‘Short term’ demolition targeted for Northlands Coliseum
By Zach Laing
3 years agoThe old Northlands Coliseum site won’t be there for much longer.
According to a report from the Edmonton Journal’s Dustin Cook, while a demolition date hasn’t been set the city is planning to drop the site to built a transit-oriented 81-hectare project there.
The final proposal for the Exhibition Lands redevelopment will face a public hearing Nov. 3 before council votes on moving forward. The plan includes two transit villages consisting of residential and commercial space adjacent to LRT stations. If approved, the redevelopment would take place over the next 30 years.Removal of the longtime home of the Edmonton Oilers would be one of the first steps along with the reconfiguration and expansion of Borden Park and a new LRT station at 115 Avenue, the city said in its final draft of the redevelopment planning framework.Once completed, the site will be able to accommodate about 7,500 residents in a mix of housing options, from single-detached homes to mid-rise apartment buildings spanning to 12 storeys tall.
While it’s going to be tough to see such a historic site go, it has been over four years since the Oilers last played at the arena that has sat vacant ever since. I’ve long wondered if the arena could be repurposed to house an AHL team, but that doesn’t look like it will happen.
The final game there was played on April 6th, 2016 and saw the Oilers topple the visiting Vancouver Canucks 6-2. BaggedMilk wrote a beautiful eulogy to the building formerly known as one of Northlands Coliseum, Rexall Place, or the Skyreach Centre.
On Twitter: @zjlaing
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