Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3 - Page 375

J.OT13 · #**7481** Posted **Mar 24, 2023, 2:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craner

Arizona in the top flight !!

All it took was a junior league arena!

elly63 · #**7482** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 4:57 PM**

On a beautiful snowy day I have a question for the group.

What do you see as the future for the Olympic Stadium in Montreal?

Two factors to keep in mind: a new roof will likely cost upwards of $250 million and no start date is in site and secondly the stadium tower has full occupancy and is running successfully.

What do you do?

craner · #**7483** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 5:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

All it took was a junior league arena!

Right ?!

craner · #**7484** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 5:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

On a beautiful snowy day I have a question for the group.

What do you see as the future for the Olympic Stadium in Montreal?

Two factors to keep in mind: a new roof will likely cost upwards of $250 million and no start date is in site and secondly the stadium tower has full occupancy and is running successfully.

What do you do?

As much as I would love to see the Big O restored to it’s former glory it’s hard to justify spending the amount of $ it would take for a facility that would see very limited use.

I don’t have any great ideas

thurmas · #**7485** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 5:17 PM**

I don't believe anything will happen with the big o. The cost to demolish 15 years ago was over 700 million probably over 1 billion today. The roof replacement alone was quoted at 300 million and that was 4 or 5 years ago. Maybe a renovation similar to maple leaf gardens where its split in levels and they can make the upper level a speed skating track or something? I don't know. It's damned if you do damned if you don't with that facility

Djeffery · #**7486** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 5:21 PM**

Is the tower viable on its own without the stadium or is it too integrated to be able to be there if the stadium was demolished? I also believe it's reported earlier in this thread that demolishing the stadium is no cheap task either.

elly63 · #**7487** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 5:33 PM**

The Olympic Stadium Fact and Fiction PDF
Four myths debunked…

elly63 · #**7488** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 5:58 PM**

Snowy day Question Number Two

Pierre Karl Peledeau (Alouettes) and Joey Saputo (CF Montreal) both want a new stadium.

Peledeau's team plays in one of the oldest facilities in the country devoid of most modern fan amenities for revenue generation. It lacks space for any type of expansion and Peledeau doesn't own or control it.

Saputo's team plays in a stadium he doesn't control, any changes he would make would amount to a tax increase.

Saputo is from one of the wealthiest families in the country, he has large financial resources.

Peledeau's pockets are deep (not as much as Saputo) but he controls a media conglomerate and was able to get the city and government to cover 50% of a $370 million dollar arena he constructed.

Many CFL and MLS/CPL facilities in Canada are shared (2 MLS/3 CPL)

Both groups are willing to talk to each other.

What do you do?

J.OT13 · #**7489** Posted **Mar 26, 2023, 11:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

On a beautiful snowy day I have a question for the group.

What do you see as the future for the Olympic Stadium in Montreal?

Two factors to keep in mind: a new roof will likely cost upwards of $250 million and no start date is in site and secondly the stadium tower has full occupancy and is running successfully.

What do you do?

Does the Big "O" need a roof? And if it does, does it need to be retractable?

As for the MLS/CFL stadium debate, Montreal already has whopping three stadiums. Building a new one would mean two would be virtually abandoned and a third would be rarely used. My vote would be to pick one that could be used as a multi-purpose facility with an investment of $100 million+.

In Ottawa news, it sounds like the Sens are negotiating with the NCC for more land at LeBreton. The current site is roughly 285k square feet. Two other parcels are available that could increase that to 375k or 720k. For comparison, the Montreal Canadians land has around 500k, Ice District in Edmonton 975k. Winnipeg Jets + True North Square 300k. San Fran's Chase Centre has 515k and L.A. Live 1.2 million.

elly63 · #**7490** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 1:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

My vote would be to pick one that could be used as a multi-purpose facility with an investment of $100 million+.

If they could do that they wouldn't need another stadium.

J.OT13 · #**7491** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 12:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

If they could do that they wouldn't need another stadium.

