[kcantor]

If you are going to renovate instead of building new then do it correctly. Expand the concourse and bring seats closer to the field would be atop my list of priorities.

If you’re going to do it correctly, in my opinion you take out the existing field and lower it 20’ (or whatever it works out to), slope the banks at an appropriate angle to add “on grade” seating that doesn’t need to be structurally supported and is closer the action and voila - you have a “third tier” that is now close to the field at its new level.

That new seating and what is now the lower bowl (and which would become the middle bowl) would be just about perfectly sized for the CFL and the upper bowl could remain permanently closed except for “one-off” events like Pink or Metallica or a Grey Cup noting that the lower/smaller field level would also make those events more attractive while adding better noise attenuation at the same time.

 

[TAS]

^in September 1971 it was...

Never knew there was a downtown stadium proposed back then.

 

[Airboy]

The earlier proposal also had an NHL rink in it. I believe the Omiplex had a floor that could be raised.

 

[IanO]

Never knew there was a downtown stadium proposed back then.

Multiple options and designs.

 

[Ned]

If you’re going to do it correctly, in my opinion you take out the existing field and lower it 20’ (or whatever it works out to), slope the banks at an appropriate angle to add “on grade” seating that doesn’t need to be structurally supported and is closer the action and voila - you have a “third tier” that is now close to the field at its new level.

That new seating and what is now the lower bowl (and which would become the middle bowl) would be just about perfectly sized for the CFL and the upper bowl could remain permanently closed except for “one-off” events like Pink or Metallica or a Grey Cup noting that the lower/smaller field level would also make those events more attractive while adding better noise attenuation at the same time.

At Commonwealth on Saturday I took a look at the lower bowl grade and it was approximately a 2.25 horizontal to 1 vertical. With Google Earth measurements, Commonwealth is about 5.5m further from the action than Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. That would work out to lowering the field approximately 2.4m to make the stadiums comparable. The old seats would be further from the action doing this, but it creates the illusion of being on top of the action and adds to the atmosphere. As for the concourse, I would be curious to know how they plan to improve flow. I could see widening the north and south ends to be not much of an issue, but how to do that on the east and west ends with load bearing supports on each side of the concourse now.

 

[David A]

Why mend when you can spend eh? Pretty sure the governments and the billionaires have better uses for a quarter bill+

I think the reason people are suddenly so against Commonwealth is that it represents a time when the city was actually capable of delivering a project on time and on budget.

Bad reference point to have hanging around these days...

Well its always fun to spend other peoples money on shiny new things, except the other people who have to pay for it aren't so keen on it.

I don't think the current provincial government is eager to spend more in Edmonton than on the Calgary arena, the city doesn't have the money, billionaires have already put theirs into an NHL arena which actually is a much better idea than a CFL stadium and we also already raided the CRL fund for that arena.