65 million. Obviously, McMahon concourse renovations would cost more.)
- Expanded corporate box seating. It would be best to have a ring of suites midway up the stands and a second deck cantilevered over these, but this would require demolition of the existing upper stands. A very costly endeavour.
- Plus the cost to host games at a temporary stadium during the renovation ($15 million for Empire Field).
- Added costs resultant from any unpleasant surprises uncovered during the renovation.
In any case, it's far better to start from scratch. Which makes the combined stadium/arena idea a smart, low-cost alternative for the city. In speaking with cost consultants regarding this, the consensus is that any major renovation of McMahon Stadium is a fool's errand.
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