Pitch for pro soccer team, stadium in Kingston met with both support and opposition
Some residents fear the field will hurt the Memorial Centre Farmers' Market
UPDATE | Kingston city council voted Tuesday night to keep exploring the proposal at the Memorial Centre site, including more public consultation and considerations around current users.
A proposal to build a multi-sport stadium and bring a professional soccer team to Kingston, Ont., has won some fans, but is also up against plenty of opponents who fear the project will cost the community.
Victory Grounds Ventures (VGV) is pitching a turf field, which would be covered by a dome in winter, at the Memorial Centre in the city's core. The company said it wants to enter into a long-term lease for part of the site in order to woo a Canadian Premier League team and two semi-pro teams. The facility would also be available for local groups.
The plan offers "exponential benefit from tourism to businesses," according to VGV managing partner Paul Barbeau, who said the stadium wouldn't require any money from taxpayers.
"In fact, the exact opposite," he said during an interview with Ontario Morning host Nav Nanwa. "I'm actually looking to pay the taxpayers in a lease arrangement, so they will still retain ownership of the land."
Kingston city council is set to consider the proposal during its meeting Tuesday night, but not everyone is cheering. In fact, some are rooting against it.
"It's a public space being taken over by private interests, and it's going to have a massive impact on surrounding residents, really disturbing their quality of life," said Annette Burfoot, co-chair of the Williamsville Community Association.
Fears for future of farmers' market
The Memorial Centre grounds are currently home to an arena and water park. A report by city staff said the soccer stadium wouldn't impact the play structure or splash pad at the site, but it would mean moving a popular dog park and losing some sports field uses. It would also impact the busy running track that surrounds the grounds.
Barns that are used during the Kingston Fall Fair and that house the Memorial Centre Farmers' Market in the colder months would also have to come down to make room for more parking, it reads.
The report says future designs for the centre would include space for a year-round farmers' market, but that pledge has been panned as "vague" in a post on the market's website urging customers to sign a petition against the stadium.
"This proposal unfairly pits the market, the neighbourhood, and Kingston Fall Fair communities against the soccer community," the post reads in part.
Burfoot launched the petition, which by Tuesday morning had more than 5,000 signatures. While the Memorial Centre has been "starved for attention, even maintenance" in recent years, Burfoot said she's convinced it's the wrong location for a soccer stadium.
She pointed to bright field lights, crowds of fans and a lack of parking as potential headaches for nearby homeowners, and said while residents are used to disruption during annual events such as Ribfest or the fall fair, regular games would be a different story.
"Now we are dancing to the tune of the private enterprise," she said.
Barbeau insisted many of the concerns about the proposal are based on "misinformation," adding the company did not ask the city to demolish the barns. He also described the area VGV is looking to lease as a "concrete slab," not parkland.
"All we're asking is the ability to communicate with city staff ... and for all of us to communicate with the community and get their comments through public consultation," he said.
Council considering 3 options
Williamsville District Coun. Vincent Cinanni said the proposal comes with "a lot of unanswered questions." He said the main message he's hearing from constituents is a desire to slow the process down.
Cinanni agreed the plan would likely offer an economic benefit, and said there is a need for a soccer field like the one that's proposed. But he said it doesn't necessarily have to be located at the Memorial Centre.
The city staff report includes the following options:
- Working with the VGV to develop a long-term lease of the Memorial Centre.
- Working with the company to find another site for its stadium in Kingston.
- Directing staff not to work with the company on any long-term leases for city-owned property.
It notes if council does support plans for a stadium, more due diligence and community consultation would be needed before any final approval is given.
The report also urges council to provide direction soon because VGV must confirm its "firm intent" with the soccer league by the end of March.
"A lot of this stuff may not be realistically done in that amount of time anyway," said Cinanni. "We don't even know if it's feasible at this point."
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