War
SD LIBRARY
2702
R041/0029/1968
COLISEUM TRADE CENTRE, EDMONTON.-PLANNING
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COLISEUM IIRADE CENTRE "DOMED STADIUM ri
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RESEARCH REPORT NO. 6
A COLISEUM, TRADE CENTRE OR DOMED STADIUM FOR EDMONTON
Planning Department City of Edmonton January 1968
R041 0029 1968
A.C 2702
(±) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SUMMARY Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
iv
INTRODUCTION
1
A. B. C. D.
Statement of Objectives Definition of Terms Convention Trends Influence of Downtown Location on Coliseums and Convention Facilities E. Relative Performance Standards of Arenas (Coliseums) to Stadia
1 1 2
MAJOR MEETING FACILITIES OF EDMONTON
6
A. Major Social Facilities 1) Jubilee Auditorium 2) Edmonton Exhibition Grounds B. Sports Facilities 1) Clarke Stadium 2) Renfrew Park 3) Kinsmen Field House C. Major Hotels D. Summary
6 6 7 9 9 10 10 11 12
RECENT EXPERIENCES IN OTHER URBAN CENTRES
14
A. Arenas and Coliseums 1) Duluth Arena-Auditorium 2) Seattle Centre 3) Wichita Civic Auditorium 4) Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin 5) Mobile Municipal Auditorium and Theatre B. Trade Centres 1) Cincinnati Convention-Exposition Centre 2) The Rivergate Exhibition Centre, New Orleans 3) Anaheim Convention Centre C. Covered Stadiums 1) Houston Astrodome D. Use of Urban Renewal Techniques 1) Sudbury, Ontario 2) Providence, Rhode Island
14 14 15 16 16 17 17 17 18
SCHEMES SUBMITTED TO COUNCIL
3 4
18 19 19 19 20 20 23
23 A. Coliseums 23 1) Edmonton Civic Centre - Webb and Knapp 1962 2) A Coliseum Complex - Stanford Research Institute, 1963 24
Page
Chapter 5
B. Coliseum and Trade Centre Combination 1) Edmonton Centre - Hashman Construction Limited, 1966 2) C.N.R. Trade Centre and Coliseum, 1968 C. Trade Centres 1) Concordia Estates, 1967 2) Marlboro Leaseholds, 1967 D. Domed Stadium 1) B.W. Brooker Engineering Limited
26 26 27 29 29 29 31 31
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
37
Appendix A LIST OF BROCHURES
39
LIST OF TABLES Page Table Table Table Table
1 2
3 4
Conventions Held in Edmonton Relative Performance Standards of Arenas and Stadia Accommodation and Convention Facilities of Major Hotels Financial Performance Standards of Schemes Submitted to Council
2
5 13
36
LIST OF DRAWINGS Following Page Drawing 1 Drawing 2 Drawing 3
Location of Major Meeting Facilities Location of Cities with Facilities Studied Proposed Sites in Relation to the Central Area
6 22
LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Following Page Phote. 1 Photo. 2 Photo, 3 Photo, 4
Proposed Coliseum Complex - Stanford Research Institute and Proposed Site in Civic Centre Proposed Edmonton Centre - Sam Hashman and Co. Ltd. and Proposed Site in Civic Centre Proposed C.N.R. Development Proposed Dome Stadium - B.W. Brooker Engineering Ltd. and Proposed.Site on Rassdale Flats
23 26 27
31
(iv)
SUMMARY
This City is faced with the difficult task of deciding whether a coliseum, trade centre or domed stadium is best suited to the needs of the citizens of Edmonton. However, not only the factor of need is involved, as most of the proposals submitted to Council require financial involvement by the City. Many factors could affect the final choice. For example, conventions are now big business, bringing $2,600,000 into Edmonton in 1966. As each of the proposals submitted stresses the importance of attracting conventions, it follows that if Council wishes to attract convention business to the City it may choose the proposal which seems most competitive in this field. The final choice depends to a great extent, therefore, on what the City's needs are and what proposal best fulfils these needs. The provision of facilities for Edmonton's social and business life is not yet complete. Certain deficiencies exist and these can be summarized as follows: 1. Edmonton's major arena, the Edmonton Gardens, is outmoded and too small for the City's future needs. 2. Edmonton's major stadium, Clarke Stadium, will have to be removed to make way for a freeway. 3. Although the provision of facilities for small and medium-sized conventions is reasonably adequate, there are, at present, few facilities in the central area for large conventions or exhibitions. The facilities which could accommodate larger conventions and exhibitions are all located outside the central area and, therefore, removed from downtown hotels, restaurants, retail and entertainment facilities. This is an inconvenient arrangement and could prevent large conventions and exhibitions from considering Edmonton. Additionally, the Sportex
(v)
is not available during the curling season and the exhibition space of the Jubilee Auditorium is fragmented. It is significant to note that many cities, larger and smaller than Edmonton, have developed civic facilities such as coliseums and trade centres of roughly similar sizes. A study of new civic facilities in the United States and Canada has indicated that most facilities of the type described are highly flexible and multi-functional, although trade centres tend to be devoted primarily to business activities, whereas coliseums cater to both social and business activities. Coliseums, trade centres and domed stadiums are more complementary than competitive, although it is difficult to deduce this from the proposals submitted to Council. Of the seven proposals submitted, there is only one true coliseum (Webb and Knapp), one true trade centre (Concordia Estates) and, of course, one domed stadium. All the other proposals incorporate, to greater or lesser degrees, trade centres and coliseum combinations. Further similarities exist in that four of the proposals are concerned with the same site, the one south of the police station. This report, in weighing up all the aforementioned factors, arrives at some conclusions. Firstly, it is impossible to judge the relative financial performances of the submitted proposals, as good comparative data is not available. Secondly, there is a need for better convention and exhibition facilities, preferably in the downtown area. Thirdly, Edmonton should now start planning for a new arena larger than Edmonton Gardens. This could be integrated with new convention and exhibition facilities into a multi-purpose, flexible coliseum complex of the type indicated by the Stanford Institute, C.N.R., Hashman Construction and
(vi)
Marlboro Leaseholds (with future development of an arena). Additionally, a coliseum is probably assured of more use-days than either a trade centre or an arena by themselves. Fourthly, thought will need to be given now to the replacement of Clarke Stadium by a larger stadium on a better serviced site. In this context, the Dome Stadium submission should be given further study with the provision that a better site than the one proposed be considered.
A COLISEUM, TRADE CENTRE OR DOMED STADIUM FOR EDMONTON CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION A. Statement of Objectives The City is faced with the task of deciding whether a coliseum, a trade centre or a domed stadium is best suited to the City's needs. However, not only the question of need is involved, as most of the proposals would require financial involvement by the City. It is therefore vitally important that the City is fully aware of the implications of its decision. The purpose of this report, is, therefore, to explore the ramifications of the choices so far presented so that the Council will be more fully aware of what it is being committed to. B. Definition of Terms At this stage it would be advantageous to define the terms used, as the wide misuse of these terms often causes confusion. 1) Arena - a large open floor area surrounded by elevated rows of permanent seats, e.g., Edmonton Gardens. 2) Exhibition Hall - a large open floor area designed to provide display space for exhibitions and trade shows, e.g., Sportex Building. 3) Auditorium - a large music-hall type of building with permanent seating for concerts and similar events. It normally has a wide shallow stage, e.g., Jubilee Auditorium. 4) Coliseum - normally a complex containing a circular arena, meeting rooms and exhibition areas. 5) Trade Centre - a complex containing open floor areas for displays, a variety of meeting rooms and perhaps associated office space. It is sometimes referred to as a convention-exposition centre.
