Rendering of the completed public plaza.
In early spring our blog focused on the revitalization projects in Edmonton’s core, highlighting three of downtown’s new up and upcoming districts, including the Brewery District, the Warehouse District, and the formerly titled ‘Edmonton Arena District’. Today we are focusing on the arena district’s shiny new public image and all the amenities the area will have to offer in the coming years.
An aggressive new public rebranding campaign is in full swing, complete with a flashy new name ‘Ice District’ and of course the corresponding hashtag (#icedistric), dubbed so by Katz Group Chairman Daryl Katz. The new name and image was agreed upon but the Katz group, stakeholders, and focus groups, and has thus far been well received by Edmontonians, who are more than aware of the city’s longtime associations with the cold and winter.
The Edmonton Journal reports that Bob Nicholson, CEO and vice-chair of the Oilers Entertainment Group, had this to say about the new branding that he has put his support behind:
“The Ice District really represents winter, winter sport and hockey. When you look at Edmonton, we’re a northern city. Ice District – it’s crisp and clean and it’s somewhere that people are going to come in the middle of winter”
Street view of Rogers Place
He goes on to explain the move away from the area’s former moniker, “When you look at the Edmonton Arena District, it was about the arena. No question, Rogers Arena is a big part of that but Ice District is about the whole district.”
The chilly sentiment resonates with city council, who aren’t looking to distance the city from such a reputation but rather embrace our climate, as voice by Councillor Scott McKeen. “It does refer to our winterness,” he said. “Council has really been pushing the idea that we do not have to apologize for being a winter city and we need to learn ways to honour and exploit that. I love that it ties in with that and it’s not a corporate name.”
The $2.5 billion expansion will encompass 25 acres of the Edmonton city centre and the initial stages, including the arena itself will be complete in fall of 2016, which second and third stages following suit in the years to come, and a full completion estimated for 2020.
The following promotional video has been used to build buzz and excitement for the many new projects currently underway for the area:
The staggering list of future developments include but are not limited to:
- Rogers Place –A 20,000 person sports and entertainment venue. The most advanced in North America.
- Grand Villa Edmonton Casino– Vegas worthy gaming, dining, and entertainment
- Cinaplex UltraAVX and VIP Cinemas
- State of the art office towers –both achieving LEED Gold Standards, one will be Edmonton’s tallest and will encompass 1.3 Million square feet of office space.
- Luxury hotel – touted as ‘Downtown’s first four-star hotel in 30 years” it will house 360 suites, a luxuy pool, terrace, fitness amenities, and a 24,000 square foot ballroom
- Public plaza -50,000 square feet of community space for concerts, festivals, skating, seasonal events and programming
- Premium residences
- Macewan LRT station
The promotional website icedistrict.com lauds the project as “a development fuelled by the optimism of what Edmonton can be”, describing the area as “one of the most advanced sports and entertainment venues in North America, a humming public plaza, sophisticated living and AAA office space all in one location. A place to cheer, a place to celebrate, a place you’ll never forget.”