The Calgary Planning Commission approved the development permit on Thursday night for the new events centre meant to replace the iconic Saddledome in Victoria Park.

The permit is one of the final hurdles developers needed to clear before the start of construction, slated for January 2022. The permit was approved 8-0 after an hours-long debate that ended near 10 p.m. 

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, a member of the planning commission, says he still has issues with some of the design elements. But he says the building does meet the goals of the Rivers District master plan and it will be a catalyst for development.  
“This is not an arena. This is an event centre, a community gathering place. This is a place where we’re going to build residential communities around it…. This has got to be a building that’s 365-day activation, inside or outside that building, people are going to want to be there,” Wong said. 

The plan includes making the building carbon neutral by 2035, including solar panels on 70 per cent of the roof and connecting the building to the District Energy Centre on Ninth Avenue.

It comes as Calgary city council voted 13-2 to declare a climate emergency on Monday night. 

The arena will be located at the intersection of Olympic Way and 12 Avenue S.E. and was designed by local firm Dialog Architecture and global firm HOK. 

Community concerns

Over the past few months, some local groups have expressed dissatisfaction with the design of the events centre. The latest renderings of the proposed building were released in late October. 

The city received letters from the Beltline Neighbourhood Association (BNA), the Inglewood Community Association and Victoria Park Business Improvement Area (BIA) expressing concerns over pedestrian accessibility, the environmental impact of the building and how it will be integrated into the neighbourhood. 

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