Markham councillors to vote on proposal for NHL-style arena
Markham councillors will vote Tuesday night on a proposal to build a new arena that could potentially become the home for another NHL franchise in the GTA.
But the vote on the 20,000-seat GTA Centre is expected to be a close one. Two councillors have already proposed a motion that would stop any work on the project, according to Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman in a blog on Monday. Several others have also been reported as being against it, he said.
The centre would include a big-league hockey arena, and would cost about $325 million.
Under the proposal, half of the money would be put up by the Remington Group, owned by developer Rudy Bratty.
"It's unprecedented what Remington is doing, making this type of contribution towards an amazing facility for our city," said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Monday.
According to Friedman, "of the remaining $162.5 million, Scarpitti said Saturday that 95 per cent of that will be collected through a levy on newly built homes ($5,000 per unit), townhouses ($4,000) and condominiums ($2,000) in the city."
Several developers took out a back-page ad in a local newspaper indicating their support for this idea, Friedman said.
"Based on the formula, getting half the money from Remington, based on the growth that's coming to the city of Markham over the next 20 years — that we know is coming — this is about as good as it gets anywhere in the country," Scarpitti told CBC News.
Coun. Don Hamilton said raising property taxes to pay for the project raises alarm bells.
"Members of the community that I've spoken to, they do not all support the city being financially involved [in the project]," Hamilton said. He said council is divided on the issue.
George Gillett, the former owner of the Montreal Canadiens, said he thinks it would be a good investment.
"If I were an investor, I think your greatest chance of success as an arena is to have multiple sports teams and entertainment," Gillette said.
He met with city councillors at a Markham hotel, but, he said, he was only there to share his insight on professional sports.
Gillett says he has no plans to buy an NHL team for the proposed facility. But he's excited about what Markham could become.
"You can't ignore the fact that the Maple Leafs have territorial rights," Gillett said Sunday. "And that's not going to go away easily."
