Results of a recent survey to gauge what Albertans think should be done with Rexall Place once the new downtown arena, Rogers Place, opens for the 2016/2017 NHL season.
The survey was available online between December 2, 2014, and January 31, 2015 – and garnered response from 26,019 individuals.
A variety of questions were asked: including how many events the respondents had attended at Rexall Place in recent years, how they travelled to Northlands, and how important Rexall Place is to them, the City of Edmonton and area, and the province.
Respondents were also asked their thoughts on what they thought the most suitable option would be for the future of Rexall Place: to repurpose it, keep it as is, demolish, unsure, other or close the facility and leave it standing.
The majority of responses (40 percent) were for repurposing the building or retrofitting it for other uses, some of those ideas included making it into a dedicated concert hall, a recreation or training centre, a market or shopping area or transforming it into low-income/affordable housing.
Thirty percent of respondents want to keep Rexall Place as-is, while 14 percent said the building should be demolished to make way for other developments.
The survey also asked respondents if two major arena facilities can survive in Edmonton.
A total of 46 percent of respondents think two major facilities can co-exist in Edmonton, while 32 percent don’t. Twenty-two percent of respondents were unsure.
The survey asked respondents to choose up to two different modes of transportation they use to get to Rexall Place, and found 75 percent of respondents typically drive to events at Rexall Place, 42 percent take the LRT specifically, four percent take the bus and three percent walk.
