Halifax council will consider today a new report on a proposed 24,000-seat stadium, the pivotal component of a bid to land a Canadian Football League team for the East CoastB次元官网网址檚 largest city.

Maritime Football Limited Partnership, a group that includes business executives and former owners of an NHL team, is in the final stages of securing a conditional CFL expansion franchise.

The group has proposed Shannon Park, a 38-hectare swath of land on the east side of Halifax harbour formerly used by the Department of Defence for housing, as the preferred location for the multi-purpose stadium.

An urban planning expert says the discussion is bound to be polarizing for the community, with costly stadium projects often generating vigorous public debate.

Maritime Football is in talks with Canada Lands Company to buy up to eight hectares of land for the stadium, a parking structure and B次元官网网址渁ssociated uses,B次元官网网址� the staff report says.

The new football team would be the anchor tenant of the stadium, which comes with an estimated price tag of up to $190 million.

However, some of that cost is expected to be covered by public dollars, with the city staff report calling the provinceB次元官网网址檚 participation as a funding partner B次元官网网址渆ssential.B次元官网网址�

The report recommends a thorough review of Maritime FootballB次元官网网址檚 business case, as well as changes to the cityB次元官网网址檚 charter to potentially allow for a special tax arrangement and assist with debt financing of the project, pending the outcome of the business case analysis.

The report also recommends engaging with the province on B次元官网网址渘ew and incremental sources of revenue,B次元官网网址� such as increasing the hotel marketing levy or creating a new car rental tax.

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Jino Distasio, director of the Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Winnipeg, says large projects like stadiums are often polarizing.

B次元官网网址淭hey draw a tremendous amount of public interest and often that interest can be polarizing with either very big supporters or those who are vehemently against any kind of public dollars flowing into whatB次元官网网址檚 seen as the pockets of rich and wealthy owners,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not uncommon to have a vigorous debate.B次元官网网址�

He pointed to controversy in Winnipeg over the Investors Group Field stadium. Earlier this year, the University of Manitoba said it will likely not recover more than $100 million owed from a loan to build the project, leaving the province to cover the shortfall.

B次元官网网址淭he outcome here is still mixed,B次元官网网址� Distasio said of WinnipegB次元官网网址檚 stadium. B次元官网网址滻 think the vast majority of people still appreciate that we have a wonderful new stadium but it has come with a price tag that we werenB次元官网网址檛 necessarily prepared for from the beginning.B次元官网网址�

He added: B次元官网网址淐areful financial planning and oversight is absolutely critical.B次元官网网址�

The Canadian Press

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