A tentative agreement for a new Calgary Flames arena is in place, though city officials have plenty to do before a deal could be finalized.
Discussions about a replacement for the Scotiabank Saddledome have been unfolding, with the city and Flames ownership attempting to craft a plan for a new arena in Victoria Park. Those discussions have progressed to the point where there is reportedly a tentative deal in place, which will be presented to the Calgary City Council at a closed-door meeting on Monday afternoon.
While this marks progress in discussions over a new arena, neither the Flames nor the city have discussed details of a tentative agreement publicly. Additionally, any proposal would be the subject of plenty of debate, with an agreement requiring city council approval to be finalized. More from the Calgary Herald:
Negotiations between the two camps were recently described as “productive” by the chair of council’s event centre committee. Council could potentially host a public debate on the proposed agreement before elected officials break for the summer in August, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Friday.
“I look forward to continuing conversations,” Nenshi said. “I know a lot of folks have been working very hard to see if there is something there that meets the criteria that we’ve talked about — the most important criteria, of course, being public money must have public benefit. And I really look forward to seeing where people are at.
“I’m hopeful there will be some stuff to talk about with the public on Monday.”
Acting city manager Glenda Cole told council members previously that any deal reached with the Flames will be made public. No deal can be finalized until it is voted on by city council.
A previous estimate from the Calgary Municipal Land Corp. has placed the cost of a new arena between C$550 million-C$600 million. The Saddledome, which opened in 1983, is currently the second-oldest facility among full-time NHL arenas.
RELATED STORIES: City Working on New Calgary Flames Arena Pitch; Calgary Flames Arena Negotiations Could Take Time to Launch; Calgary Flames Arena Negotiation Terms Approved; Calgary Flames Negotiations Could Resume Soon; Town Hall Set for Potential Calgary Flames Arena; Committee to Draw Up New Flames Arena Terms; Calgary City Council Votes to Resume New Flames Arena Talks; New Calgary Flames Arena Renderings Unveiled; New Calgary Flames Arena Not Included in Olympics Budget; Contingencies Sought in Calgary Flames Arena Talks; New Calgary Flames Arena Talks Back on Table; Notice of Motion Filed to Form Calgary Flames Arena Committee; Officials Look to Reignite Calgary Flames Arena Talks; Bettman: Calgary Flames Not Pursuing Calgary Arena; Bettman: Calgary Flames Arena Search Has Been “Frustrating”; Best of 2017, #7: Calgary Flames’ Arena Pursuit Stalls; Naheed Nenshi Reelected as Mayor of Calgary; Poll Weighs in on Calgary Flames’ Arena Talks; Calgary Flames Release Arena Proposal; City Votes to Release Proposal for Calgary Flames Arena; Calgary Flames: We Will No Longer Pursue Calgary Arena; Calgary Flames Arena Could be a Part of Entertainment District; Brian Burke: Flames Will ‘Just Leave’ Without New Arena; Poll Shows Some Support for New Calgary Flames Arena; Calgary Flames Could be Helped by Olympic Effort; Calgary Flames, City to Consider Victoria Park Arena; King Clarifies Comments on Calgary Flames Arena Search; Calgary Mayor: CalgaryNext is “Dead”; Conversations on CalgaryNext Continue; Federal Money Could be Used for CalgaryNEXT; Poll Shows Tepid Reaction to CalgaryNEXT; Councillor Makes Case for CalgaryNEXT; Flames pitch ambitious CalgaryNEXT arena project
