The City of Abbotsford is hoping to build a new arena on private land in the next five to 10 years, with the city acting as an anchor tenant.
The plan is among nine actions listed in the Arena Services and Facilities Strategy, which comes before council for final approval on Tuesday (May 13).
The strategy provides a guideline for the city’s arena facilities over the next 20 years as demand for the current offerings reaches capacity while the population continues to grow.
“The Arena Strategy shows that current demand either surpasses or is projected to surpass current supply for ice sheets and dry-floor sheets, respectively,” states a staff report to council.
The strategy estimates that the city will see a 34 per cent increase in the demand for arena facilities over the next 20 years.
The report lists nine action items to be pursued over the next one to 10-plus years.
Immediate planning – over the next one to five years – includes renewing the city’s agreement with the Abbotsford Curling Club, with the facility perhaps being used for non-traditional dry-floor sports such as pickleball, especially in the off-season.
Another action plan during this stage is for the city to assess the maintenance needs and upgrading of the curling rink, MSA Arena, Matsqui Recreation Centre (MRC) and Abbotsford Recreation Centre (ARC) so they can continue to provide the same level of service until at least 2034.
Plans for five to 10 years from now include increasing the availability of dry-floor space, such as a permanent cover over the Yale court lacrosse box, with upgrades to the flooring, scoreboards and dasher boards.
The strategy also states that the city should explore partnership opportunities for purchasing additional arena hours from private operators and replacing/building new facilities.
“The city has a number of land holdings that could be considered attractive from a development perspective,” the strategy states.
“Give the high costs associated with areas and recreation infrastructure, it is imperative the city explore opportunities with private industry and senior levels of government to share these costs.”
Under this approach, the city would commit to a number of hours per year for ice sheets and dry-floor sheets.
There are currently 14 privately owned and operated areas in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, according to the report.
In Abbotsford, The Rinks at Summit Centre is privately owned and operated, while Abbotsford Centre and the Abbotsford Curling Club are city-owned and privately operated.
MSA Arena, MRC and ARC are owned and operated by the city.
The staff report to council recommends that council begin the process now to seek out potential parties interested in the development of a new arena.
Options that arise would be brought before council for further direction, the report states.
A long-term action plan – 10+ years from now – is to explore redevelopment opportunities for MSA and MRC, which will require major renovations and, eventually, replacement.
The strategy states that MSA Arena “represents the best potential for re-development opportunities.”
“The city should not consider replacing the arenas with a new facility dedicated to only ice and dry-floor activities – it is much more efficient to develop a multipurpose recreation facility,” the strategy states.
“In addition, multi-sheet facilities are more economical to operate than single-sheet areas.”
Development of the Arena Services and Facilities Strategy began in September 2020. The draft report was received by council in November 2022.
