Hamilton’s getting an entirely new football stadium.

In a report provided to Council by email late this afternoon, the City Manager’s office informed Council that (emphasis added by me):

In the Spring of 2011 staff learned that the grade on the upper tier of the North Stands is such that it cannot accommodate seats with backs. To be able to renovate to include seats with backs in the upper tier would require a complete rebuild of this section. Following this information, Infrastructure Ontario undertook an exercise to provide a cost estimate for three North Stand options. These options were: 1) a renovation to meet current Building Code; 2) a renovation to meet current Building Code plus accommodating seats with backs on the upper tier; and 3) a new North Stands.

The three options listed above were discussed at a meeting in June 2011 with senior staff from Infrastructure Ontario, Toronto 2015, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the City, and a decision was made to pursue Option 3 (a new North Stands).

Given the direction to build a new North Stands, Infrastructure Ontario has modified the Request for Proposal (RFP) language to reflect construction of a brand new 22,500 seat stadium.