New Flames arena district a project the city and its citizens can be proud of

CALGARY — Although talk of a new NHL rink in Calgary has gone on for well over a decade, history will show it was worth the wait.

Stakeholders gathered at city hall Thursday to announce the ratification of a deal reached earlier in the year for a $1.22 billion event centre district that will offer Calgarians so much more than an 18,000-seat venue.

It will be a place to gather, to rally and to celebrate in a new culture and entertainment district every world-class city should have.

And it will be a significant upgrade from the $600 million project the Flames walked away from in 2021.

This time they’re going to do it right.

And we have premier Danielle Smith to thank for that, getting this over the finish line with a $330 million injection from the Alberta government that was also aimed at getting her elected in May.

Hey, whatever it takes.

She got both jobs done.

Otherwise, it’s hard to believe the city and the Flames would have been able to put their long history of differences aside to sit in the same room as they did Thursday when the mayor and premier announced the sealed partnership with the province and the Calgary Stampede.

Not a dime of the provincial money will go towards the building itself, but will fund the significant infrastructure in and around the Rivers District that will house the event centre a few hundred metres from the 40-year-old Saddledome.

Included in that is $25 million earmarked to pay for half of a 1,000-seat community rink that is one of the many added features that separate this deal from the last one.

Remember, we’ve seen a presser like this before, only to see the Flames back out of the deal in December 2021 over a squabble with the city over additional funding.

It was a blessing in disguise, as the scope of the previous event centre didn’t match the grandiose vision the Flames had when Ken King originally touted the virtues of a revitalized district in the east end.

This time there will be no skimping on the project.

The arena itself, which the city will own and the Flames will run, will cost $800 million.

The new vision — which is in the design stage — sits on three additional acres, ensuring the 18,000-seat rink isn’t compromised, nor is the elaborate plan for the surrounding infrastructure.

After all, this isn’t just about those fortunate to have tickets for future concerts and events.

“We went from seven acres to 10 acres, and what that’s going to allow you to do is build the community rink, which is a vital piece of the entire puzzle, that we actually compromised on last time,” said John Bean, who heads up the Flames' parent company, Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corp.

“With bringing an AHL team here, we’ve got three hockey teams, a lacrosse team and a concert venue, so we become one of the busiest buildings in North America.

“So, it’s key to have that community rink not only available to the public, but also for us to manage a very busy schedule so we never have to turn away concerts.”

The land swap with the Stampede, as well as the influx of provincial support, augments the plans for indoor and outdoor gatherings in plazas adjacent to the stadium, as well as a parkade.

“When you think about loading a building in January when it's minus-25, we’d rather have our 18,000 patrons queue indoors,” explained Bean.

“We’ve all seen the tailgate and playoff parties that go on. Won’t it be great, we will have a properly built, structured outdoor gathering place for fans who don’t get a chance to come inside and can come down and take part in festivities?”

The plan at this point is to break ground in 2024 with an eye on hoping the facility will be ready to host NHL play for the 2026-27 season.

(Anyone who has ever built a home knows not to hold their breath on that one.)

There's no date on when renderings will be available, as the Flames will be working with all stakeholders to come up with state-of-the-art designs and concepts befitting the city.

“I think you can go look at the last five or six buildings that have been built and take elements of each of them,” said Bean, whose team is well aware the gold standard for fan experiences are the rinks in Detroit and Montreal.

“What we build we want to make sure feels part of the district.

“Bars and restaurants on both sides of the street, we want to coordinate with the Stampede to make sure it’s a thoughtful job of building a district that’s going to work well beyond hockey.”

The heartbeat of the city.

A project the city and its citizens will be proud of, with retail, residences and restaurants dotting the plazas being planned.

It’s about time.

This time there’s a distinct feeling there will be no reneging.

“We have a really good team in place right now to get this done once and for all with the city,” said Bean, whose club will contribute to the city-owned facility $748 million over the 35 years in which they’ve agreed to stay in Calgary. (They’ll also pay $52 million over 35 years to community sport funding).

“We’ve never been more encouraged given the team that is put in place," he added. “We’re going to see this through.

“It’s really important to the city of Calgary and for all our fans and all our citizens that we solved the riddle on such an important piece of infrastructure. We’re delighted we don’t have to worry about where our home is for the next 35 years and we can get ourselves focused on getting this thing designed and built.

“And then maybe we get focused on winning a Stanley Cup in here as well.”