- 2 -
6) Stadium - a large open air sports arena normally centred on a football or baseball field, e.g.,Clarke Stadium. C. Convention Trends With these definitions in mind it is extremely relevant to discuss all of the factors, apart from local ones, which could affect Edmonton's choice of facility. Every proposal submitted hopes to attract conventions, so that it is necessary to study the experiences of Edmonton and other cities in this field. Each year conventions and related events are increasing in number, especially in the U.S.A. Last year the Canadian Government recognized the importance of attracting conventions to Canada by promoting an advertising drive in U.S. trade magazines. In Edmonton, in the past few years, an increasing number of conventions has been attracted to the City. TABLE 1 CONVENTIONS HELD IN EDMONTON - 1965, 1966 AND 1967
1965 No. of ConvenAttendance tions Provincial Conventions National Conventions Regional Conventions International Conventions Total
23
8 6 *37
6,653 2,775 2,450 11,880
1966 No. of Conventions
Attendance
1967 No. of ConvenAttendance tions
7
13,029 9,475 1,517 2,480
66 8 30 8
96
26,501
112
46 31 12
15,270 1,670 5,656 5,000 27,596
*This figure represents only those conventions reported. The Edmonton Convention Bureau was not functioning as at present, until April 1966. In 1967, many conventions were held in Eastern Canada to coincide with Expo '67 so that prospects for 1968 are regarded as even brighter according to the Convention Bureau. The delegates spend money on services in the host city, and in 1966
-3 it is estimated that the 96 conventions attracted to Edmonton brought $2,600,000 to the City. In the United States, competition is so keen for convention business that many convention bureaus think it necessary to offer auditorium facilities and services rent free to conventions. Certainly, conventions are regarded as being so desirable that in a survey made in 1964 by the International Association of Auditorium Managers it was found that 50 per cent of the sample of auditoriums and arenas canvassed reported that convention bureaus have priority on bookings. In some cases, convention business has been the principal reason for approving construction of an auditorium or arena. D. Influence of Downtown Location on Coliseums and Convention Facilities In both the United States and Canada there has been a significant trend to the construction of civic centres as a means of improving the City's image and making the downtown area more efficient and at the same time attractive. In a recent survey by the Arena, Auditorium and Stadium Guide it was revealed that 42 per cent of the auditoriums and arenas answering were part of a civic centre complex. The relevant figure for 1958 was 52 per cent. This indicates that more arena-coliseums or auditoriums are being developed as appendages of new civic centres. Certainly, as Chapter Three indicates, these facilities are regarded in themselves as symbols of community regeneration. The above-mentioned survey also indicated that 73 per cent of the answering facilities are located within one mile of the central business district. Almost 75 per cent are located not more than 0.5 miles from a first-class hotel (of this, over 50 per cent are within 1/10th mile) and almost two-thirds are within 0.5 miles from a first-class restaurant (41 per cent of these are within 1/10th mile). This indicates that in most cases the downtown location has
advantages in relation to nearness to services, and this is an especially important point when one is attempting to attract conventions to the facility. It would therefore seem that the advantages of building in a downtown location are complementary, as the new facility revives and enhances the downtown area and the downtown location provides nearby essential services to the facility. E. Relative Performance Standards of Arenas (Coliseums) and Stadiums It has been indicated by auditorium managers that of any ten rentals lost because of the size of the hall, nine of these are lost because the facility is too large. It is better, it is claimed, to size an arena to serve small events than to size it on the basis of one colossal event. With this in mind it would be instructive to examine the results of a survey published in 1967 (Table 2). This reveals that arenas are normally smaller than stadiums, but have more use-days than stadiums, e.g., the number of median annual days in use of the arenas is 200 days as opposed to 33 days for the stadiums. Arenas also have higher median annual attendances than stadiums, 165,000 as opposed to 115,000. As arenas are normally smaller than stadiums, this implies a much higher turnover for arenas. Being smaller, arenas have lower parking needs and, therefore, need less space than stadiums. The table also shows conclusively that arenas have much more diverse functions than stadiums, indicating that an arena is a much more flexible and all-purpose unit than a stadium.
- 5 TP,BLE 2 RELATIVE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OF ARENAS (COLISEUMS) AND STADIA Source:
A.A.S.G. 1967* Stadia.
Arenas A. Spatial Standards under 2,500 2,500 5,000 over 10,000
seats - 5,000 seats - 10,000 seats seats
39% 35% 19% 7%
under
3,500 3,500 10,000 over 25,000
seats - 10,000 seats - 25,000 seats seats
22% 39% 23%
16%
B. Attendance annual attendances under 75,000 75,000 - 435,000 over 435,000
25% 50% 25%
average annual attendance 165,000
annual attendances under 60,000 60,000 - 250,000 over 250,000
25%
50% 25%
average annual attendance 115,000
C. Parking median spaces 3,000 67% on grounds
Median spaces 1,000 70% on grounds D. Median Annual Days in Use 200 days 17% are used for over 300 days annually
33 days 3% are used over 300 days annually
E. Functions Event Conventions, meetings Sports events, attractions Dances Cultural events Home, trade, travel shows Country music shows Banquets Circuses Gospel sings, revivals Ice shows Hootenannys Legitimate road shows Fairs, pet, livestock shows Pageants, festivals Public ice skating Closed circuit TV Rodeos Roller skating shows Public roller skating Water shows Auto racing Other events
** ***
Per Cent of Arenas Reporting
Per Cent of Stadiums Reporting
66% 65 65 60 53
14% 57 13 8 7
51 49
17
44 41 40 4o 34 33 30 29 24 17 14 9 7 6
32
27* *
9 14 3 6 9 40 7 5 5 23
3 1 2 26 24***
This sample represents 18.2% of all arenas-coliseums and 11.5% of all stadiums listed in the 1967 Guide of Auditoriums, Arenas and Stadiums available for commercial rental in the United States and Canada. The sample comprises 220 arena-auditoriums and 98 stadiums. Other events at arenas include school and civic activities, swimming, elections, bingo,eto. Other events at stadiums include fireworks, thrill shows, carnivals, church and school events, etc.
