Halifax Stadium Discussion

[W.Sobchak]

Check out Dodge music city in Hartford. It's a deadly venue and something we could take a page from.

[Nilan8888]

Actually, why couldn't we make it more like a much, much larger version of the "ampitheater by the lake" at the University of Bath over in the UK?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/948672


This would avoid all that rock. Just change the slopes into earth benches.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Nilan8888

Actually, why couldn't we make it more like a much, much larger version of the "ampitheater by the lake" at the University of Bath over in the UK?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/948672


This would avoid all that rock. Just change the slopes into earth benches.

A dent in a mound of grass, with a rock at the center.

I predict that this will be the alternative proposal that Heritage folks will pitch if this idea were ever to see even the light of day.

[Nilan8888]

Dude, if you think you're going to sell people on pouring cement over the side of Citadel Hill, you're living in a pipe dream.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Nilan8888

Actually, why couldn't we make it more like a much, much larger version of the "ampitheater by the lake" at the University of Bath over in the UK?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/948672


This would avoid all that rock. Just change the slopes into earth benches.

I wonder if it could be grass and stone to avoid mud and wet grass Maybe there really is a way to do it without it looking like a concrete hill.

In reality, the South Commons where the skateboarding park is located would be a better choice (although it doesn't have a natural hill to build it on, it is already owned by the city). Make a stadium/amphitheatre at the South Commons blend in and be as green as possible and maybe there will be support instead of opposition.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Nilan8888

Dude, if you think you're going to sell people on pouring cement over the side of Citadel Hill, you're living in a pipe dream.

I honestly think any kind of proposal impacting Citadel Hill would be a war.

[Keith P.]

Could someone superimpose a pic of a field and stands over an aerial of the area by the Garrison Grounds? I'm curious as to the amount of space this would take.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

I honestly think any kind of proposal impacting Citadel Hill would be a war.

An amphitheater would be a great use of this space. South facing overlooking the Public Gardens etc. The issue would be driving hundreds of piles into the beloved drumlin to support the seating structure. Look at the manmade drumlin at SMU that blew apart due to our freeze thaw cycle.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Could someone superimpose a pic of a field and stands over an aerial of the area by the Garrison Grounds? I'm curious as to the amount of space this would take.

I did a model of an amphitheatre/stadium in Sketchup for fun - http://imageshack.com/a/img836/4803/r7zu.png . The stands on the Citadel side would seat about 8,500 as drawn.

I think the Citadel Hill could host some CFL games just as it is, as a natural amphitheatre but some grading of the Garrison Grounds would be required.

In the images below, the field is a Canadian football sized field (330 feet plus two 60 foot end-zones for a total of 450 feet long, and 195 feet wide). I have 18,000 seats drawn in below (temporary stands and portable folding chairs) but I think that a seating capacity of over 20,000 could easily be configured.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Nilan8888

Actually, why couldn't we make it more like a much, much larger version of the "ampitheater by the lake" at the University of Bath over in the UK?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/948672


This would avoid all that rock. Just change the slopes into earth benches.

I think that this might be a good idea as a way to improve on a natural amphitheatre and also a way to test the Halifax Peninsula and its capacity to host CFL football.

If earth benches are set up then portable seats could be set up like in the image below (maybe it could be done even without earth benches, just by positioning the chair legs so that each chair is stable as in the image below). The image below shows 8,000 - 9,000 seats. I think that Citadel Hill could accommodate 20,000 plus with seats on all sides. Some seats could be just standard portable seats with steel legs, which would probably cost no more than $50 per seat x 10,000 seats = $500,000 and some could be temporary stands - maybe Moncton Stadium would loan Halifax temporary seating stands of 10,000 seats or so at a good price.

