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View Full Version : Vancouver news conference @ 9:30; Retractable Roof approved at Half a Billion dollars



Vancouver MLS
10-23-2009, 01:15 AM
It's Official! $ 458 million dollars to make the Whitecaps happy happy happy!

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Place+million+upgrade/2137532/story.html

SilverSamurai
10-23-2009, 01:20 AM
Holy crap!
Would've been cheaper and easier to get your own stadium, but we all know how that's going...

Shway
10-23-2009, 01:41 AM
but yet they cant build their own stadium.....makes sense

kodiakTFC
10-23-2009, 02:25 AM
but yet they cant build their own stadium.....makes sense

ahhh I see what you did there!

P.s. - Totally agree, seriously what the hell?!

Eastend
10-23-2009, 08:36 AM
What bullshit.....for a 5th of that they could of had an amazing SSS.....unbelievable....

Fort York Redcoat
10-23-2009, 08:37 AM
Yup. I was just glad to see Toronto spending that kind of money, again.

Nodoubtguy
10-23-2009, 08:39 AM
I read the thread title and thought "Holy fuck, were getting a roof!!".....and then noticed it was in BC

Eastend
10-23-2009, 08:40 AM
Yup. I was just glad to see Toronto spending that kind of money, again.

Huh? This isn't Toronto, it's Vancouver.

flatpicker
10-23-2009, 08:53 AM
I seriously can't wrap my brain around this.
They better have a huge list of events scheduled to make use of this overpriced facility!
Simply bonkers.
I think they've been smoking too much of that BC weed!

Eastend
10-23-2009, 09:08 AM
I guess they're really trying to be like T.O., ala Skydome.....Toronto envy at it's stupidest.....

flatpicker
10-23-2009, 09:37 AM
I guess they're really trying to be like T.O., ala Skydome.....Toronto envy at it's stupidest.....

and the Skydome is very undesirable these days.
It's worth a fraction of it's original cost now.

This is really stupid!
Just build a stadium already!

drewski
10-23-2009, 09:59 AM
2.5x the budget for the roof approved in January :o

in Mar 2008, it was reported a replacement with the same kind of roof (which I think its due for) was reported to be $100m a year, only $50m then the retractable. I wonder how much that would have ballooned to if it had been picked

they are apparently also looking for private sector money for it as well http://dcnonl.com/article/id35841

sidvan
10-23-2009, 10:20 AM
Charge it to the winter olympics

Vancouver MLS
10-23-2009, 01:18 PM
Beautiful!!!!!

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Place+million+upgrade/2137532/story.html

Oldtimer
10-23-2009, 02:03 PM
Well, I guess this means Van is really in for 2011.

mighty_torontofc_2008
10-23-2009, 02:07 PM
I guess they're really trying to be like T.O., ala Skydome.....Toronto envy at it's stupidest.....


thats vancouver for you...

SteeltownBhoy
10-23-2009, 02:54 PM
I guess no grass because of the Lions eh???

I gotta tell ya,it looks like a totally new stadium from the artist renderings!! But for close to 1/2 billion???

How many BMO'S with roof could we get for that??

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
10-23-2009, 03:01 PM
we all know BMO was built as quick and CHEAP.... as they could rip it down just as quick and CHEAP in case of failure!...

Hopefully we will get a proper face lift one day!

Toronto Ruffrider
10-23-2009, 06:24 PM
I guess no grass because of the Lions eh???

I gotta tell ya,it looks like a totally new stadium from the artist renderings!! But for close to 1/2 billion???

How many BMO'S with roof could we get for that??

For half a billion dollars, the revamped BC Place Stadium should come with a fully transparent roof, a natural grass pitch that continually repairs itself with nanites, and vibrating seats that have a Korean BBQ grill in front of them.

Banjax
10-23-2009, 06:37 PM
For half a billion dollars, the revamped BC Place Stadium should come with a fully transparent roof, a natural grass pitch that continually repairs itself with nanites, and vibrating seats that have a Korean BBQ grill in front of them.
Sounds like a winner to me....

Vancity RED
10-23-2009, 07:01 PM
Sadly the pitch will be turf. Supposedly really good turf, but fake stuff nevertheless. Nice buliding and all, but the turf thing saddens me. One step forward, two steps back.

billyfly
10-23-2009, 08:11 PM
^Want us to ask DeRo to complain about it when he's there?

Batman
10-24-2009, 07:09 AM
and the Skydome is very undesirable these days.
It's worth a fraction of it's original cost now.

This is really stupid!
Just build a stadium already!

I think I saw it on Kijiji for $10 Bucks.

Alas, I dont have a truck.

rocker
10-24-2009, 01:35 PM
we all know BMO was built as quick and CHEAP.... as they could rip it down just as quick and CHEAP in case of failure!...

