Quote:
Originally Posted by jsbertram
The old Empire Stadium was demolished quite a few years ago but the field itself was recently fixed up, so there will be temporary stands built (think Stampede Parade route bleachers - only larger).
Someone seems to have forgotten IT RAINS in Vancouver, but making BCPlace open-air is a key part of the deal for getting the MLS soccer franchise in 2011.
Nobody is saying too much about the new MLS soccer stadium that is planned for the harbourfront (east of Canada Place and north of Gastown on top of the CPR tracks) that the Whitecaps and the MLS franchise will be moving to in 2016.
Just to make it clear: $500+ million to build a partially-retractible roof on BCPlace so MLS Soccer has a place to play for 5 years before moving to their own open-air stadium.
If the BCPlace reno takes longer than expected (and we know it will), the BC Lions and the MLS team would have to stay at Empire Grounds until BCPlace is ready.
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Thats because that proposal is pretty much dead in the water at the moment due to land issues.
As for the rain, yeah, it rains here, but it was actually built to add more convention space in prep for Expo 86. Its also used for conventions, concerts, an indoor amusement park, and other events, contributing close to 60 million/year to our local economy. So, really, the Whitecaps moving to a new stadium a couple years after moving in, isn't really going to have much of an impact at all on BC Place's bottom line.
If Calgary was to get a new stadium to replace McMahon, something along the lines of the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale would be awesome.