The image below is of the Hill Cumorah Pageant, which I just hapened to find on the internet (source: username Basil on flickr.com - http://www.flickr.com/photos/basils_pack/4794760153/in/photostream/)

[RyeJay]

I am enjoying your posts, fenwick. This is not a crazy dream of yours; it is an imaginative concept. Most people lack the talents and motivation to be this creative. Even though this would cause some concern amongst heritage enthusiasts (even the pro-development ones), this amphitheatre idea deserves consideration. It would be great for talk of this to get out there -- out in the city and through the media and especially social media. I wonder what the public's reaction to this would be? Is this an option for a "stadium"?

Is the downtown the best location for a stadium?
Maybe. But perhaps not.

I'm still hoping a site (or two or three) in the northen part of the peninsula becomes viable, becoming a contender in whatever municipal and provincial process we'll go through:


Source


If the low-density commercial and industrial lands in the North End do ever redevelop -- Halifax is going to look huge from this view.

[fenwick16]

Thank you RyeJay.

I think that it is important for residents and ex-residents to consider what advantages a stadium would provide for Halifax and also the possible shortfalls. Cost and location are factors that can't be taken lightly. If Halifax is to go ahead with a stadium then possibly a good first step is to try temporary stands at various locations (including central Halifax and Shannon Park) and see which works best.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Thank you RyeJay.

I think that it is important for residents and ex-residents to consider what advantages a stadium would provide for Halifax and also the possible shortfalls. Cost and location are factors that can't be taken lightly. If Halifax is to go ahead with a stadium then possibly a good first step is to try temporary stands at various locations (including central Halifax and Shannon Park) and see which works best.

I don't know Halifax at all, but I know in Vancouver they were talking about building a platform over the train tracks and putting a waterfront stadium on there for the Whitecaps, is there any chance or place to do that in Halifax?

[ILoveHalifax]

Picking up from the Seymour St discussion...
If a bridge were built across the North West Arm, Gorsebrook would become a very choice site for a stadium.

[robotropolis]

I know I'm a nimby, but I still love Shannon Park for a stadium. I live right across the water from Shannon Park. It would be an opportunity to make an very attractive, attention-getting contribution to the skyline view from Halifax. To me, the attractiveness is very contingent on ferry access. With two ferry docks it would be a beautiful ride from the peninsula/CP/Bedford. I love the idea of super high density residential surrounding it. I love hopping on the ferry to get to concerts at Alderney Landing. For me, taking the ferry from somewhere like Fairview Cove (with associated parking) would be super sweet. In fact, having a ferry connection/transit hub close to Burnside might not be a bad idea overall for Metro and relieve some problems with bridges.

I ALSO love the idea of garrison grounds for an ampitheatre. I wonder if we don't have good ampitheatres because our weather is so crappy? Anyway, anything that doesn't involve me sitting directly on a muddy hill to go to a concert is a huge plus and I think that site is criminally underused. And Halifax needs more live music venues IMO.

[Drybrain]

I'm going to be total NIMBY and say that since I just moved to Windsor and Almon, I'd probably find the crowds that accompany a stadium built on or near the Forum lands annoying (I used to work near Rogers Centre--what a nightmare).

But I'm fully aware that I might just need to suck it up

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

I'm going to be total NIMBY and say that since I just moved to Windsor and Almon, I'd probably find the crowds that accompany a stadium built on or near the Forum lands annoying (I used to work near Rogers Centre--what a nightmare).

But I'm fully aware that I might just need to suck it up

I live just around the corner! I agree that many local residents might not be too keen on the idea. It's kind of hard to say. At least the longstanding Forum has acclimatized the local area to having semi-regular large-ish events.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Hali87

I live just around the corner! I agree that many local residents might not be too keen on the idea. It's kind of hard to say. At least the longstanding Forum has acclimatized the local area to having semi-regular large-ish events.

Yeah, no one can say "we need to respect the expectations of these homeowners who thought there'd ever be a sports venue here" blah blah

[cjones2451]

Report on Twitter from CRA.ca and @halifaxchamber says that Halifax would get Approx 27,000 per game for a CFL team

[Nilan8888]

So figure we'd be shooting to ideally build a stadium for... 30,000 seats? 35,000? Or larger?