City Government

Status

Public Consultations Planned

The City of Edmonton is committed to gathering meaningful input from the public regarding the Downtown Arena & Entertainment District Project.

A new round of public consultations has been scheduled to gather public feedback on initial design renderings depicting six project themes:

Community Integration
Community Skating Rink
Arena Exterior
Interior Design
Transportation
Winter Garden

Recent Developments

April 25, 2012
New Preliminary Arena Images Available
New images of a proposed downtown arena show how public input is being considered in preliminary design work.

April 13, 2012
PCL Construction is Preferred Arena Construction Manager
Company has a long history in Edmonton and extensive experience.

January 19, 2012
Preliminary Arena Interior Concept Sketches Available
Conceptual sketches based on preliminary work done by ICON Venue Group to determine how a new downtown arena might be programmed, show a facility tailored to the Edmonton market and designed to make the experience for patrons in Edmonton one of the best anywhere in the world.

January 16, 2012
ICON Selected as Project Manager for Proposed Downtown Arena
City appoints senior manager Rick Daviss as Executive Director for project

Financial Framework

On May 18, City Council approved a framework agreement with the Katz Group to build an arena in downtown Edmonton. The agreement will form the basis for a Master Agreement to be negotiated by City administration and the Katz Group.

The agreement caps the cost of the design and construction of an arena building at $450 million. The City will contribute $125 million, of which $45 million will be raised through a community revitalization levy (CRL), with the remaining $80 million to come from parking revenue, property tax on the building and redirected subsidies.

The Katz Group will contribute $100 million. Another $125 million will be raised through a Facility Improvement Fee paid by users. Council has passed a motion that there can be no property tax increase to support the project.

The terms of the framework agreement align closely with the terms and conditions set by Council in April.

Next steps in the process include negotiation of the Master Agreement, approaching other orders of government seeking support for this project, confirming the CRL boundary, and defining how Edmontonians can provide input into the design of the facility.

Land Zoning

Following a statutory public hearing on a rezoning application for the land (north of 104 Avenue and west of 101 Street) proposed by the Katz Group for an arena, Council conditionally approved rezoning the land. Read the January 18, 2011 meeting minutes.