Quote:
Originally Posted by halifaxboyns
Okay folks - lets stop the jabs and focus here. We're not here to poke fun and tease, let's focus on the goal here.
A few locations have been discussed, with mixed reviews on each. The list I have going so far (please add to if I've missed a site):
Shannon Park;
Forum/Windsor Park;
South End Halifax (near IWK);
Dartmouth Crossing/Burnside (I'm generallizing both areas into one for the sake of ease).
I also seem to recall someone mentioning ragged lake, or somewhere out that way?
Question for you fenwick> since we've talked about the cost of the project, did your cost projection for the forum site factor in site aquisition costs? Demolition and potential environmental clean up? I think we need to see where that would be because cost will be a big factor.
Shannon Park you can easily tack on probably at least $20 million for new roads and infrastructure - but that can be recouped through local levies on new development (assuming private developers do most of the work).
Btw, I wasn't trying to pit the convention centre against the stadium. I was merely pointing out that if the one project did not proceed (for whatever reason); there may be a means to get funds to allow this project to proceed. If the convention centre does go ahead; Provincial monies should still be made available for this project too. IMO, if both went ahead, I think you would seem the market forces improve for hotels dramatically (once both were in operation).
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I would add two more potential sites that were previously mentioned - The Mainland Commons near the new Canada Games Centre and The West Mall area. Personally, I would put these two sites ahead of Shannon Park since both have better public transit and are closer to SMU and Dalhousie University.
Although, I realize that the Halifax Forum area will cost more for land acquisition, demolition and environmental cleanup, I feel that there are big savings in existing infrastructure, public transit and available parking. I think you are dismissing this substantial cost at a Shannon Park site by assuming that it will be a private undertaking that can have levies applied to it (why couldn't this same argument be made for a Halifax Forum site?). I would hope that 25% of the cost would come from private contributions (small and large) so applying levies would be applying levies to the remaining 75% of the cost that would have to be covered by the three levels of government. This cost is an added cost no matter how you look at it.
There is more involved in selecting a site than just the up-front cost, the stadium should be located where it has the best chance of succeeding. An unbiased economic analysis should be conducted for each of a short list of sites.
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