How much money would it take? What absolutely needs to be done?

Saputo I believe is soccer specific and too small for football, so I don't see it being viable. Percival Moslon is too old and small to be able to do anything with it. Olympic Stadium is massive and there's no shortage of options. Renovating it for football and soccer won't be cheap, but it will be cheaper than leaving it empty or demolishing it.

Then you have the ever so slight possibility of the Expos returning. They would want a new stadium. How many stadiums does a city need?

And then we have Jarry, the old Expo grounds now a tennis specific stadium. If we could take a baseball stadium and turn into a tennis stadium, I think we can work with Olympic.

TimB09 · #**7492** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 1:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

Snowy day Question Number Two

Pierre Karl Peledeau (Alouettes) and Joey Saputo (CF Montreal) both want a new stadium.

Peledeau's team plays in one of the oldest facilities in the country devoid of most modern fan amenities for revenue generation. It lacks space for any type of expansion and Peledeau doesn't own or control it.

Saputo's team plays in a stadium he doesn't control, any changes he would make would amount to a tax increase.

Saputo is from one of the wealthiest families in the country, he has large financial resources.

Peledeau's pockets are deep (not as much as Saputo) but he controls a media conglomerate and was able to get the city and government to cover 50% of a $370 million dollar arena he constructed.

Many CFL and MLS/CPL facilities in Canada are shared (2 MLS/3 CPL)

Both groups are willing to talk to each other.

What do you do?

From the articles I've read it sounds like the Saputo's and Peledeau have a good relationship so maybe we will see something happen. I imagine both groups would want a stadium with private boxes, which is a big sell for the business community and a big revenue generator.

thurmas · #**7493** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 1:46 PM**

To be fair all 3 current montreal stadiums are jalopies. Molson is what 110 years old saputo is not winterized and doesn't have enough boxes or premium seating. Olympic stadium is well we all know its issues and is too big for most events.

TorontoDrew · #**7494** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 3:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

Saputo is from one of the wealthiest families in the country, he has large financial resources.

Crazy how rich they got selling terrible cheese.

Acajack · #**7495** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 3:33 PM**

This reporter got what sounds like a sneak peek of the renovations planned for Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Article is in French but there are some images in there as well.

Note that they will be doing away with the configuration of the stands that can accommodate baseball.

https://www.985fm.ca/nouvelles/54717...que-fait-jaser

Acajack · #**7496** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 3:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Crazy how rich they got selling terrible cheese.

They have a gazillion food products including many cheeses, some of which are actually decent.

thurmas · #**7497** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 3:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

This reporter got what sounds like a sneak peek of the renovations planned for Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Article is in French but there are some images in there as well.

Note that they will be doing away with the configuration of the stands that can accommodate baseball.

https://www.985fm.ca/nouvelles/54717...que-fait-jaser

That looks like a massive investment not sure if it would lure back the Alouettes and CF Montreal?

J.OT13 · #**7498** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 4:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

This reporter got what sounds like a sneak peek of the renovations planned for Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Article is in French but there are some images in there as well.

Note that they will be doing away with the configuration of the stands that can accommodate baseball.

https://www.985fm.ca/nouvelles/54717...que-fait-jaser

Ok, seems like this could solve the CFL/MLS stadium issues. Why are the three groups not talking to each other? Why does everything have to be done in silos?

thurmas · #**7499** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 4:15 PM**

If they can make the upper deck reduced to terraces like coors field take the roof off and make it open air and make the endzone where the scoreboard is not so dark and dreary looking big o wouldn't be so bad.

thurmas · #**7500** Posted **Mar 27, 2023, 5:22 PM**

Seems like would be similar to a BC place style renovation. I think with the reconfigured lowe bowl renovation squared off for soccer and cfl football and maybe similar upper deck curtains like bc place would be a good 30,000 seat stadium for cfl and mls as it is directly at a subway station and alouettes and cf offices are already there and it gives the big o a purpose for the first time in decades.