SURREY — The City of Surrey has revealed three possible locations for a proposed sports stadium in Surrey.
Cloverdale Fairgrounds, Bridgeview or City Centre are three areas the city says it has land that could house such a facility, Councillor Bruce Hayne told the Now-Leader.
The city’s Request for Expressions of Interest for a spectator stadium closed last Friday, but Councillor Bruce Hayne wouldn’t say how many applications materialized.
The post does not indicate what pro sport would be played in the facility, nor what size the stadium might be.
But last month, potential franchise operators with the new Canadian Premier League said they want to build and operate an “outdoor spectator stadium” on city-owned land.
If a project is approved, the site would be built and operated by the applicant.
“The proponent would be the primary operator, not the city. That comes from an operational standpoint as well as a financial one,” he noted.
See more: Canadian Premier League soccer franchise pitches new outdoor stadium plan in Surrey
Hayne said city staff will now take five or six weeks to evaluate the proposals and then provide an update in closed council.
Applicants will have their say about which Surrey area they think would best suit their proposal, Hayne explained.
“They were looking for city-owned land they could locate on so obviously we have a number of different locations but other factors come into it with parking or transit or other considerations,” said Hayne. “It’s up to the proponents what they consider to be the most appropriate location for their business case. We asked proponents to tell us what their preferred location is, and the rationale for them choosing one or the other.”
Hayne said he’s excited about the potential of such a facility.
“This would be a significant leap forward in terms of sports tourism for larger spectator events and tournaments,” he said. “I’ve said it many times, but I think we’ve been very, very good at delivering recreational and sports facilities for our residents… but what we don’t have in the city is any facility that has significant spectator capacity. It’s inspirational for our youth as well.
“It develops sports, it develops volunteer capacity for tournaments and things like that, and it also provides a venue for Surrey residents, and Surrey clubs, and other things that could occur in a venue like that, concerts or whatever it might be.”