Hopefully we will get a proper face lift one day!

stop disparaging our girl ;)

she's only 2.5 years old.... have some patience too ;)

Cashcleaner
10-24-2009, 01:54 PM
$458 million for a fucking roof?! Glad I'm not a BC taxpayer. Yeah, I know it's been said already, but who in their right mind would think this sounds like a good deal?

BMO Field cost $62.5 million. Stade Saputo cost $14.1 million. And somehow a new roof for BC Place is costing $458 million? Why so much? Is it made of pure gold? Does it emit chemicals that give the crowd below some sort of euphoric high?

:facepalm:

grizzle
10-24-2009, 02:13 PM
Hidden Toronto level in one of the artist renderings (look at the scoreboard):

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.vancouversun.com/sports/gallery+place+stadium+looks/2137946/1402529.bin?size=620x400

Vindaloo
10-24-2009, 02:28 PM
It's a lot of money obviously but I think people need to look past the stadium being a sole purpose for sport or for the Caps in particular. The refurb of BC Place would be done regardless of the MLS franchise. It's a bonus for everyone that they will play there temporarily for whatever amount of years, but although it helped, it wasn't the deciding factor.

The stadium is mainly there as convention space for home shows, etc., and entertainment functions over 200 days out of the year. The CFL only has 9 reg. season home games. A new stadium in that location to rebuild would cost over $1 billion plus the cost of demolition of the current one. The gov't, who owns BC Place, found the only way to maintain these purposes and make it more contemporary in design and therefore attracting new business and lengthening the life of it, without building an expensive new venue, was to do this retractable roof. They would be doing this if MLS Vancouver were playing there or not. In fact their new promo video for the stadium has the CFL as a priority, then convention/entertainment stuff, and then MLS.

Which comes to the Caps. This will only be a temporary venue - 5 years? They have continually stated that their goal is to build their own stadium wherever that may be. They say they are working on the waterfront location still.

Dirk Diggler
10-24-2009, 02:39 PM
$458 million for a fucking roof?! Glad I'm not a BC taxpayer. Yeah, I know it's been said already, but who in their right mind would think this sounds like a good deal?

BMO Field cost $62.5 million. Stade Saputo cost $14.1 million. And somehow a new roof for BC Place is costing $458 million? Why so much? Is it made of pure gold? Does it emit chemicals that give the crowd below some sort of euphoric high?

:facepalm:

They have more to do than just put on a new roof. Aside from the fact that retractable roof systems are generally expensive, BC Place, in its current state, is not designed to handle such a roof. They have to make some significant structural changes in order to just make the current stadium capable of handling a new roof system. That alone is probably around $100 million right there. Also, they mentioned that the costs also includes the expenses they figure to incur in order to give the BC Lions a temporary venue to play at for a season when the renovations are taking place.

rocker
10-24-2009, 02:55 PM
Which comes to the Caps. This will only be a temporary venue - 5 years? They have continually stated that their goal is to build their own stadium wherever that may be. They say they are working on the waterfront location still.

hopefully governments don't block that process to keep the Whitecaps as a tenant in BC Place for longer than 5 years.

Stryker
10-24-2009, 03:03 PM
I wouldn't count on your roof just vet Vancouver. Joe Taxpayer is going to shit a brick over this and rightfully so.

Marc"2L"
10-24-2009, 03:18 PM
As heartless as it sounds, if the CFL folds that could be the crown of MLS. Well, replace the turf obviously.

Cashcleaner
10-24-2009, 03:49 PM
They have more to do than just put on a new roof. Aside from the fact that retractable roof systems are generally expensive, BC Place, in its current state, is not designed to handle such a roof. They have to make some significant structural changes in order to just make the current stadium capable of handling a new roof system. That alone is probably around $100 million right there. Also, they mentioned that the costs also includes the expenses they figure to incur in order to give the BC Lions a temporary venue to play at for a season when the renovations are taking place.

They could do all that and more, or maybe just settle for a new soccer-specific stadium in another location. Heck, you could probably run a dedicated transit line there and would still wouldn't come close to half a billion.

Though I wonder what temporary venue the Lions will be playing out of.

Toronto Ruffrider
10-24-2009, 03:53 PM
^ Transportation improvements aside - light rail lines are not cheap - half a billion dollars could easily purchase a sparkling new stadium for each of the Whitecaps and the Lions.

ilikemusic
10-24-2009, 03:55 PM
A cable retractable cloth roof cant really been seen as a good idea can it?

NF-FC
10-24-2009, 03:56 PM
As heartless as it sounds, if the CFL folds that could be the crown of MLS. Well, replace the turf obviously.

The turf would still be there if the Lions left. BC Place is a convention centre that just happens to host football too.

Dirk Diggler
10-24-2009, 03:58 PM
They could do all that and more, or maybe just settle for a new soccer-specific stadium in another location. Heck, you could probably run a dedicated transit line there and would still wouldn't come close to half a billion.

Though I wonder what temporary venue the Lions will be playing out of.

The soccer specific stadium is out of the hands of the province since the site for the proposed waterfront stadium is owned by the federal government. In that regard, there is not much BC can do.

Also, the project is about more than just giving the Whitecaps a place to play. The inflatable roof was beginning to show its age and the idea of a retractable roof has been thrown around for years now ... before even the Whitecaps started making a bid for MLS. With a new reliable roof, they would, presumably, save money on the expenses associated with maintaining an old and unreliable inflatable dome and still manage to profit from all the expos and what not that it will be able to host year round.

Either way, stadium costs are really sketchy, aren't they? There really is no way to tell how much one would end up costing. The new Yankee stadium allegedly cost more than a billion dollars where as the Birds Nest in Beijing, according to the Chinese government, was around $450 million.

Dirk Diggler
10-24-2009, 04:00 PM
A cable retractable cloth roof cant really been seen as a good idea can it?

The system seems to be working just fine in Frankfurt (I believe). Similar retractable roof systems are also in the works in other parts of the world.

Dirk Diggler
10-24-2009, 04:01 PM
The turf would still be there if the Lions left. BC Place is a convention centre that just happens to host football too.

Yeah ... I don't think the stadium will be able to grow grass anyways ... from what I've seen of the stadium sketches, the roof won't let nearly enough light ... not to mention that the stands weren't designed to let in the generous amount of wind circulation and what not that would be necessary for grass.

Cashcleaner
10-24-2009, 04:43 PM
Either way, stadium costs are really sketchy, aren't they? There really is no way to tell how much one would end up costing. The new Yankee stadium allegedly cost more than a billion dollars where as the Birds Nest in Beijing, according to the Chinese government, was around $450 million.

Agreed 100%

And wasn't the new Dallas Cowboys stadium completely privately funded?

Dirk Diggler
10-24-2009, 05:17 PM
Agreed 100%

And wasn't the new Dallas Cowboys stadium completely privately funded?

Yeah it was completely privately funded ... so was the new Yankee Stadium, aside from a sweetheart deal on the land from the city I believe.

ag futbol
10-25-2009, 11:46 AM
I agree with the comments above completely.

Great to have a roof, but the totality of spending that much money compared to having a SSS make no sense. Those stupid developers acting as NUMBYS need to get kicked a few times and the waterfront stadium project needs to be pushed through.

SilverSamurai
10-25-2009, 03:34 PM
I guess they're really trying to be like T.O., ala Skydome.....Toronto envy at it's stupidest.....
I wouldn't go that far...

Charge it to the winter olympics
That's the real reason I'd think.
What events are they hosting at BC Place?

^Want us to ask DeRo to complain about it when he's there?
Haha. May as well. Toss in JDG while you're at it.


In Vancouver's defence it's not that they don't have the $$$, it's the port authority. Kerfoot has the cash to not only build the stadium 100% from his own cash, but he also owns the land too. That's what makes everything even stupider and more insane...:facepalm: You know someone over there is getting a HUGE finders fee for oking this project.
Would still be a lot cheaper to have a LRT line to and from the stadium, plus the stadium itself built by Kerfoot... He'd prob make this for a fraction of the cost...:facepalm::drinking:
pass the kool-aid please...

Cashcleaner
10-26-2009, 03:28 AM
^ Wait a second. I thought land for the Vancouver stadium was federal land. Isn't the resistance to the stadium mostly about transferring public land to a private entity? I was under the impression the Feds owned the site.

drewski
10-26-2009, 07:31 AM
Also, the project is about more than just giving the Whitecaps a place to play. The inflatable roof was beginning to show its age and the idea of a retractable roof has been thrown around for years now ... before even the Whitecaps started making a bid for MLS. With a new reliable roof, they would, presumably, save money on the expenses associated with maintaining an old and unreliable inflatable dome and still manage to profit from all the expos and what not that it will be able to host year round.

just to add to this, I think a basic replacement fixed roof was costed at ~$250mil

drewski
10-26-2009, 07:37 AM
They could do all that and more, or maybe just settle for a new soccer-specific stadium in another location. Heck, you could probably run a dedicated transit line there and would still wouldn't come close to half a billion.

Though I wonder what temporary venue the Lions will be playing out of.


regarding the transit line, they aren't cheap. here in ottawa, they just costed a LRT system across the city, along the pre-existing dedicated transitway, for $1.5billion

Cashcleaner
10-26-2009, 01:00 PM
^ I was actually thinking more along the lines of a dedicated bus route. Light rail or subway or anything like would be hard to justify as well.