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| Commonwealth Park |
Overiew |
Stadium |
Multi-Sport Facility |
Athletes’ Village
OVERVIEW
Set on the shores of Halifax Harbour, Commonwealth Park was the centrepiece of Halifax’s bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The primary Games sporting cluster was located in the newly developed Commonwealth Park, currently Shannon Park.
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The Commonwealth Park infrastructure was designed with legacy in mind and would have been purpose-built for the Games. This compact setting included the Athletes’ Village, the Stadium and the Multi-Sport Facility. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies and five sports would be hosted here.
Post-Games the facilities would have been available for community needs, ranging from large-scale outdoor concerts in the Stadium to school and community competitions in the Multi-Sport Facility. Provincial, national and Commonwealth athletes would have access to the Commonwealth Park facilities, including accommodations in the Athletes’ Village.
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Related to the development of Shannon Park, Halifax 2014 proposed to widen Windmill Road and Princess Margaret Boulevard, build a new road system and create new infrastructure for accessing Commonwealth Park. Construction of a wharf at Commonwealth Park would make it accessible to the existing ferry network and the new fast ferries. As well, an active transportation trail was proposed from Commonwealth Park to the Dartmouth Waterfront. |
COMMONWEALTH PARK STADIUM
A new stadium with a temporary seating capacity of 50,000 would have been built. It would have hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and two sports.
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Sports: Rugby (C), Athletics (C), including Marathon Finish Line
Seating Capacity: 50,000
Capital Investment: Approximately $121.2 million
Post-Games: The Stadium would have been HRM’s new venue for large, open-air cultural and spectator events. With a permanent seating capacity of 25,000, it would have offered numerous hosting opportunities for the municipality. The Stadium’s design met various International Federation standards and requirements for hosting sporting events beyond the Games. For example, rugby, professional soccer and football games and athletics world championships could have been held in Commonwealth Park.
A 400-metre outdoor track beside the Stadium was required during the Games for the athletic warm-up. A dome over the track and the synthetic in-field would have allowed for year-round usage. Post-Games, the track would have had a seating capacity of 2,000.
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COMMONWEALTH PARK MULTI-SPORT FACILITY
A new multi-sport facility with a state-of-the-art aquatics centre and an adjacent temporary outdoor velodrome was proposed. During the Games, this facility would have housed the administration, sport science and medical facilities.
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Sport: Aquatics (C)
Seating Capacity: 6,000
Sport: Badminton (C)
Seating Capacity: 2,500
Sport: Track Cycling (C & T)
Seating Capacity: 4,000
Capital Investment: Approximately $159.4 million
Post-Games: The vision for the Multi-Sport Facility was that it would become a gathering place where people of all ages and walks of life would engage in sport, recreation and cultural activities. It would offer fitness/wellness services, programs in aquatics, sport development services, commercial opportunities and opportunities for community and corporate development.
The Multi-Sport Facility was proposed to be the size of four international basketball courts with 2,500 seats. It would be available to a wide range of groups for rental as well as open to the public. A state-of-the-art fitness centre with a weight training room for community use, along with a major sport science and medicine center, would be housed there. The facility would become a Multi-Sport High Performance Training Centre for summer sport and provide office space for Sport Nova Scotia and Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic.
The aquatic centre would be the first in Atlantic Canada with two 50-metre pools and a seating capacity of 3,000. It would have many uses from swimming lessons to diving and public play space.
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COMMONWEALTH PARK ATHLETES’ VILLAGE
The concept for the Athletes’ Village was designed with both post-Games legacy and the athlete in mind. It would have been located adjacent to Commonwealth Park, meaning all athletes would have been able to walk to Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and to competitions held in the park. Approximately half of the athletes would have been able to walk to their competition venues and the rest would be within 20-minutes travel from their competition and training venue.
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Capital Investment: Approximately $62.5 million
Post-Games: The Athletes’ Village was proposed as a new housing development. The design incorporated a mix of rental units and condominiums for owner occupancy interspersed with townhouses to provide a community feel in the Village. There would be 100 assisted living units, 200 affordable housing units and 900 open market units providing a variety of choice and affordability. The Village concept also included a seniors’ facility and a hotel on the site.
Barrier-free accessibility is essential to any Games Village, and the Halifax 2014 bid included a park/trail system as its centrepiece, including roads and pathways for easy pedestrian and wheelchair access to all areas.
Provincial and national team training camps would have been held at Commonwealth Park. Fifty beds would be retained in the Village for athletes attending these camps and other Commonwealth athletes visiting the High Performance Training Centre.
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