The City of Markham, which is located within the Greater Toronto Area, is moving forward with it’s plan to build an NHL-worthy arena.
As the Toronto Star reported, chairman and CEO of GTA Sports and Entertainment, Graeme Roustan, has submitted plans for the 20,000-seat arena.
“This is one of many steps that has to take place, but it’s an important step,” said Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “When you submit your site plan application, it indicates from the private sector side that you are serious about the project and want it to proceed.”
Scarpitti promised to make the review of the application “priority number one for us here in Markham.”
The Mayor isn’t sure if construction will be able to start by this fall, but he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of it starting this year.
As we previously reported, Markham council has already approved of a public-private financing plan for the arena. However, as the Star pointed out, there’s still work to be done regarding the financial framework, among other issues.
Perhaps this will ultimately prove to be the first step towards Toronto getting a second NHL team, but obviously nothing is certain in that regard. Just because Markham is interested in building an NHL arena, doesn’t necessarily mean that an NHL team will someday call it home.