The final development permit required for Scotia Place, Calgary’s new event centre, received unanimous approval from the city’s planning commission on Thursday.
The 8-0 vote followed hours of presentations from project officials, and technical questions around the detailed designs included in the project’s application.
Although digging, stripping and grading work is visible on the site of the future arena building, on the corner of 12 Avenue and Olympic Way S.E., the development permit approved Thursday would allow work to begin on the structure of Scotia Place itself.
“I think Calgary will be extremely proud,” said Bob Hunter, the city’s lead on the project. “Citizens of Calgary will think, you know what? This is actually a pretty good investment on our behalf.”
The $900 million building will have a 75-year lifespan, but is smaller than the Saddledome with 18,400 seats, but has capacity for 20,000 for concerts.
It also includes a 1,000-seat community arena, an indoor plaza space and a 500-stall parkade.
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According to Hunter, the fan experience in the building as been “totally upgraded,” with more space, food and beverage options and washrooms.
Project officials told commission the building will include 340 toilets, around double than in the Saddledome, with one third slated to be men’s, another third designated for women, and the remainder considered “flex” which can change depending on the demographic of the event.
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Designers also made note of explaining there are 20 per cent more toilets in Calgary’s new arena than in Edmonton’s Rogers’ Place.
“You’re actually talking to the person who opened Rogers’ Place so I lived the bathroom battle of Alberta,” said Susie Darrington, a project committee member and head of building operations at Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC). “We fixed that problem up in Edmonton but in Calgary we’re opening the doors with a better ratio.”
The designs also show three restaurants and a food hall accessible from the exterior of the building, which also includes the integration of the historic Stephenson & Co building.
“It will contribute to the overall entertainment district,” Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot told reporters. “So it’s not just exclusive to the event centre, there’s a lot of connecting pieces in there that will contribute to the overall area.”
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Project officials also discussed accessibility in the building, as spectators and fans will enter the building at street level; ice level for both the event centre and the community rink will be 35 feet below street level.
Darrington said there will be escalators and elevators throughout the building to help people access the different concourses.
While the building won’t be net-zero when it opens, it does have LEED Silver certification, with more than 600 solar panels on the roof.
Officials told commission Scotia Place will be converted to net-zero electrified operations by 2050.
According to Darrington, the roof will be able to hold up to 400,000 tonnes, more than the 90,000 tonnes the Saddledome’s roof can hold.
“That brings us those big A shows that are going to Edmonton right now, or other markets, that we’re not able to host,” she told reporters. “Our scoreboard will fully nest up into the structural steel so artists will have a completely blank canvass to play with.”
Scotia Place is estimated to host 200 events per year, including at least 45 Flames home games and other sporting events, Darrington said, but those figures don’t include programming during the Calgary Stampede.
The entire project’s total cost is $1.2 billion with the provincial government signed on to contribute $300 million for public realm improvements.
For the event centre block itself, the city is contributing $515 million in upfront costs, $40 million will be paid upfront by CSEC, which will then pay $17 million in annual lease payments with one per cent compounding interest over 35 years.
“I know we get a lot of comments about spending a lot of money for billionaires,” Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said. “The event centre should be looked upon as being a social opportunity as much as sporting and entertainment opportunity.”
The development permit’s approval comes with 45 conditions that must be met before its issued, which includes noise standards, a stormwater management report, and an off-site levy agreement.
Construction on Scotia Place is set to begin next spring, with a goal of opening its doors in the fall of 2027.
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