CHAPTER TWO MAJOR MEETING FACILITIES OF EDMONTON At present Edmonton contains a very large variety of social facilities to meet the varied demand of a heterogeneous population. To list all the social meeting facilities of the City would be a formidable task and would be beyond the scope of this report. Bearing in mind that the City wishes to develop either a coliseum, a domed stadium or a trade centre, or perhaps all three eventually, it would be pertinent to examine only the existing meeting facilities that the new proposal, whichever one is chosen, will complement of supersede. With this in mind, it is intended to examine the facilities offered by the Jubilee Auditorium, the Edmonton Exhibition Grounds, Clarke Stadium, Renfrew Ball Park, Kinsmen Field House and the meeting and exhibit facilities of the major hotels and motor hotels. A. Major Social Facilities 1) Jubilee Auditorium This auditorium, erected in 1957, is owned and operated by the Provincial Government. It is situated approximately two and one-half miles from the downtown area on the campus fringe of the University of Alberta (Drawing 1). The main theatre seats 2,750 people on theatre type permanent seating fixed to a sloping floor. Below the main theatre is located a small theatre seating 450 people. Exhibition space totalling 35,000 square feet is mainly confined to the promenade and lower floor areas and there are three meeting rooms each seating 150 people. A modern building, the auditorium is used extensively for concerts, travelling shows, musicals and banquets and performs its functions efficiently. In fact, the auditorium is designed primarily for these types of events, so that the fixed seating and sloping floors limit its usefulness for exhibitions or conventions.
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I JUBILEE AUDITORIUM 2 EDMONTON EXHIBITION GROUNDS 3 CLARKE STADIUM 4
RENFREW PARK
5 KINSMEN FIELD HOUSE
•
MAJOR HOTELS AND MOTOR HOTELS
Research Report Number 6 Drawing 1
LOCATION OF MAJOR MEETING FACILITIES
City of Edmonton Plannin Department 1968 Jan.
-7 The Edmonton Convention Bureau was consulted on this and the reply indicated that the auditorium was not regarded as 100 per cent satisfactory for conventions, primarily because of the distance from the first-class hotels and restaurants of the downtown area and because of the inflexible seating arrangements. Bans on smoking and liquor were also cited as being drawbacks to attracting conventions. Additionally, the exhibition space of the auditorium is fragmented. 2) Edmonton Exhibition Grounds The Edmonton Exhibition Association operates the Exhibition Grounds complex which is situated about two miles from downtown in the central northeast section of the City. The site is approximately 90 acres and includes the Edmonton Gardens arena, the Sportex exhibition building, the Sales Pavilion, the Youth Building and Northlands Race Track and its associated horse barns. a) The Edmonton Gardens is the major arena in Edmonton, containing 5,184 permanent seats and 2,500 portable seats which can be placed on the arena floor. Originally built in 1913 as a stock pavilion, it is now a multi-purpose unit, staging rodeos, large meetings, hockey, exhibitions, banquets and circuses. In 1966, the arena was given a complete interior renovation at a cost of $670,000. Exhibition space totalling 18,360 square feet is available, mainly on the arena floor. As this is the only large arena in the City, it is used fairly extensively for a great many functions. However, notwithstanding the renovations, the arena is an old building and thought should be given to its eventual replacement. Its site is
8 well served by ETS routes but one of its main approach routes, 118th Avenue does not offer quick traffic dispersal because of the concentration of retail functions along its length and the consequent intermixing of through and local traffic. The Exhibition Grounds will be eventually served by the proposed northeast freeway and one of the proposed rapid transit lines, so that it will become more easily accessible from the downtown area. At present, the Edmonton Gardens is considered by the Convention Bureau to be too far from the facilities of the downtown area's first-class hotels and restaurants to be considered an adequate convention arena. In 1963, the Stanford Institute came to the same conclusion, that a larger arena nearer the downtown area would be able to attract more conventions. To summarize, the Edmonton Gardens is a multi-purpose arena, but an old arena, and thought will need to be given for planning its replacement by a much larger, more modern facility. b) The Sportex Building, erected in 1963, is primarily an exhibition hall containing 70,000 square feet of exhibit space. It can cater to conventions up to 6,000 and banquets up to 2,000 people. A new modern building, it caters for industrial exhibitions and trade fairs efficiently, but its conversion to 24 sheets of ice for curling from October 1 to April 1 rather precludes its use for exhibitions or conventions during this period. It is unfortunate, as this is often a busy season for such functions. The Sportex building is also regarded by the Convention Bureau as being too far from the services of the downtown area to be useful as a convention hall. The attached
9 Youth Building, seating 700, is used for small meetings, dances and banquets. c) The Sales Pavilion is a building of 30,000 square feet capacity suitable mainly for agricultural exhibitions and industrial exhibitions. It has been used for shows, but the permeating smell and unattractive interior design do not make it a suitable location for such activities. d) Northlands Race Track is the only race track in Edmonton and stages horse racing from mid-June to late October. The weather and track conditions are the reasons for the short season and it would undoubtedly be advantageous to extend the season if this were possible. At present, there is a covered grandstand capable of seating over 8,000 people. B. Sports Facilities 1) Clarke Stadium The stadium occupies a site of 37.07 acres in the central northeast part of the City. It is principally a football field enclosed by open air tiered stands with a total seating capacity of over 22,000. The principle tenants are the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club although junior league football teams and high school teams occasionally use the stadium. Facilities exist for baseball, soccer, fastball and tennis in the complex. There are only enough parking spaces for 3,000 cars, which is completely inadequate and this leads to indiscriminate parking in the surrounding streets. The stadium is in fact a strong debilitating factor in residential areas surrounding it. The site of the stadium will be affected by the
-10line of the proposed northeast freeway so that the stadium's replacement must be given serious thought. There is no doubt that a larger facility will be needed and a straight line projection of Edmonton's metropolitan population to 1981 indicates a 35,000 seat stadium. A recent proposal for Winnipeg Stadium indicated that the stadium should be enlarged to house 45,000 spectators and a covered roof is being given consideration. The Clarke Stadium replacement should be on a more spacious site with adequate room for parking and easily accessible*. A domed roof would undoubtedly be advantageous to spectators, result in increased attendances and would give a new stadium a much broader appeal to non-football activities. 2) Renfrew Park The park, which was constructed in 1907, occupies a site of
4.6
acres north of the City Power Plant and caters primarily for baseball. Crowds of up to 5,300 can be seated in four stands. However, attendances rarely exceed 4,000 and consequently no profitable league franchise could be obtained at present. The park, occupying at present what could be considered a very accessible site, is primarily a baseball park and as such offers facilities for this sport not available elsewhere in the City. 3) Kinsmen Field House The field house, which is a centennial project costing $1,300,000, is located on a 3.03 acre site in Walterdale Flats, The building has been designed to accommodate up to 3,700 persons in permanent and temporary seats. The principal purpose is to provide year round sports facilities, particularly for track events. Facilities exist for basketball and football practice, *A site on the periphery of the City or lower cost land and served by proposed freeways and rapid transit would be ideal.
-11and although the field house is designed primarily for participant sports, it can be arranged to accommodate up to 8,000 persons for concerts. It is anticipated that eventually an Olympic sized swimming pool will be added to the present field house. C. Major Hotels The major hotels and motor hotels in the City are concentrated in the downtown area as indicated on Drawing 1 with a subsidiary dispersal along the major radial routes. The majority of conventions attracted to Edmonton are held in the hotels, as the hotels offer the convenience of meeting and exhibition facilities together with first class rooms and dining facilities. This is an attractive, highly functional arrangement. All the major hotels and motor hotels in the City offer convention facilities with the largest meeting room being offered by the Edmonton Inn (1,500 people) followed by the Chateau Lacombe (1,300) and the Macdonald Hotel (1,000), as indicated by Table
3.
