Swangard Stadium upgrade options cost up to $170 million

Swangard Stadium (City of Burnaby)

Six months after Burnaby City Council approved the commissioning of a feasibility study to explore potential upgrades of Swangard Stadium, a new report has been created outlining a wide range of options.

A total of six potential options have been identified, including three modest options to enhance the existing stadium and configuration, and three significantly more ambitious options to completely redevelop the venue from scratch for new modern facilities.

According to Cornerstone Planning Group, which completed the study for the municipal government, the location at Central Park is highly optimal for a stadium, as it is centrally located in Metro Vancouver and served by major arterial roads and public transit, with SkyTrain Patterson Station located about a 10-minute walk away. Furthermore, significant residential densification in and around the Metrotown area to create Burnaby’s downtown will further support the facility’s use.

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Swangard Stadium was built in 1969 in time for the 1973 Canada Summer Games. Under its grandstand roof, it features a fixed seating capacity for 5,288 spectators, with additional temporary grandstands potentially increasing the capacity to up to 10,000.

With an eight-lane, 400-metre Olympic regulation running track, it is a suitable venue for athletics events. It also has a natural grass surface, which can be used for soccer, football, rugby, field hockey, and field lacrosse.

In 2007, with a temporary seating expansion to 10,000, Swangard Stadium was used as a venue for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

For decades, it was the home pitch for the Whitecaps, until their 2011 entry into the MLS and permanent relocation to BC Place Stadium starting in 2012. It was also previously used by the varsity sports teams of Simon Fraser University (SFU) until a new stadium was built at the SFU Burnaby campus in 2021.

Since 2022, the Whitecaps FC 2 of the MLS Next Pro league, the reserve team of the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps, has used Swangard Stadium as their home pitch.

Swangard Stadium (Google Earth)

Swangard Stadium (City of Burnaby)

Swanguard Stadium (City of Burnaby)

According to the study, over the past decade, the stadium has been mainly used to support track-and-field activities and organizations, with 42% of all bookings related to this particular sport. In 2022, Swangard Stadium was booked for a total of 216 days, including 144 days for track/practice bookings, 47 days for cultural/filming/other bookings, and 25 for other sports bookings.

In recent years, the operating and maintenance costs of the facility have grown exponentially due to its age. Maintenance costs have grown from $32,000 annually in 2014 to $528,000 in 2019, and these costs are increasing faster than the venue’s revenue from events.

It is noted that the stadium’s highly limited vehicle parking supply of 167 stalls is a challenge for supporting large events.

Existing configuration and features of Swangard Stadium. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

For these various reasons, reinvestments are needed to upgrade Swangard Stadium and expand its ability to attract and host events.

A renewal project for Swangard Stadium is currently in the highly preliminary stages of planning and unfunded. The City notes further feasibility studies are needed, with the newly completed feasibility study used as a foundation for further consideration. Here are the six options:

Three options for upgrading existing stadium

The three modest options for retaining the existing Swangard Stadium through some improvements carry slight variations.

The lowest cost option (Option 1a) of $25.2 million, focusing on sports uses, would add permanent seating covered for up to 500 people on the east side of the stadium, with an alternative option of 1,000 additional seats reducing most of the east parking lot’s capacity. There would also be improvements to the sports field and a new structure for administration and support spaces for athletes.

Another option (Option 1b) for $28.5 million would replace the track-and-field facilities, replace the sports field’s natural grass with hybrid or artificial natural grass, provide additional permanent seating covering for up to 500 people, create an event support area, and relocate the east parking lot to the stadium’s northeast corner with up to 125 stalls. This option is events-focused.

A slight variation of $29 million (Option 1c) improves the stadium’s multi-purpose uses, both sports and general events.

swangard stadium burnaby upgrade option 1a

Option 1a of upgrading the existing Swangard Stadium for $25 million for sports-focused uses. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

swangard stadium burnaby upgrade option 1b

Option 1b of upgrading the existing Swangard Stadium for $28.5 million for events-focused uses. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

swangard stadium burnaby upgrade option 1c

Option 1c of upgrading the existing Swangard Stadium for $29 million for multi-purpose uses. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

Three redevelopment options for a new stadium

There are also three varying options to build a completely new modern Swangard Stadium as a long-term solution. The seated capacity would be limited to 10,000 for any of these options.

The lowest cost redevelopment option (Option 2a) of $153 million provides two new covered grandstands, each with a seating capacity of 5,000, plus VIP boxes, concession areas, staff and athlete support rooms, and multipurpose spaces. This includes a replacement of the stadium’s existing west grandstand and the construction of a mirroring grandstand on the footprint of the east parking lot. There would also be a new main plaza to serve as the main entrance and public face of the stadium, and two levels of underground vehicle parking with about 500 stalls beneath the new east grandstand. This is a sports-focused concept.

The second redevelopment option (Option 2b) focuses on being a multi-purpose event. With a cost of $167 million, it has the same components as the previous $153 million redevelopment option, with the key added difference being turning the Central Park picnic area — immediately east of the stadium’s east parking lot — into a dedicated throwing track-and-field event space with natural grass and covered seating for 500 people.

The most ambitious concept is an option (Option 2c) carrying an estimated cost of $170 million. It also uses the $153 million redevelopment option as its baseline design, but it is focused on a professional soccer, football, or rugby anchor tenant. The grandstands are built closer to the sports field, which would remove the track-and-field facilities. Such a configuration is deemed to be preferable to meet the needs of such an anchor tenant.

swangard stadium burnaby upgrade option 2a

Option 2a of redeveloping Swangard Stadium for $153 million for sports-focused uses. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

swangard stadium burnaby upgrade option 2b

Option 2b of redeveloping Swangard Stadium for $167 million for multi-purpos uses. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

swangard stadium burnaby upgrade option 2c

Option 2c of redeveloping Swangard Stadium for $170 million for sports anchor tenant uses. (Cornerstone Planning Group/City of Burnaby)

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