The US-based company Ridgehaven Holdings is planning to build a C$1.5bn (£805m/$1bn/€930m) sports and entertainment complex in the Canadian city of Halifax.
The sports entertainment real estate firm is also planning a 25,000-seat sports stadium inside an entertainment district for the Halifax Region (Nova Scotia, Canada) that will include housing, primary care, hotels, retail, and hospitality businesses.
‘CTV NEWS’ stated that Mason Williams created Ridge Haven with his partner Robert Millet. Williams operates out of Las Vegas, Nevada (US).
Ridgehaven Holdings is a US-based development and investment company that primarily focuses on large-scale real estate, sports and entertainment projects.
‘Entertainment-anchored Venue’
Informed Williams, “We plan on bringing something very special to Atlantic Canada. You have an entertainment-anchored venue surrounded by real estate.”
He cited several developments around the United States as examples.
‘CTV NEWS’ further stated that the project began around two years ago but Williams says they’ve been adding to their team and picking up steam while planning and processing permits.
No Tax Dollars
He added, “I think the biggest thing is we’re not asking for any tax dollars to fund the stadium. Our model is significantly different.
This is not a Canadian Football League (CFL) stadium, this is an entertainment venue. According to our research, it would be the biggest venue in a six-hour radius.”
Obstacles
Williams says the property will be a weekend destination if they can get it built but there are some obstacles – “Our biggest obstacle is water and sewer. The water and sewer are something that takes a lot more time than the people realize. We’re trying to figure out the servicing.”
The Canadian Football League (CFL) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest professional level of Canadian football and is headquartered in Toronto.
Halifax Water informed that the proposed area for the development is outside the Halifax Regional Municipality’s service boundary Any extension would have to be initiated by the Halifax Regional Municipality or the province, said the utility.
Halifax Water is the Municipally-owned utility responsible for providing water, wastewater (sewerage) and stormwater services to the residents and the businesses in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) in Nova Scotia, Canada. It operates on a cost-of-delivery, break-even basis without building profit into its rates.
Councilor Cathy Deagle Gammon says there is no formal application for the project with the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Land Parcels
The company hasn’t submitted any applications because they are still looking at the parcels of land, Williams said – “We’re going to max out the usable land we’re able to acquire. We’re probably not going to look for anything less than 150 acres.”
‘Arms Wide Open’
Ken Bagnell, head honcho of the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic, said the project looks exciting – “If there’s private investors who want to build in Nova Scotia, I think we should have our arms wide open.”
Anytime there is a bid to build sports infrastructure in your city, Bagnell says one have to take the offer seriously. He says they are always looking for partners who will build the facilities that expand the opportunities for the athletes and the stadium could be used for more than sport – “It’s really important for the investors and the people with dreams to know Halifax is a place they can come and have a fair shake of making their dreams a reality.”
Halifax Potential
Ridge Haven has no existing deals with the sports teams, or the franchises. Williams says they want to establish the permanent venue business plan first – “We feel Halifax has the most potential in all of Canada for something of this scope and magnitude.”
He added that they want to be welcome in Halifax and the project has to be environmentally responsible.
Councilor Gammon says she doesn’t believe the taxpayers’ dollars should be used for any for-profit sports entity – “There’s potential for residential development in that area. The devil’s in the details.”
Halifax (Canada)-based the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic (CSI Atlantic) is a high-performance sport organization that supports Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches in Atlantic Canada. It provides advanced Sport Science, medical expertise and coaching development to help the regional athletes succeed at the national and international levels.
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