The convenience of a downtown location helps
the hotels a great deal in attracting conventions. However, a conflict does arrive in that if hotels cater too much for conventions, there are fewer rooms for tourists or other guests. If Edmonton develops more as a tourist centre and there are signs that the new Yellowhead route could promote tourism effectively, hotel space could well be at premium as appears to have happened in the summer of 1967 when a few large conventions occupied the bulk of first-class hotel rooms. In 1968 the situation may become more critical as most conventions in 1967 were held in Eastern Canada to coincide with Expo '67. A hotel catering purely for conventions does not exist at present, but there are signs that it may become a reality as indicated in the
- 12-
Stanford, Marlboro Leaseholds and CNR proposals. Conventions do bring money into the City ($2,600,000 in 1966) and ought to be encouraged. At present, the limit on conventions in one hotel in the downtown area is 1,300 and there is little exhibition space available in the downtown area. If Edmonton wishes to become Western Canada's trade and convention centre it must promote the development of better convention and exhibition facilities. The competition for conventions is fierce and a correspondingly determined effort must be made to attract them. Conventions are only attracted by proper and efficient facilities and can afford to choose which city they wish to patronize. In a buyer's market the seller must sell and this is what Edmonton must do. Selling must comprise jointly of promotion and the development of competitive convention facilities. D. Summary 1) Edmonton's major arena is outmoded and too small to accommodate the City's future demands. 2) The only large exhibition hall in the City (the Sportex) is unavailable for exhibitions for almost half the year. Furthermore, it is too far from the downtown area to successfully attract conventions. 3) The only modern convention facility capable of accommodating over 2,000 people (Jubilee Auditorium) is removed from the downtown area and is not regarded in a favourable light by the body responsible for attracting conventions to the City (the Edmonton Convention Bureau). 4) The limit on conventions in the downtown area is 1,300 people and there is little exhibition space available in the downtown area. 5) Edmonton's only major stadium will have to be demolished for a freeway
-13and can accommodate only 22,000 people. It is also a debilitating factor for the surrounding residential areas. TABLE 3 ACCOMMODATION AND CONVENTION FACILITIES OF MAJOR HOTELS AND MOTOR HOTELS Total Rooms 475
Facilities and Capacities M - Meeting Rooms; B - Ballroom; Bt - Banquet Room 200; 75; 150; 75; 50; 30. (M) 1,000 (Bt); 500 (B). 1,300 (devisible into 3); 220;
Hotels and Motor Hotels Macdonald Hotel
Location Downtown
Chateau Lacombe
Downtown
330
Coachman Inn
Downtown
200
70; 30; 30. (M)
Mayfair Hotel
Downtown
164
Riviera Motor Hotel
4 3/4 miles
143
300 (divisible into 2); 40; 30. (M) 150; 200; 35; 35; 60. (M)
Caravan Motor Hotel
from Civic Centre Downtown
141
200; 125; 40. (M)
Corona Drive-In Hotel
Downtown
120
250; 200; 100; 20; 30; 20. (M)
Edmonton Inn
114
150; 25. (M) 1,500 (divisible into 3) (M & B)
King Edward Hotel
2 1/4 miles from Civic Centre Downtown
loo
40. (m)
Royal George Hotel
Downtown
89
Pan American Motel
1 1/4 miles from Civic Centre Downtown
85
75; 75; 60. (M)
Greenbrier Motor Hotel
125. (M)
73 70
400; 125; 75. (M)
Edmonton Travelodge
1 3/8 miles from Civic Centre Downtown
68
40. (m)
Midtowner Motor Inn
Downtown
60
75. (M)
Saxony Motor Inn
4 1/4 miles
40
350; 125. (M)
39
450. (combined banquet rooms) (M)
37
425; 140. (M)
Kingsway Motor Hotel
from Civic Centre Bonaventure Motor Hotel
4 1/4 miles from Civic Centre
Sands Motor Hotel
3 3/4 miles from Civic Centre
CHAPTER THREE RECENT EXPERIENCES IN OTHER URBAN CENTRES
In the planning of any major City facility it is always a stimulating and rewarding experience to examine the efforts of other urban centres. It is now proposed to examine, therefore, a variety of new facilities which have been erected in a number of cities in Canada and the United States in recent years, some of these facilities being synonymous with the cities they serve. A. Arenas and Coliseums 1) Duluth Arena-Auditorium In February 1963, the people of Duluth (population 104,000) voted by a margin of 2 to 1 to approve a $3.1 million bond issue to finance Duluth's share of the $6.1 million arena-auditorium. When erected on the downtown Duluth waterfront, the new complex contained: a) a new oval shaped arena seating between 6,000 and 8,000 for large meetings, banquets, ice shows, conventions, stage productions, hockey, rodeos and the like. b) An auditorium seating 2,400, staging ballet, symphony, opera musical shows and similar events. c) an exhibition hall seating 2,500, which links the arena and auditorium, provides 18,000 square feet for exhibitions and trade shows or by opening the partition between the hall and the arena, 42,000 square feet of exhibit space can be provided. d) flexible meeting rooms, seven in number, are incorporated into the arena ground floor level. These rooms are designed to hold between
75 and 100 people. The arena-auditorium's convention and exhibition
CANA DA SEATTLE
U. s A • -________ . .
SUDBURY DULUTH PRO VIDENC
MADISON V
CINCINNATI •
WICHITA V ANAHEIM •
U.S.A. •---\ MEXICO
\.
HOUSTON
MOBILE V
•
•
••••
KEY COLISEUM, ARENA OR AUDITORIUM •
TRADE CENTRE STADIUM
•
URBAN RENEWAL PROJECT
Research Report Number 6 Drawing
COMMUNITIES WITH CIVIC FACILITIES STUDIED
City of Edmonton Planning Deportment Jan.
1968
- 15 facilities played host to 120,000 convention delegate days during the first year of operation, representing a local expenditure of $4.5 million in the City. There is no doubt that the new complex has attracted convention business as more convention-delegate days were booked for 1967 than in 1964 and 1965 combined, and over 35 per oent.of people visiting the complex were from outside the City. 2) Seattle Centre Situated within a 74 acre landscaped park on the former Worlds Fair site, the complex contains: a) Coliseum - with a seating capacity of 12,250 to 14,200 for sports events and up to 15,000 for conventions. There is exhibition space of 58,500 square feet on the lower main floor and 71,100 square feet on the upper main floor. b) Opera House - a concert-convention hall with a seating capacity of 3,075. c) Display Hall - of 3,700 square feet. d) Exhibition Hall - of 40,000 square feet for exhibitions and trade shows is linked with the display hall and is capable of being converted to a ballroom or a banquet hall seating 3,500 people. e) Arena - seating between 4,243 and 6,251 for sports and 6,100 for conventions. It is equipped for ice shows, and exhibition space of 15,500 square feet is available for conventions. f) Playhouse - designed as a little theatre seating 795 and equipped with an adjacent conference room seating 60. g) Throughout the whole complex are a number of meeting rooms of a wide
-16variety of sizes accommodating from 30 to 750 people. h) A stadium seating 12,000 was built near to the arena complementing the other facilities of the centre. 3)
'ichita Civic Auditorium The dchita Civic Auditorium is situated near the heart of the city, three blocks from the most active intersection in the city. It will cost $12.6 million with land costs at approximately $1,232,700. Built under one large umbrella roof, the complex contains four major halls along with numerous meeting rooms, public concourses and supporting spaces. Each major hall occupies a segment of the complete circle. a) The Convention Hall seats up to 5,523 people in balcony, flat floor and riser chair systems. The stage can be adapted for grand opera, musical and dramatic events, concerts, recitals or lectures. b) The Theatre is designed as a small intimate unit seating 677 people. c) Concert Hall seating 2,200 on a sloping floor. d) The large exhibition hall adjacent to the convention hall provides 50,000 square feet of flat floor exhibit space with an additional 16,000 square feet on the promenade level. The wall dividing the convention and exhibition hall, when removed, allows 100,000 square feet of flat floor space when the flat floor chairs and riser chairs of the exhibition hall are removed. By developing a circular building, the stage resources of each hall can be pooled, leading to more efficient handling of the different events.
4) Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin. This coliseum, built in 1965 at a cost of $5 million, is a circular
-17building designed for maximum use. It contains an arena with 7,630 fixed seats, the arena floor accommodating 24,880 square feet of exhibit space. In addition, the coliseum contains 60,000 square feet of exhibit space, five meeting rooms and can accommodate banquets seating up to 2,400 people. There is a permanent ice rink and the coliseum can cater to trade shows, agricultural shows, horse shows, rodeos, circuses, political rallies, conventions, ice shows and pageants.
5)
Mobile Municipal Auditorium and Theatre The auditorium contains a circular arena seating up to 11,000 people which was designed for versatility. Ice shows, track meets, circuses and conventions can all be staged. The arena is surrounded by sixteen individual meeting rooms, four of which have capacities of 600 to 750. Trade shows and exhibitions can also be held in the arena as well as banquets for up to 2,500 people and the complex contains 80,000 square feet of exhibition space. The adjacent theatre contains 1,950 seats and is used for concerts, musicals, ballets and operas. The whole complex cost $10 million and is operated by the City of Mobile. The site contains spaces for 1,300 cars and was chosen near the downtown area because of its nearness to hotels, stores and restaurants, services required by people attending functions in the complex. It is reported that since completion of the auditorium theatre, hotel and downtown business increased 13 per cent and retail and restaurant establishments have shown increases in trade.
B. Trade Centres 1) Cincinnati_Oonvention-Expo. sitien Centre. This centre, which cost $10 million and opened in September, 1967,
- 18 is a modern facility, each level of which is designed for maximum versatility. The centre is developed at three levels on a site in downtown Cincinxati and within five blocks of six major hotels and motels offering 2,500 first-class rooms, and more than a score of restaurants plus supper clubs, movie theatres, department stores and all the other services needed by a convention. The basement level of the centre contains 28,000 square feet of exhibit space exclusive of service areas. The next level, the exhibit floor, contains 95,200 square feet of exhibit space which can be subdivided to three smaller halls. The second floor contains twenty-seven meeting rooms seating from 50 to 3,000 people along with 41,000 square feet of public area. The rooms are all flexible and a whole variety of sizes can be obtained by using the soundproof partitions. 2) The Rivergate Exhibition Center, New Orleans This new exhibition facility will cost $16.0 million including land and is situated on the river front in New Orleans. It contains 132,500 square feet of clear sioan exhibit space which is divisible, twelve flexible meeting rooms and an underground parking garage for 800 cars. Meetings of between 115 and 17,500 can be accommodated and this indicates a high degree of flexibility. Trade shows, exhibitions, conventions and banquets can all be easily accommodated. 3) Anaheim Convention Centre The convention centre was situated directly opposite Disneyland; this location and the nearness of hotels is a prime factor in the attraction of conventions. The centre contains an arena seating up to 9,000 people, an exhibition hall connected to the arena containing 100,000 square feet of
-19-
exhibition space and 27 flexible meeting and assembly rooms. Construction costs were $8.5 million and land costs were $3.5 million for a site of 40 acres which includes over 2,000 spaces for cars. C. Covered Stadiums 1) Houston Astrodome This is undoubtedly one of the most publicized facilities in the United States. The project was financed by the taxpayers of Harris County who voted bond issues worth $31,600,000 to cover the county share of the project. In total, $45,350,000 was spent with the stadium structure costing $20,000,000. Completely air conditioned and heated to an average 72' F, the stadium, 710 feet in diameter, is completely enclosed and can accommodate 45,000 for baseball, 52,000 for football, 60,000 for conventions and 66,000 for boxing matches. Bullfights, circuses, rodeos, polo, trade shows, rallies and religious crusades have been accommodated in the structure. Luxuriously appointed "sky-boxes" rent from $15,000 to $18,000 per annum. Adjacent to the astrodome is a large Y-shaped exhibit centre offering 500,000 square feet of floor area for conventions and exhibitions. This 13 acre exhibit centre can be divided into four separate sections, each of 125,000 square feet and contains sixteen separate meeting rooms accommodating from 50 to 2,000 people for conventions and meetings. Parking spaces for 30,000 cars are provided adjacent to the astrodome complex. D. Use of Urban Renewal Techniques It would be instructive to end this chapter by taking a brief look at two cities where urban renewal techniques have been used in order to clear sites for civic centre projects. In both cases, as in Edmonton, coliseum or auditorium
-20-
complexes have been suggested as a means of broadening the attractions of the civic centre and of cleaning up decaying parts of the city. 1) Sudbury, Ontario The 1963 Central Business District Urban Renewal Scheme proposed a civic centre containing a convention hall, museum, offices, municipal offices and adequate parking. Some sort of convention facilities were regarded as essential to the scheme as "... partially due to lack of centralized convention facilities and/or exhibition hall, there are no conventions held in Sudbury." "The location of the convention hall within the civic centre would have the advantages of immediate access to the throughway, transportatinn termini and convenient accommodation of out-of-town guests ... (and) convenience to downtown facilities. This development and redevelopment would be a key move in reversing the decline of the surrounding areas." 2) Providence, Rhode Island. The Weybosset Hill Urban Renewal Scheme prepared by I.M. Pei Associates covered an area of 55 acres near downtown Providence. Essentially, the proposal entailed supplanting the worn-out dilapidated parts of this section of the city with "... the vital elements of a new community." Two predominant land uses were proposed; firstly, public and semi public uses and, secondly, residential uses. The public uses included: a) a 10,000 seat sports arena capable of being used for trade shows and conventions as well as sports. b) an exhibition hall. c) a regional travel centre.
- 21-
d) a new motor hotel of 250 rooms which would be dependent on the other people-attracting units. As part of the central business district, the site will be served by a high speed loop freeway and inner and outer downtown loop road systems. An interstate bus terminal planned adjacent to the arena-exhibition hall complex will further increase the accessibility of the revitalized site. These then are a few brief examples of the result of forward thinking in a broad range of North American cities and may help to act as good comparisons with the schemes submitted to Council discussed in the next chapter. Appendix A contains a list of material recently gathered by the Planning Department on coliseums, trade centres and stadia in other cities.
