HFX Wanderers pitch $40-million modular stadium to HRM, offer to contribute financially to project

Six years ago, Halifax Wanderers president and owner Derek Martin asked the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to approve a temporary pop-up stadium; on Thursday, he presented a path forward to a permanent facility on the Wanderers Grounds.

Martin pitched his vision for a $40-million stadium to HRM's community planning and economic development committee, citing the need for permanent seating, washrooms and running water to a venue which regularly hosts thousands of people for Wanderers matches and other events.

"We are confident to say that the total project cost of the elements we have identified would come in under $40-million. This would be evenly split between the costs of $20-million for the modular stadium and $20-million for the ground work to service the site," he said during his presentation to the committee. "We want to enable the sustainability of this venue for the long term and as such, we are willing to sign a 30-year lease to confirm our long-term commitment as the lead tenant."

The proposed stadium would see the current metal bleachers replaced with a permanent, covered grandstand, locker rooms, washroom facilities and concessions. The capacity would increase by 2,000 people, explained Martin, meaning a total of 8,500 could be seated at events with the possibility for further expansion in the future.

Martin also said the plan would be to replace the grass pitch with artificial turf so as to make the space available to more community groups throughout the year. The proposal, explained Martin, would make the Wanderers Grounds a permanent multi-use community venue and a potential location for concerts, festivals and of course, sports.

As per the Wanderers' presentation, the club hopes to have the project completed by May, 2025.

There's no hiding from the fact that all of this costs money and Martin made it clear the Wanderers are willing to pitch in.

"We are here to say that we want to contribute. Under any scenario, I see us being a very significant contributor to this financially as well as through our expertise and managing it the way we have to date," he told councillors.

Questions around money and capacity

The proposal isn't without detractors as Friends of the Halifax Common, a non-profit community group, gave their objections during the public participation portion of the committee meeting. They previously filed a "cease and desist" letter to HRM Mayor Mike Savage and said the Wanderers lease with the city is a bad deal and privatized space reserved for the community.

"There's a very low rent that's being charged for the professional soccer team to use this space," said Howard Epstein, the group's director, to CTV News Atlantic. "In turn they can charge the public quite a large fee to get in and so they (HFX Wanderers) are making a lot of money on the financial backs of the public."

Councillors had several questions following Martin's presentation, including clarification as to what the Wanderers were willing to pay and how.

"These things costs a lot of money, there's no getting around that. It's a big piece of infrastructure," said Martin, adding the club is open to discussing with HRM on either making payments over the term of a potential lease or in lump sums. He did not say the amount the club was willing to contribute.

Tim Outhit, the councillor for District 16, said he was concerned about the size of the proposed project given HRM's growth.

"I'm having trouble rationalizing that," he said. "I don't think an 8,500 person stadium is what the city needs."

However, Martin said the proposal had a phased approach to accommodate growth and potential uses — say like a CFL team — in the future. He estimate another grandstand could increase the seating capacity to as much as 15,000.

"We proposed a phased approach to this because I really believe in the right size requirement of a venue to be successful. There's a lot of debate about whether (Halifax) could sustain a 20,000 or 25,000 seat stadium and I think it's why we've never had someone step up to contribute to building a stadium like we are because as much as I love CFL, and other people love CFL football, it's hard to make the business case at this time for that to work," he said.

From his point of view, Martin said it's time to create a permanent stadium for the city.

"This debate has been going on a lot longer than I've been around and I'm tired of it, to be honest. I just don't know why we keep worrying about what might be down the road when we've got something right in front of us that we can support, that we can be proud of," he said.

25 letters of support for the Wanderers from various businesses and community organizations were submitted along with the presentation.

The presentation is available in its entirety here.

Cover Photo Credit: Halifax Wanderers FC