Globe
http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080910.wacc10/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home
ACC could look better than Leafs this season
DAVID SHOALTS
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
September 10, 2008 at 12:53 AM EDT
TORONTO — It is unlikely the Toronto Maple Leafs will be any better on the ice this season but they will look better.
At least they will on the scoreboard video screens at the Air Canada Centre. The arena, which is approaching its 10th birthday in February of 2009, is in the early stages of a $50-million facelift, and the most noticeable change for this season is the addition of high-definition video screens to the scoreboard.
The rest of the ACC renovations and an addition will be finished for the start of the 2009-10 NHL season. By then, the Leafs will have added a 20,000-square-foot atrium to the front of the ACC's west side and completed a host of renovations to the arena itself.
The atrium, which will cost $25-million, will have a 50-by-80-foot video screen on its outside wall, which will overlook a plaza that will be used for parties and other celebrations. On the inside, there will be a walkway to the hotel and condominium project going up a few feet away, a television studio and lots more food and beverage outlets where fans can spend their cash.
It is all part of a $500-million venture between the Leafs' parent company, MLSE, Cadillac-Fairview Corp., and Lanterra Developments. When it is finished in the spring of 2010, the project will have twin towers, one with 875 condos, the other housing a boutique hotel, plus office and retail space.
MLSE also has big plans for using the plaza between the towers and the ACC. Peddie and company are chasing the 2012 NBA all-star game and the NHL all-star game the following year. They also wanted the 2012 world junior hockey championship but were rebuffed by Hockey Canada, which split the event between Edmonton and Calgary.
“We're going to have all these young people in the neighbourhood and in our restaurants and there will be tax dollars for the city,†Peddie said. “It's going to be great. We love it. We can do the pre- and postgame events. People can come down to events and watch [on the outside video screen].â€
Oh, and forget it if you want to get in on the parties by buying one of those 875 condos. They were sold out two years ago, not long after the project was announced, for an average price of $450 a square foot and range in size from 500 to 2,000 square feet.
“If we could sell them today, we'd probably get another 100 dollars a square foot,†Peddie said with a smile.
Both Peddie and ACC general manager Bob Hunter wanted to extend the atrium across the entire west face of the ACC but they could only go about halfway. Blocking the construction path is a large metal sculpture.
The city of Toronto requires all large construction projects to incorporate art works into the designs. Hence the large cylinders, which turned out rather less spectacular than planned because they were made with unpainted iron rather than the original idea of stainless steel.
“It turned out like the roof of the Royal York Hotel,†Hunter said dryly.
But relocation would have been too complicated and expensive, so the party favours stayed and the atrium stopped short.
While the idea of condos, plus a hotel grafted to an arena through a covered bridge, is unique, both Peddie and Hunter said the inspiration for the giant video screen overlooking a plaza came from the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars. LA Live is the name of a similar setup that was built across the street from the Staples Center in 2005, while the Stars have their own version at the American Airlines Center.
“We're obviously trying to mimic that and even Times Square in New York, which has one or two LED displays,†Hunter said. “We want to create a plaza atmosphere.
“In an ideal world, the street will be closed during events but we might have some logistical problems there. But we will have tailgate launches there for [games] and we'll be ready to start nextseason.â€