Hamilton politicians, city staff and other stakeholders in the FirstOntario Centre redevelopment gathered on York Boulevard Thursday for an official groundbreaking ceremony.
With shiny hard hats and sledgehammers on hand, the first pieces of the old arena were dismantled, launching the $280-million private sector renovation of the 39-year-old facility,
Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) president PJ Mercanti told Global News that the real work is not far behind and that his group is still banking on completion in the fall of 2025 with a November opening date.
“This is a strategic inflection point for the city of Hamilton and for this project,” Mercanti said.
“We’ve been working hard with the city, with Oakview Group (OVG) and Live Nation to get everything to this point and we’re delighted that the next chapter literally started today.”
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Once finished, the arena will be able to host 18,000 visitors and more than 125 events every year.
Amenities will include a new street-level concourse, a restaurant open 365 days a year, new food and beverage areas, and upgraded suites and club spaces.
Mercanti says live music will be treated as an “anchor tenant” once built and characterizes the venue as a “relief valve” for touring entertainers who don’t want to duke it out for dates at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
“We believe that when acts look at planning their North American tours, instead of maybe looking at Cleveland, Buffalo or Western New York,” Mercanti explained.
“They’re going to look at Hamilton thinking that it is part of the extended GTA … and part of a catchment area that’s almost 10 million people.”
Sports teams are also expected to be more localized anchors with the Toronto Rock expected to maintain their tenancy, while a new or existing hockey team will also be sought.
The city’s management partnership with HUPEG and OVG is expected to take some $155 million off the backs of city taxpayers over the next 30 years.
Last November, Mayor Andrea Horwath called the deal “the right thing to do,” despite not being on council when the deal was agreed to in the summer of 2021.
She said the multi-million-dollar investment was “not something that the city would be looking at” considering current budget challenges.