HALIFAX—The stadium dream in Halifax is finally coming true.

Sorry (American) football fans, not that one.

Halifax regional council voted unanimously Tuesday to sign an agreement with Sports & Entertainment Atlantic (SEA) to allow the company to build a temporary stadium on the Wanderers Grounds, next to Citadel Hill.

SEA pitched the idea to HRM last year as part of its plan to bring a professional soccer team to the municipality as part of the fledgling Canadian Premier League (CPL).

Council approved a motion last June to sign an agreement with SEA to build the stadium to host soccer games, but because of delays in the start-up of the CPL, the terms needed to be changed.

The CPL is scheduled to start its first season in Spring 2019 instead of 2018, and there’s still no guarantee of a Halifax team yet. But SEA wants to host a series of eight rugby, soccer and football games in a 6,500-seat stadium on the Wanderers Grounds this summer and fall.

The first of those is the June test match between Team Canada and Team U.S.A., announced earlier this month.

The new agreement approved by council allows SEA to host those eight events in the stadium this summer.

“The 2018 agreement would provide both HRM and SEA with a ‘test year’ to evaluate the stadium and the events hosted, including both the positive and negative aspects,” a staff report to council said.

If the first year is successful and SEA is able to secure a soccer team for Halifax, HRM and SEA would sign another agreement for three years.

SEA will have to pay the municipality $1,200 every time it hosts an event on the site, and the municipality will review that number after the first year.

The municipality will “maintain direct control and management of the facility,” and still be able to rent out the Wanderers Grounds to other groups, either at or below market value. Other groups will be able to use the stadium amenities too, but SEA will get priority for booking the field for CPL games.

The agreement allows SEA to “operate temporary structures on the site for concessions purposes, including alcohol sales,” but all events will have to be over by 11 p.m. and for the first year, SEA isn’t allowed to use the stadium for concerts.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The agreement includes a requirement that the “visual impact of the seating along Summer and Sackville Streets be addressed by means such as scale and appearance,” and SEA has to “minimize impact on surrounding land uses, including parking, hospital and residential uses.”

As it is a temporary stadium, the seating will have to be removed at the end of each season.

Read more about: