[SpongeG]

B.C. Place Stadium to live on after 2010

Christmas came early for B.C. Place Stadium on Friday.

If B.C. Pavilion Corporation chairman David Podmore has his way, the taxpayer-owned home of the Canadian Football League's B.C. Lions and site of 2010 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies will escape the wrecking ball.

Sun Media has learned that Podmore presented his vision of B.C. Place's future during a year-end staff meeting at the stadium.

Since he was hired to head the Crown corporation in April, Podmore has studied whether to renew, replace or remove the domed stadium, which opened on June 19, 1983. He was supposed to submit his recommendation to the provincial government in October.

A source told Sun Media that Podmore's preference is renewal and it would involve major work to restore or replace the air-supported, Teflon-coated fibreglas roof.

Podmore did not return phone calls.

Podmore didn't explain to B.C. Place staff how renovations would be financed. Olympic venue preparations are being funded from a $6.27 million portion of VANOC's $600 million capital budget. PavCo could exploit Vancouver's red-hot real estate market and sell unused land on stadium property to condominium or office tower developers. When rumours swirled five years ago about the stadium's possible demise, Lions' owner David Braley told reporters he would be offer to buy it. The stadium was valued at almost $51 million, according to 2006 PavCo financial documents.

B.C. Place gained international media attention on Jan. 5 when an avalanche of snow, ice and slush ripped a hole in the roof. Five snow alarms were ignored and the steam-heating system was not activated for cost reasons. No injuries were reported. The roof was patched and reinflated two weeks later, but the disaster reignited the debate over B.C. Place's future.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Sports/2007/12/22/4737305.html

[deasine]

don't mind to see those renovations =)

and selling the land is a good idea. HAHA buildings sound BC place HEEHEE that will look cool =) There goes our white pineapple bun (chinese thing to say)

It will look so cool in the sky too =)

[mr.x]

^ he meant selling unused land around the stadium to developers, not the entire stadium site, so that they can use that revenue to improve their facilities. this is quite similar to what CBC did for their Vancouver studio.

this is incredible news.....hopefully, they're planning a 2010 due date for this. it makes all the sense to show the world our very best (or at least, better, with BC Place). but with 2 years to go, is that enough time to go forward with these plans?

[98fb]

I smell a retractable roof. They mention sigificant upgrades or replacement of the roof.

[mr.x]

I smell a retractable roof. They mention sigificant upgrades or replacement of the roof.

i hope so too, but it would be quite expensive as they'd either need to strengthen BC Place for the heavy retractable roof or build a separate structure over the stadium.

i think a new shiny white teflon roof is more likely.

[Overground]

I think I've shocked myself for thinking it, but I'm warming to the idea of keeping the dome and refurbing it. Well I've always liked that idea but it's got to be a proper refurb. Replacing the roof with something else I doubt will ever happen, but at the very least overhaul the exterior cosmetics. The dreadful reflective glass needs replacing with some up-to-date stuff, and the large cement walls outside need some sort of masking. The interior, well that's another story.

And as long we get a separate facility for the Whitecaps so we can get an MLS franchise I'll be happy.

[mr.x]

What I'd like to see for improvements:

Exterior
- new teflon roof ($30 million) OR new retractable roof ($200-250 million)
- new glass facade + replacing reflective windows ($50-70 million). facade would also hold space for retail, restaurants, bars and offices. The facade would also cover up most of the concrete exterior.


Interior
- new seating ($10-15 million)
- new sound and acoustics ($5-7 million)
- new state-of-the-art lighting ($10 million)
- renovated concourse, passageways, washrooms ($50 million)
- new LED videoboards for both ends of the stadium ($10-12 million, same quality as the GM Place videoboard)

[Pinion]

I think they should tear it down. It totally kills the city atmosphere/pedestrian traffic beyond it - Plaza of Nations and east to Quebec st is a ghost town. Have the Lions play in the new Whitecaps stadium.

[mr.x]

I think they should tear it down. It totally kills the city atmosphere/pedestrian traffic beyond it - Plaza of Nations and east to Quebec st is a ghost town. Have the Lions play in the new Whitecaps stadium.

You want more condos???

We'd never spend half a billion to build a facility of similar size. It's an important cultural and sports facility in the city, keep it.

The Lions would never play in Whitecaps Stadium. The Lions want a much bigger stadium, but the Whitecaps won't ever need nor want such a large facility. It kills the intimacy and atmosphere of their soccer games.

The area around BC Place is the way it is today only because we've failed to revamp the stadium and its surrounding precinct.

[ReginaGuy]

they should sell the expensive downtown land to condo developers. That would bring in more than enough to build a brand new stadium somewhere outside of downtown, on cheaper land. Stadiums aren't that great for downtowns anyways

[mr.x]

they should sell the expensive downtown land to condo developers. That would bring in more than enough to build a brand new stadium somewhere outside of downtown, on cheaper land. Stadiums aren't that great for downtowns anyways

Into the suburbs so that people can commute there by car rather than to downtown where there's a wealth of transit services?

BC Place is right next to SkyTrain's Stadium-Chinatown Station and is only a few blocks away from the future Canada Line Yaletown-Roundhouse Station....as well as a bunch of other transit services: a handful of bus routes, West Coast Express commuter rail, SeaBus, etc. In the suburbs, where there is an absence of transit people will be traveling to the stadium by car. Not to mention that downtown is an attractive place for people to go - where they want to go. There are a ton of amenities and services within footsteps, unlike the suburbs.

There are restaurants and bars in downtown that stadium crowds can support. You wouldn't have that elsewhere. Right now, the Lions and Canucks crowds give a ton of business to these downtown restaurants/bars.

Also, this is a cultural facility - it belongs in downtown. And even if they sold the land to developers (worth $300-400 million), i highly doubt they would spend it on a new stadium. Nor could you build much with a $300-400 million budget anyway....

[jlousa]

I'll chime in, being in Regina right now, I'm unaware of any new developments regarding BC place. What chatter I have heard over the last year involves it being renovated, partially before 2010 and the rest afterwards. It is still in excellent physical shape, it does need major reworking of the concessions and the concourse levels/washrooms. The lighting/sound upgrades have been in the works for awhile so I suspect they will be done before 2010. I imagine we'll end up with a new Teflon roof but after the games. There is a lot of unused land surrounding the stadium that should be sold and turned into office space.
Residential towers next to the stadium don't make sense ala Spectrum, but office space works great, the parking lots under the towers could be used to accommodate parking during the events when the workers have gone home. The would free up the NEFC lands for concord pacific to build residential towers, makes more sense for the waterfront properties to be saved for residential. There is enough space surronding BC place for 3-4 good sized towers. More then enough to pay for the upgrades, while adding some daytime activity to the area.