CHAPTER FOUR SCHEMES SUBMITTED TO COUNCIL
The question of whether the City should build a trade centre, coliseum or domed stadium has aroused a great deal of public interest. Unfortunately the situation has been likened to a battle between one facility or the other. This is wrong, as the proposed facilities do not directly compete and, in many ways complement each other. Ultimately, the City may possess all three facilities, but the purpose of this report is to assess the individual merits of each proposal and to indicate which one best fulfils the City's present needs. The proposals submitted to the Council are discussed below together with comments on their individual merits. A. Coliseums 1) Edmonton Civic Centre - Webb and Knapp 1962. The oldest scheme submitted to the Council is that of the Webb and Knapp Civic Centre Report of 1962 which recommended that consideration be given to the erection of an 11,000 seat coliseum on a site bounded by 103 and 104 Avenues and 101 and 103 Streets. The presence of the coliseum was expected to "... add greatly to the desired pedestrian concentration in the retail district." Parking was to be in multi-level parkades in close proximity to the coliseum. An exhibition hall named the Northern Development Pavilion was proposed on the site now occupied by the Centennial Library. This hall was to act as an exhibition centre for regional industry and commerce. Comments on Proposal a) Site: (i) size - the site is of adequate size for the coliseum and it
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9 -
t967 MARLBORO LEASEHOLDS PROPOSED TRADE CENTRE SITE 1963 STANFORD INSTITUTE PROPOSED COLISEUM SITE _1966 SAM HASHMAN CONSTRUCTION PROPOSED COLISEUM SITE 1967 B.W.BROOKER ENGINEERING PROPOSED DOME STADIUM SITE 1968 C.N.R. PROPOSED TRADE CENTRE AND COLISEUM SITES
Research Report Number 6
PROPOSED SITES IN RELATION TO THE CENTRAL AREA
Drawing
3
City of Edmonton Planning Department 1000
-23could be expanded to 101 Street on the east and into the warehouse district on the west if expansion is desired at a later date. (ii) cost - it is not known what the site would cost in 1968. Expansion of the site to the 101 Street frontage might also be costly as it would involves the clearance of retail establishments. (iii) access - the site is not on the route of the proposed Bechtel rapid transit line but would be on the route of the proposed C.N.R. rapid transit line. This is an advantage as it would allow quick crowd dispersal and make the facility easily accessible. (iv) parking - although no parking would be provided on site, the large parking facilities of the downtown retail core are reasonably close by and as the coliseum would be used mainly at night, there should be little conflict of use. Additional parkades may, however, be needed. (v) location (a) the site is within reasonable walking distance of downtown hotels and downtown facilities. It is also close to the major hotel proposed in the CN scheme. (b) the development of this site would exert a pull to the west on the Civic Centre while, at the same time, the City is working through urban renewal to exert a pull to the east on the downtown area.
PROPOSED COLISEUM COMPLEX - STANFORD-RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- 24 (c) the immediate environment of the site, with the CN tracks to the north and the warehouse district to the west is not a fitting setting for such an important civic facility, although this situation may be radically changed by private redevelopment in these areas. b) Facility: (i)size - the proposed coliseum would contain 11,000 seats which would be adequate for Edmonton's needs for some time but would be too small to attract an N.H.L. franchise (ii)functions - the functions of such an arena are very diverse and, because of its multiple uses, it attracts a wider range of functions into the downtown area. It would strengthen the downtown area by encouraging more people to visit the downtown area, with beneficial effects for downtown services. 2) A Coliseum Complex - Stanford Research Institute, 1963 The Stanford Research Institute was engaged by the City to make a comprehensive report on the need for a coliseum. The report recommended that a coliseum complex be developed on a site south of the police station, the complex to contain: (i) an arena with 9,000 permanent seats and 3,000 - 4,000 portable seats. (ii) an exhibition hall of 40,000 square feet eventually increasing to 70,000 square feet. (iii)
meeting rooms of a flexible nature to accommodate meetings of from 25 to 1,000 people.
(iv) a little theatre of 700 seats.
(v) a 700 - 800 space underground parking garage. (vi) a tourist centre and office tower as a later development. The report is dated, however, and its estimates need to be revised to 1968 circumstances. Comments on Proposal a) Site: (i) size - the site is
91/2 acres in size and adequate for the complex
proposed although expansion would be difficult. (ii) cost - the land cost estimated by Stanford is now outdated and will need to be revised to 1968. (iii) access - the site would be served by an improved road network and is on the line of the proposed Bechtel rapid transit line. The latter was an important locational factor, although it may not be longer valid if the C.N.R. rapid transit scheme is adopted. Studies would need to be made to ascertain the impact of the complex's generated traffic on the central area road network. (iv) parking - only 700 - 800 cars can be accommodated on the site and it was estimated that spaces for over 2,000 extra cars would need to be found in the adjacent area. No doubt the library parking garage would benefit from the presence of a nearby coliseum. (v) location(a) the complex would be in the downtown area and would bring the same benefits to the downtown area as the Webb and Knapp proposal. (b) the site would act as an anchor in the southeast corner of
-26the Civic Centre, add new depth to Civic Centre activities and act as a spur to urban renewal in the areas immediately to the east. b) Facility: (i) size - the coliseum complex arena would be, again, too small to attract a N.H.L. franchise although the size is more suited to Edmonton's size than the Edmonton Gardens. (ii) location - the location in close proximity to offices would mean that the coliseum could expect a higher use of the parking facilities and of its social facilities during the working day. The close proximity to downtown hotels would enhance its use for conventions. (iii) functions - the coliseum is not simply a sports arena but a highly versatile building capable of accommodating practically any of the City's social activities. B. Coliseum and Trade Centre Combinations 1) Edmonton Centre - Hashman Construction Limited, 1966. This proposal has much in keeping with the Stanford Institute Report on which it seems to be partly based. The complex is proposed on the site south of the police station on the same site as that recommended by the Stanford Report. Proposed in three parts the complex would contain: Stage 1 - arena of 9,000 permanent seats and 3,000 temporary seats. - an exhibition hall of 25,000 square feet. - a rental concession area of 10,000 square feet. - a trade centre of 82,000 square feet. - parking garage of 900 cars beneath the site.
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-27Stage 2 - convention centre - 2,000 seats on main floor and a 2,000 seat first floor ballroom. - exhibition hall expansion of 15,000 square feet. - a 700 seat theatre. - trade centre expansion of 15,000 square feet. - parking for 150 cars. Stage
3 -
office or hotel tower.
