Council hears proposal to remodel Foothills Park, including update to McMahon Stadium

Artist rending of a proposed remodelling of Foothills Athletic Park. (Courtesy City of Calgary)

CALGARY — City council heard an update for the proposed remodelling of the Foothills Athletic Park Monday. The new construction will update McMahon Stadium, add multi-use facilities, and create a tailgating space.

The area being remodelled contains both the city-owned Foothills Athletic Park and the University of Calgary-owned McMahon Stadium lands.

The project is being led by the B & A Planning Group.

As it stands, the two recreational spaces currently feature a baseball diamond, soccer fields, tennis courts, a volley dome, and an aquatic centre, as well as the home field of the Calgary Stampeders. The development plan will add new turf fields, update the hockey arenas and aquatic/fitness centre, as well as create a new entrance to the stadium, and an indoor field house that can be used for a variety of sports.

Although the B & A Planning Group hope to keep all the well-used existing facilities on the site, it is a possibility that specific facilities, such as the baseball diamond, may be removed in favour of a more multi-use space.

“Truthfully, the purpose-built facilities on the land are some of the ones that are most vulnerable as we look to create more multi-use facilities,” said Geoff Dyer of B & A Planning Group. No concrete plans for removing specific facilities have been approved to date. “I would love to be able to move all the existing well-loved facilities on the site as we move forward, and we’ll take note of that.” he added.

In addition to adding and improving existing facilities, B & A Planning Group hope to create a “mix-use district,” that adds to the usability of the area, including hotels, residential and retail spaces, restaurants, and office space.

The developers also hope to make the area more walkable and accessible by public transportation, while also adding more parking. “There’s a huge economic development play here, but also a huge lifestyle amenity for Calgarians” said Dyer.

June marks the beginning of phase three of the redevelopment, following eight months of consultations with the public and various stakeholders.

This fall, city council will vote to approve the proposed redesign.

See the renderings below: