Toronto could be home to a new sports arena. Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Commissioner Mike Morreale hinted on an August 1 CHCH Sportsline podcast episode that one of the CEBL teams in the Greater Toronto Area, the Scarborough Shooting Stars, will build their own purpose-built facility, the first CEBL arena in the country, and that “groundbreaking will happen in a couple of months.” Last July, developer Kevric filed a minor variance application to allow the construction of an arena/multi-use facility near McCowan Road and Highway 401 in the Scarborough Centre area that will become their new home. If the project goes ahead, it would more than triple the current spectator capacity for the Shooting Stars and accommodate the increased attendance the CEBL is experiencing.
Representation of the planned development. Image by Kevric.
The league is Canada's premier men's professional basketball league and boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country: 75% of the roster is Canadian, and in 2024 there will be a record 10 players with NBA experience. Founded in 2017, the 10-team league competes in cities across the country – Brampton, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Niagara, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Scarborough, Vancouver, Winnipeg.
In just their second season, the Scarborough Shooting Stars (SSS) became the fastest professional expansion team in the country to win a championship after defeating the Calgary Surge in 2023. The SSS's current home is the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC) on the Scarborough campus of the University of Toronto (UTSC). The sports hall seats 1,386 people up to the bleachers. Given the TPASC's proximity to nearby low-rise residential neighbourhoods and its primary function as a community and recreation centre associated with UTSC and the city of Toronto, Kevric said it is not an ideal location to house the franchise.
The location in question is located at the northeast corner of the Consilium Place office complex. Image by Kevric.
However, the 8,238 sq m Scarborough Centre site is now a surface parking lot belonging to the Consilium Place office complex. The larger site at 100-350 Consilium Place consists of three 17 and 18 storey office buildings owned and operated by Kevric. The proposed arena is inextricably linked to the office complex and would share its parking facilities. However, as the arena would be a freestanding building, an engineering variance is required. The site has excellent access to both overhead and surface transport routes and is located 165 m northeast of the new Scarborough Centre subway station on the Scarborough extension of the Danforth Line 2, currently under construction.
Aerial view of the proposed development. Image by Kevric.
Although there has been little media coverage, Sam Ibrahim, co-owner of the Scarborough Shooting Stars, revealed some details about what is supposed to happen in an Instagram video posted on July 17, 2023: “Scarborough's first arena – similar to Scotiabank, etc. – will hopefully be the entertainment hub of the city.”
Representation of the planned development. Image by Kevric.
The design by WZMH Architects calls for a three-story arena/multi-purpose facility with seating for approximately 4,600 people. The proposal, which has a gross floor area of 5,488 sqm, includes administrative and media offices, a basketball court, gym, locker rooms and concession stands. In addition to housing the SSS, the facility would also provide recreational space for the surrounding community focused on youth sports and activities, and host events such as conferences, concerts and trade shows.
The proposal includes a 24-space car park at the southern end and access to the existing underground car park of the Consilium Place office complex, where all three office buildings have access to 1,523 vehicle parking spaces.
Level 3 of the proposal includes additional seating, private boxes, lobby area and a storage area. Image by Kevric.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more about it in our database file linked below. If you'd like, you can join the conversation in the associated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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Bousfields, WZMH Architects |