New Stadium Locations

[Rich]

I think going to a refurbished BMO is the best option, but only if MLSE buys the team. It's the safest bet.

But if it comes to best location for a new stadium, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the Portlands. Minutes from downtown, thousands of acres of developable land, its the perfect place for a Lansdowne Stadium-type development with lots of commercial and residential in and around the stadium. Enough land -- downtown land -- that could attract a really great civic-pride kind of development.

The best part is how the changing transportation infrastructure could make the Portlands a perfect fit for the future. The Gardiner east of Jarvis is coming down. They are going to completely redesign the Don Valley/Gardiner/Lakeshore interchange. You could have a Don Valley offramp heading straight into the stadium area, and a Lakeshore Southeast turnoff coming off the Gardiner eastbound.

The new Downtown Relief Subway line is supposed to head south from Pape Station then west to the West Donlands, pretty easy (relatively) to connect to the Portlands from there. No real good GO solution, though.

[argolio]

The new Downtown Relief Subway line is supposed to head south from Pape Station then west to the West Donlands, pretty easy (relatively) to connect to the Portlands from there. No real good GO solution, though.

Problem is that relief line is probably at least ten years away. They haven't even started an Environmental Assessment. Ford and Miller both screwed the city by ignoring this project.

Couldn't they add a GO station somewhere between Cherry Street and the Don?

[Rich]

Problem is that relief line is probably at least ten years away. They haven't even started an Environmental Assessment. Ford and Miller both screwed the city by ignoring this project.

Couldn't they add a GO station somewhere between Cherry Street and the Don?

Well the rail line runs right along there, I suppose they could, it's probably a similar distance away from Union that the Ex stop is.

As for the infrastructure, sure there's a lot that needs to happen for the Portlands but not much more than if they put the stadium up in Boonerville like some suggest. Putting the team way up there would be suicide, the Argos would become the next Toronto Lynx.

[Neely2005]

Well the rail line runs right along there, I suppose they could, it's probably a similar distance away from Union that the Ex stop is.

As for the infrastructure, sure there's a lot that needs to happen for the Portlands but not much more than if they put the stadium up in Boonerville like some suggest. Putting the team way up there would be suicide, the Argos would become the next Toronto Lynx.

Most of the Argonauts fans are from the 905 and Vaughan has highways and a TTC Subway stop.

[argolio]

BTW , this subway relief has been bandied about since the late '60's ; so we shouldn't count on that .

Difference is Toronto Council has definitively declared it the city's next major transit priority. So it'll happen when funding is secured.

[Neely2005]

Difference is Toronto Council has definitively declared it the city's next major transit priority. So it'll happen when funding is secured.

So best case scenario is that it's a decade away. Vaughan TTC Subway has already completed all tunneling and will open within 2 years.

Plus the relief line isn't necessarily the next line to get built. Tim Hudak says that he wants to build the relief line and the Richmond Hill extension. Who knows which one will get built first.

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