The CANADIAN PRESS
Rogers Communications Inc. says it was exploring the future of its Toronto stadium before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but the virus has caused it to put those plans on hold.
“Prior to the pandemic, we were exploring options for the stadium but through this year our primary focus has been keeping our customers connected and keeping our employees safe, so there is no update on the Rogers Centre to share at this time,” said the telecommunications company’s spokesperson Andrew Garas in a statement to The Canadian Press.
His remarks come after the Globe and Mail reported Friday that Rogers and Brookfield Asset Management Inc., were looking to tear down the stadium as part of a larger development project.
The two companies would build a new stadium half the size on the southern part of the current site and use the remaining land for residential towers, office buildings, stores and public space, the Globe said, citing unnamed sources.
Brookfield declined to comment on the matter.
The Globe also reported that Rogers and Brookfield were exploring the possibility of building a stadium along the waterfront if the development plan falls through on a slice of land called Quayside, where Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs once hoped to construct a tech-savvy neighbourhood.
“The news this morning was the first Waterfront Toronto has heard of the Quayside site as a potential new home for the Blue Jays,” said Andrew Tumilty, a spokesperson for Waterfront Toronto, the agency overseeing the development of the city’s lakefront.
Such a plan would need “extensive scrutiny” and require the organization to consider existing, approved precinct plans, as well as the size and shape of the site, he said in an email.
The Rogers Centre, formerly known as the SkyDome, opened in 1989 and seats more than 53,000.
If the planned redevelopment falls through– which has exceptionally complex approval challenges because of the multiple layers of ownership of the site and structure — Rogers is also considering building a new stadium on the lakefront, possibly the 12-acre Quayside development site abandoned earlier by Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs.
The baseball stadium opened in 1989 as SkyDome, at a $570 million cost – and Rogers acquired the structure in 2004 for $24 million.
The Globe and Mail quotes sources as saying that the multibillion-dollar renovation would be privately funded by Brookfield and Rogers, but needs numerous government approvals to move forward. The federal government owns the land under the stadium.
Lobbying records indicate that Rogers and Brookfield executives have been discussing their plans with Toronto’s city councillors and other politicians for more than two years. “The sources say government officials and the two companies intend to go public with their plans in the new year,” the Globe reported. “The two companies are pitching politicians on a development that builds a vibrant neighbourhood, while keeping the Jays downtown.”
The new structure would include condos and other developments – and the stadium would be updated to current fan-friendly standards, with real grass rather than artificial turf.
The Globe and Mail says the Rogers Centre and Blue Jays are worth at least US$1.6 billion, a significant gain for Rogers, which acquired the Jays 20 years ago for US$137 million.