The total cost of stage one is $11 million excluding the cost of land. The company proposes to build the complex, lease it to the City for $820,000 annually then hand it cost free to the City after 40 years. The City would acquire the land and rent it to the developers for the 40 year period. Comments on Proposal a) Site: the comments made above on the Stanford Institute site are equally true, as the site is exactly the same. b) Facility: (i) cost - although the cost of stage one is given as $11 million there is no indication as to what the cost of the other stages will be. Additionally, as with the Stanford Report, the financial estimates would need to be updated to 1968. (ii) location - this complex would be in a good position to attract a great deal of Edmonton's trade and convention business as it is very accessible to the facilities of the downtown area. 2) C.N.R. Trade Centre and Coliseum, 1968. The C.N.R. scheme is more than a trade centre or coliseum scheme, it is a large downtown redevelopment proposal utilizing the air rights over the
THE PROPOSED C.N.R. DEVELOPMENT LOOKING WEST
-28C.N.R. downtown tracks. Apparently, the C.N.R. wish to demonstrate solely the feasibility of the proposal but leave the actual redevelopment up to others. It is difficult to assess the proposal solely on the basis of its trade centre and coliseum although these seem to be essential parts of the scheme. The trade centre and coliseum have been portrayed in the C.N.R. model as being linked by a heliport and adjacent to a large convention hotel and transportation complex including a rapid transit scheme. Comments on Proposal a) Site: (i) cost - it has not yet been revealed what the cost of leasing the air rights and constructing the concrete deck will be. (ii) access - the trade centre and coliseum would be served by a C.N.R. rapid transit scheme, would be in close proximity to the C.N.R. railroad station and the bus terminus and would be serviced by helicopter from either the International or the Industrial Airports. This would make it the most highly accessible site in Edmonton. (iii) parking - exact details are not available but ample parking would be provided in the lower concrete deck. (iv) location - like the Webb and Knapp site, the C.N.R. site would be easily accessible to downtown facilities and adjacent to the proposed C.N.R. convention hotel. b) Facility: No details have been released as to the type, cost or size of the trade centre or coliseum. The only comment to be made at this stage is that the C.N.R. have proposed the trade centre, coliseum, convention hotel and new transportation termini in a
-29highly efficient, functional arrangement. This might have the effect, as in the Webb and Knapp proposal of exerting a pull to the west on the Civic Centre to the detriment of the early redevelopment of the area immediately east of the Civic Centre. C. Trade Centres 1) Concordia Estates, 1967. The group plans the development of a trade centre complex on the site south of the police station. The complex, costing between $25 million and $40 million would contain an exhibition hall, convention hotel, display and shopping areas and perhaps apartments. The proposals submitted to the Council are in the embryo stage and no detailed plans have been released. The group has indicated, however, that it holds options on part of the site and will develop this land with or without a trade centre. a) Site: the site is the same as for the Stanford and Hashman proposals so that the same comments are valid. The fact that this group holds options on part of the site would indicate that the Stanford and Hashman proposals would now be difficult to develop on their proposed site. 2) Marlboro Leaseholds, 1967. The group associated with Western International Hotels has proposed a complex containing an exhibit-convention hall of 100,000 square feet of continuous exhibit space, a trade building providing 140,000 square feet of office space, a 400 room hotel, a 900 car underground parking garage and a 200,000 square foot trade centre tower split into 170,000 square feet for business use and 30,000 square feet of retail and exhibit space. The hotel
-30would be built on the site of the old post office and the remainder of the proposal on the site south of the police station. The City would assume responsibility after the trade centre is constructed and would be responsible for the annual debt of $840,000. It is predicted that the trade centre would make a profit after five years, by which time a coliseum could be developed on the site. Comments on Proposal a) Site: The same site advantages would accrue to this proposal as to the Concordia Group proposal and the Stanford and Hashman proposals. b) Facility: (i) functions - the exhibit convention hall is intended as a highly flexible unit capable of accommodating conventions of 6,000 people and trade shows needing 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and any intermediate size of convention or trade show. This helps ensure that the hall would have a high degree of use on account of its flexibility. (ii) cost (a) from the financial data supplied, it appears that the exhibit convention hall and trade centre combined would show a net profit of $154,000 after the fourth or fifth year, including parking fees. Up to this period it appears that the complex would make a loss which would be covered by the City. It is also estimated that the arena too would make a net loss of $250,000 per year. (b) the report estimates the cost of the parking garage to be
-31$1,600 per slot. This figure appears too low and just over half of the cost of a comparable slot in the Centennial Library garage. D. Domed Stadium 1) B.W. Brooker Engineering Limited, 1967. The submission was presented "in the honest belief that a domed stadium is a practical possibility and necessity for the City of Edmonton." Essentially, the proposal consists of a 32,000 seat circular stadium with a domed roof 612 feet in diameter. Situated on an 18 acre site on Rossdale Flats northeast of the City power plant, the stadium would contain parking for 8,000 cars on two levels of a parking structure and surface parking lots. In recent years the Houston Astrodome has received a great deal of publicity and the Brooker proposal appears to have influenced by the success of the Astrodome, the main contention being that "... if a domed stadium is feasible in Houston, it is a necessity in Edmonton." The domed stadium, it is claimed, would counteract the disruptive nature of the winter by allowing a multitudinous number of activities to take place all year round in complete comfort for participants and spectators. It is anticipated that the stadium would not only attract conventions but would gain considerable prestige for Edmonton. Comments on Proposal a) Site: (i) size - the site is 18 acres in size of which the stadium would occupy about 7 acres. This would mean that parking would be forced into costly underground or multi-level installations. (ii) cost - the submission makes no reference to land costs on the basis
-32that the City would make the land available. The site is zoned RC-1 at present. (iii) access (a) the site is not on the route of any proposed rapid transit line. This is unfortunate as rapid transit could be invaluable in quick crowd dispersal. (b) the development of this site would entail changes to the proposed freeway between the 105 Street and low level bridges to accommodate the access and egress ramps and the heavily increased traffic flow. (iv) parking - it is proposed that 8,000 cars would be accommodated on the site in a two level parking structure and in surface lots. Calculating on the basis of 500 square feet per slot, and assuming two levels of underground parking and one level of surface parking exclusive of the area occupied by the stadium, only 4,920 cars can be accommodated. The cost of this parking would be $14,760,000 at $3,000 per slot. To construct 8,000 stalls in a multi-level structure would cost approximately $24 million (underground) or $9,600,000 (surface). It appears,therefore, that the cost of the parking structure has not been included in the quoted cost of $25 million. (v) location - a previous report on this site indicated that the site was liable to flooding and that two water tables existed at
8 feet
and 22 feet below the surface because of the capillary action of the soil. The difficulties of developing the stadium to 25 feet below surface levels would imply that costly site works would be needed.
