Downtown Markham

[swampymudkip]

The Honda Indy is moving to Downtown Markham...

 

[hw621]

The Honda Indy is moving to Downtown Markham...

View attachment 678601

Those residents in the senior homes will have heart attacks...

 

[SubHuman]

The Honda Indy is moving to Downtown Markham...

https://www.yorkregion.com/news/ont...cle_b552e6f5-7a12-5b73-9dfc-8b64ab2ee801.html

Markham city council made the necessary financial commitments to host the event under a multi-year agreement. How many years the agreement covers was not announced Wednesday.

So, all of this was done in secret, with absolutely no public consultation?

Never mind the noise and traffic problems caused by shutting down the roads -- how much is the city paying for this?
It can't be cheap. Just the part of the track after Turn 8 will have to be constructed from almost nothing. It's barely a road.
In the other (Exhibition Place) thread I had watched a few minutes of the first (1986) race, and one of commentators said Molson spent over $3 million paving the track. If it cost that much then, I'd assume multiples of it now.

 

[SubHuman]

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/con...cle_920ee5d0-c40c-454f-82c9-8116f7a71587.html
https://archive.is/BxNsW

Opinion | Markham will host the Toronto Indy next year... This is a very bad idea

-------

As a suggestion for an alternative site in the city, the Markham Fairgrounds looks like it's not near any residential neighbourhoods, and there's already things like demolition derby there.
Maybe the race promoters, IndyCar, and the City of Markham could shift some things around, rebuild some of the old buildings there, and have a one-mile oval with most of the fairgrounds inside it. They could have shuttle buses taking people there, like they do during the fair.

 

[SubHuman]

Instead of the mockable "Downtown Markham", it appears that "Markham Centre" is now the term being used for this area.

https://www.markham.ca/sports-recreation-fitness/ontario-honda-dealers-indy-markham
https://www.yorkregion.com/news/hon...cle_42c1d2a2-aae2-5250-9382-c45871973933.html

... “To this day, no one from the city, Metrolinx, or Honda has reached out to the immediate residents to inform us of what is happening,” ...
... all members of council and senior staff were bound by a confidentiality agreement during negotiations with Green Savoree and INDYCAR...
... “None of the investment we are making for the Honda Indy is coming from property tax,” he said. “It’s coming from the municipal accommodation tax, otherwise known as the hotel tax, which is intended to build infrastructure and programs that attract tourism.”

The secrecy, along with the mayor's past support of the highly questionable arena proposal, makes me wonder about this supposed "investment", and reminds me of the Montreal Formula-E financial debacle.