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

[Marc"2L"]

As heartless as it sounds, if the CFL folds that could be the crown of MLS. Well, replace the turf obviously.

[Cashcleaner]

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]

^ 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]

A cable retractable cloth roof cant really been seen as a good idea can it?

[NF-FC]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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... 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...
pass the kool-aid please...

[Cashcleaner]

^ 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]

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]

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]

^ 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.