Flames, Sixers arena projects gain key approvals

Scotia Place, the future home of NHL franchise the Calgary Flames, has been granted a development permit, while Philadelphia City Council has teed up what is set to be a final vote on a proposed new arena for the NBA’s 76ers.

The permit for the C$920m (£511.4m/€616.6m/$647m) Scotia Place was approved by an 8-0 Calgary Planning Commission vote yesterday (Thursday) in what is likely the last major barrier to be cleared to develop the arena, which will have a capacity of 18,400 for ice hockey games and other sports, rising to 20,000 for concerts.

The City of Calgary; Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), the parent company of the Flames; the Province of Alberta and Calgary Stampede gave the project the green light back in October 2023. This came after a deal had been announced in April 2023 between CESC, which owns the Flames’ current Scotiabank Saddledome arena, and the city and provincial governments.

The first renderings of Scotia Place were revealed in July, with further details behind the project presented yesterday. The site’s design incorporates Indigenous Peoples’ cultural views. These cultural perspectives are represented by incorporating the four sacred elements: fire, water/ice, land, and air.

Scotia Place has been designed to become one of the few urban event centres in North America where the area surrounding the building is designed with public plazas and comfortable spaces for people to gather and move, on all four sides. Wider, tree-lined sidewalks surrounding the building allow for public outdoor spaces, which in some areas, can also be programmed for outdoor events like markets, concerts and festivals.

One of the key elements of the design is the building’s integration with the surrounding area and community. It was designed so visitors can participate in the experience, regardless of background or ability, and whether or not someone has a ticket to an event.

Notably, the design offers a barrier-free experience, one of the key limitations for the Saddledome at present. Guests enter the building from the outdoor plazas, directly to the main concourse at ground level, with stairs not required. Visitors will also be able to access restaurants and shops at the street level from the outdoor plaza spaces, year-round.

Operationally, the building is said to offer a unique approach to a smaller footprint. By lowering the event surface, the loading and back of house operations are also staged underground. That means there is more public space at ground level around the whole block that allow for a people-first approach to design.

The structure on the enclosed parkade provides an opportunity for an east facing, highly visible art canvas for Indigenous interpretive design, which will be designed in partnership with a member of the Indigenous artist community. 

A 1,000 seat community rink will be placed at the southeast corner of the site, where the Calgary community will have access to booking times throughout the week and weekends. There will be a custom digital LED ribbon display, spanning the exterior Southwest Entry, the interior public concourse space and the outdoor south event plaza.

From a sustainability perspective, in addition to 600 solar panels on the building that will generate on-site power, the venue features a district energy connection to Calgary’s District Energy System, which lowers carbon emissions, while decreasing energy and maintenance costs. The venue is designed to be fully electrified and net-zero by 2050.

After a 21-day appeal period, and once all conditions have been met, the approved development permit allows the Scotia Place venue to be built in 2025, which also includes the community rink, parkade and the surrounding plazas. Excavation work is already underway at the arena site, with Scotia Place set to open in autumn 2027.

The total price tag for the project is C$1.2bn, including more than C$300m in public realm improvements that are being paid for by the provincial government. The City is paying C$515m, or 56%, of the upfront costs for Scotia Place, with CSEC initially contributing C$40m, followed by annual lease payments to the City of C$17m with one per cent compounded interest over 35 years. The Flames are contractually obligated to stay in Calgary for the duration of this lease.

Speaking yesterday, project director for Scotia Place, Bob Hunter, said: “This milestone demonstrates how a venue like Scotia Place can be designed with the Calgary community in mind, first and foremost.

“It’s a unique amenity, unlike anything that’s been built in this city. Crews are already digging, and we’re excited to see the venue take shape over the next few years of construction.”

Robert Hayes, president and CEO of CSEC, added: “Scotia Place is truly a community focused project with deliberate consideration to be a gathering place appropriate for all Calgarians.

“We are extremely proud of the thoughtful process demonstrated by the project team to create a uniquely accessible events centre, both on the inside and the outdoor public spaces, that will be inviting, diverse and comfortable for all guests.”

76 Place lined up for green light

Philadelphia City Council’s Committee of the Whole yesterday voted 12-4 to grant preliminary approval to the $1.3bn (£1.22bn/€1.48bn) Sixers basketball arena for Center City.

The legislation needed to authorise the project is not expected to get a final vote until the December 19 meeting of the Council, its last of the year, but yesterday’s vote, which included all Council members, has been interpreted as all but guaranteeing its passage.

The project has proven a controversial one, with vocal opposition being raised by attendees at yesterday’s meeting. The final sticking point in talks between the Sixers and Council members proved to be the makeup of a community benefits package tied to the scheme.

The Sixers had originally pledged $50m towards an agreement designed to fund measures reducing the effects of the project on neighbouring businesses and residents, especially in Chinatown. Proposed revisions had called for a $100m payment, while the Save Chinatown Coalition put forward as much as $300m. In the end, the legislation approved yesterday set the figure at $60m.

Mayor Cherelle Parker, who has been one of the key backers for the project, said: “Today, City Council took monumental action on this $1.3bn economic development project for Philadelphia that, as I have consistently said, extends far beyond the basketball.

“I… want to commend City Council for all of the due diligence and hard work that it brought to this process before it voted in the Committee of the Whole to report favourably from committee the key legislative pieces necessary for the arena project to move forward.”

The arena is now scheduled to open in time for the 2031-32 NBA season, with demolition on site expected to begin in 2026.

The Sixers in October scaled back plans for the arena project by eliminating a 25-story apartment tower from the scheme. The team added plans for a $250m mixed-income housing development as part of updated proposals for its 76 Place project back in August 2023.

The revised plans, which included almost 400 dwellings and the raising of the event floor to one level above street level, came in the wake of feedback garnered during a community engagement process that included more than 75 meetings with local residents, community leaders, businesses and other organisations.

The Sixers currently play at Wells Fargo Center, which is owned by Comcast Spectacor. The team’s lease at the facility is due to expire in 2031, at which point it is hoped that the new arena will be open for business.