33b) Facility: (i) size - with a seating capacity of 32,000 and a roof 175 feet high, the stadium would create a depressing "barn-like" atmosphere for smaller, more intimate events. (ii) functions (a) a proposal to minimize the effects of the winter is certainly worth considering in a climate as severe as Edmonton's. (b) although the submission claims the stadium is near enough the downtown area to attract conventions, it is doubted whether the stadium would be as attractive to convention delegates as a downtown convention centre because of its distance from downtown hotels and services. (c) the submission calculates that the stadium's parking facilities could be used by downtown parkers and this would bring in $462,000 per year. This appears to be speculation at this stage, although a great deal of the stadium's income is dependent on these parking fees. (d) the submission claims that the stadium would realize the full potential of the River Valley in that it would cater to a larger number of citizens than would be the case if the valley site was allowed to become parkland. This is a valid argument, but its acceptance might set an awkward precedent regarding future development in the River Valley. (e) although it is claimed to be a multi-purpose unit, the estimated income reveals that sports rentals would contribute
$322,000 and conventions only $20,000 per annum. Furthermore, the stadium would rely on the tenancy of the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club although the football season is of extremely short duration. It was only the baseball franchise with its long regular season that made the Houston Astrodome feasible and makes one wonder at the validity of an Edmonton domed stadium depending on football and being devoid of a major user for most of the year. These are the planning comments on each proposal. In many ways some of the proposals are very similar and utilize the same site so that similar comments are valid. Some salient points occur in the discussions on the proposals and these are worth noting. a) There are four proposals for the site south of the police station, and all four contain almost identical features. For example, all the proposals for this site include large exhibition-convention halls and three have proposed arenas. All four have proposed office towers and two have proposed hotels near the site. The C.N.R. and Webb and Knapp sites are to the northwest of the Civic Centre; the C.N.R. proposal includes a trade centre, coliseum and hotel, whereas the Webb and Knapp proposal only involves a coliseum. Every single proposal discussed hopes to attract conventions. b) The domed stadium is not a rival of the trade centre or coliseum and a good case could be put up for having all three facilities developed simultaneously. The question regarding these proposals is more one of priority rather than need, as all will be needed eventually.
- 35 c) The C.N.R. proposal cannot be treated simply as a trade centre or coliseum proposal and it is not known how the proposal including rapid transit would be affected if neither a trade centre nor a coliseum were built on the C.N.R. site. d) Two of the proposals, the C.N.R. and Concordia Estates, lack any substantive detail. e) The choice of facility should not be compromised by the fact that one interested group owns options on the site south of the police station. f) It is important that the needs of the citizens be determined and then a decision made on which proposal best fulfils these needs. g) Each of the proposals has presented its financial data in a different way which makes it difficult to compare financial performances. Table 4 indicates this quite clearly. From this a number of points can be made: (i) the total cost of some projects is not revealed. For example, only the cost of stage one of the Hashman report is revealed and there are no estimates as to land costs for the dome stadium site. (ii) it is not clear from the Domed Stadium report if the cost of the parking structure has been considered as part of the total cost. (iii) the C.N.R. and Concordia Estates proposals do not present any financial data whatsoever. (iv) in the Edmonton Centre and Dome Stadium reports, no breakdown of the annual costs is given. It is difficult to compare exactly the financial performance of each proposed facility and its implications to the City, so that it is essential the City obtains good comparative financial data.
- 36 TABLE 4 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OF PROPOSALS SUBMITTED TO COUNCIL Stanford
Hashman
Brooker
Concordia
Marlboro
A. Annual Budget .Total Capital Cost
$10,250,000 $11,000,000 125,000,000 $25 - 40 m. $1o,35o,000
Annual Income
668,000
766,000
1,324,000
-
1,719,000
Annual Expenses
458,000
264,000
300,000
-
725,000
Gross Profit
210,000
502,000
1,024,000
-
994,000
1,768,000
-
840,000
Capital Cost Payments
-
820,000
Net Profit (or Loss)
_
(318,000)
(744,000)
_
154,000
B. Annual Income Rentals
363,750
352,000
342,000
-
1,332,240
Parking
219,500
379,000
462,000
-
330,000
84,750
35,000
520 000
-
56,695
668,000
766,000
1,324,000
-
1,718,935
Concessions Total
C.N.R.
CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendation One The City should fully comprehend the financial implications of each proposal before deciding priorities. At present, good comparative economic data of the type needed does not exist. It is, therefore, recommended that the City requests all the rival exponents to provide the following data: 1. Capital Cost - of construction - of land 2. Annual Operating Revenue, with breakdown. 3. Annual Operating Expenses, with breakdown. 4. The City's contribution to capital cost and to operating and long term debt expenses. The Stanford Institute report should also be updated to 1968 cost figures. Recommendation Two Convention and exhibition facilities existing in the City are not fully satisfactory for a variety of reasons. If the City wishes to develop its convention business, then an attempt must be made to provide adequate facilities. It is recommended, therefore, that the first priority should be the provision of efficient and flexible convention and year round exhibition facilities. The exact size of these facilities should be the subject of detailed studies. Recommendation Three New convention and exhibition facilities should be developed to be accessible to first class hotel rooms, restaurants, retail and entertainment facilities and transportation termini. The downtown area is, therefore, the most suitable location. Recommendation Four The Edmonton Gardens arena is an aged building and too small for Edmonton's
-38future needs. It should be eventually replaced by a modern facility with a higher seating capacity. Recommendation Five If the need for expanded convention and exhibition facilities and an Edmonton Gardens' replacementis accepted, then the integration of all these needs into a flexible, multi-purpose downtown coliseum would make good financial and functional sense. This is in fact what the Stanford Institute reported in 1963. Recommendation Six The Dome Stadium proposal has great merit in Edmonton where the winter weather severely curtails non-winter sports activities. As Clarke Stadium has to be replaced, a replacement with a domed roof seems logical. The replacement would need to have a larger seating capacity than the present stadium and better parking facilities. More study should be given to the Dome Stadium proposal with the provision that the site in the River Valley be supplanted by a larger, more easily developed site on the periphery of the City, well serviced by proposed freeways and rapid transit.
This report was prepared by J.G. Masterton, Research Planner, under the supervision of W. Walchuk, Senior Research Planner with the overall direction and guidance of S.C. Rodgers, Director of Planning.
APPENDIX A REPORTS ON FILE IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT A. COLISEUMS, ARENAS, AUDITORIUMS 1. Phoenix, Arizona (metropolitan.area,population 520,000) - Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 2. Madison, Wisconsin (154,000) - Dane County Memorial Coliseum 3. Mobile, Alabama (222,000) - Municipal Auditorium and Theatre 4. Houston, Texas (1,100,000) - Jesse H. Jones Hall, Sam Houston Coliseum, Convention Centre, Music Hall 5. Wichita, Kansas (275,000) - Auditorium Complex 6. Macon, Georgia (128,000) - Macon Coliseum 7. Duluth, Minnesota (104,000) - Arena-Auditorium B. TRADE AND CONVENTION CENTRES 1. San Diego, California (636,000) - Community Concourse 2. Tulsa, Oklahoma (280,000) - Tulsa Exposition Centre 3. New Orleans,Louisiana (655,000) - The Rivergate Exhibition Centre 4. Cincinnati, Ohio (495,000) - Convention, Exposition Centre 5. Seattle, Washington (565,000) - Seattle Centre 6. Tulsa, Oklahoma (280,000) - Tulsa Assembly Centre C. STADIA 1. Anaheim, California (146,000) - Anaheim Stadium and Convention Centre 2. Houston, Texas (1,100,000) - Harris County Domed Stadium (Astrodome) D. CIVIC CENTRES 1. Ottawa, Ontario (494,000) - Ottawa Civic Centre 2. Birmingham, Alabama (345,000) - Civic Centre 3. Savannah, Georgia (141,000) - Civic Centre E. 1967 Arena - Auditorium - StadiUm GUide
TRADE_,
•
,
_ DOMED STADIUM
RESEAF:CH REPORT No. 6
F.