Batman buys the Oilers
Special thanks to MR for this insightful post!
On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers held a press conference to officially announce what has become the worst kept secret in Edmonton sports since Chris Pronger’s personal indiscretions: the team has been sold to Rexall Pharmacies founder Darryl Katz for $200 million. Katz, who is drawing comparisons to Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne because of his wealth, his reclusive nature, and his fortress of a home on the riverbank, is a born and raised Edmontonian with a law degree from the University of Alberta. In a statement released by the Katz group on Wednesday, the Dark Knight himself pledged to provide Edmontonians with a competitive team and a brand new arena. Katz has said that he would prefer the new facility to be in the downtown core and would like to see its completion “sooner rather than later.” This has increased the pressure on the city of Edmonton to get the ball rolling.
I might draw the ire of Oiler fans for saying this but I think rushing through this process is a huge mistake. Don’t get me wrong, I think a building a new arena has the potential to be great for the city, but only if it is done properly. According to proponents of a new downtown arena, moving the home of the Oilers from Gretzky Drive to 104th street will revitalize the core of the city. Personally, I would like an explanation as to how a giant building that sits empty 90% of the time is going to accomplish this.
Sure, people might head downtown before 1 of the 42 home games for dinner, or stick around after the game for a beverage or two. But, if there is a real market for this kind of game-related activity then why aren’t their any alternatives to the Coliseum Inn and the Diesel bar outside of Rexall Place? Besides, I would suggest that most people who get off work early enough to make an evening out of an Oiler game are already heading downtown for dinner. After all it is half way to Rexall from the south side, where most of Edmonton lives by now. Seriously though, it is naïve to think that placing an arena downtown is going to revitalize the core. How about actually fixing problems like Edmonton's massive urban sprawl or lack of affordable downtown housing instead of trying to draw people back to what used to be the heart of the city temporarily, with an arena?
The second concern that I have centers around financing this arena. Katz has repeatedly stated that he will contribute $100 million to its construction, which is great but arenas don’t get built for $100 million. Mayor Mandel has also stated publicly that he supports a downtown location but financing a new arena should not be the burden of taxpayers. My concern stems from a comment made by Katz during a local radio interview in which he implied that it was Mayor Mandel who suggested that $100 million would “get it done.” Needless to say it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Ultimately, I do believe that the project does have the potential to be great for the city. Take a look at what the Columbus’ recently developed Arena District has done for their downtown core. Nationwide Arena (home of the Bluejackets) is the center of what is billed as the premier entertainment district in Columbus. The arena is surrounded by restaurants, bars, movie theaters, a health and fitness facility, and, most importantly, a wealth of housing (much of it affordable). This type of project would much more effectively revitalize the downtown core while also serving to combat some of the growth problems facing our city. Obviously, this type of undertaking would require much more planning, and since planning takes time it is my fear that creative ideas such as this one will be pushed aside in order to get something built “sooner rather than later.”
For those who are interested the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is hosting a conference on the role of sports and entertainment complexes in urban development on February 12th at the Crown Plaza Chateau Lacombe.
MR - Nice guest post, bud! I also really hope Edmonton doesn't rush into a downtown arena, but hey that's the Alberta way, isn't it?
Posted by: ch | February 07, 2008 at 05:00 PM