Naoibh O’Connor
Van. Courier
The Whitecaps vision of the 15,000-seat stadium proposed for the north foot of Cambie Street includes a plan for future expansion to 30,000 seats.
The city wants public comment at four open houses scheduled in March to display plans for the waterfront stadium proposed by the Whitecaps soccer team.
The initial proposal includes a 15,000-seat stadium, which could be expanded to 30,000 seats in the future. The stadium would sit over the rail yard between Granville Square and the foot of Cambie Street.
It would be used for Whitecaps men’s and women’s games and for other sporting events and concerts.
“This is really a fact finding mission in may ways,” said city planner Kevin McNaney. “It’s sussing out the issues, shining some light on the issues and getting a good understanding to help council make an informed decision.”
Whitecaps president John Rocha said the club welcomes public consultation. “It’s important because ultimately what we want to build is a community asset, so the more input we have from different constituents to ensure we build something that everybody can be proud of [the better],” he said.
Rocha maintains the public appears to back the proposal, which was announced last year. He cited a survey commissioned by the Whitecaps that indicated 71 per cent of respondents were very supportive or supportive of the stadium project. Eleven per cent were opposed.
Rocha said supporters liked the proposed stadium’s accessibility by transit and its availability for uses other than soccer. Opponents, he said, criticized the consultation and cited concerns about potential problems like traffic.
Rocha maintains some people were confused about the consultation, suspecting it was a done deal, which it’s not, he said.
“This is a long process to go through. [People] thought we were outlining a vision of trying to get people excited about our project [in October] and weren’t aware there was a full public process coming,” he said.
Several business groups have expressed support for the stadium, while groups such as the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association have registered opposition. A call to DERA by the Courier was not returned.
McNaney said after the open houses, staff will bring a report to council in May.
“The thing to keep in mind about the whole study is it’s a step back study-a larger initial review to get a sense of what are the issues, where people stand on it, is it viable, is it desirable etc.,” he said. “It’s up to council to decide whether it moves forward for further planning, in which case it goes through, like any other major development, rezonings etc.”
Rocha won’t speculate on the outcome of the review. “In the end we think the project can be designed in a way that it has a whack of great community benefits. It could be a real asset to the city,” he said.
The first open house is from 2 to 8 p.m., March 6, in the W room at Woodward’s on the ground floor at 101 West Hastings St. Another is planned for 3 to 8 p.m., March 7, in the Storyeum lobby at 142 Water St.
A third is set for 2 to 8 p.m., March 8, in the Harbour Centre lobby at 555 Hastings Street, while the final one is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., March 11, at Vancouver Public Library, Library Square, promenade, at 350 West Georgia.