A new municipal plan outlines how a permanent soccer stadium could fit into downtown Halifax — but not without significant compromises for other groups already using the site.

Halifax municipal staff presented a functional plan for the Wanderers Block to the city’s community planning and economic development committee recently. The land, which is largely municipally owned and part of the Halifax Common, currently houses a pop-up stadium for the Halifax Wanderers professional soccer team and several other longstanding users.

The plan explores how to accommodate a wide range of requests from existing and potential future tenants — including two pro soccer teams, a horse riding school, a lawn bowling club, and city parks staff.

“Now we can say, yeah, it is very crowded,” Carolle Koziak Roberts, a municipal landscape architect, told CBC.

The Wanderers of the men’s Canadian Premier League and the new Halifax Tides women’s squad that in the competes in the Northern Super League, are seeking a permanent 8,500-seat stadium with locker rooms, running water, concession areas, and the potential for future seating expansion. The teams envision a turf field that could host school and amateur sports year-round, as well as concerts with up to 13,000 standing attendees. In 2023, the Wanderers pegged the stadium’s cost at about $40 million and proposed that the city build and operate it, with the team as lead tenant.

But in the plan, the city rejected the idea of funding the project.

Other groups also have expansion plans. The Halifax Lancers riding school wants more stables and a second indoor arena. The Wanderers Lawn Bowling Club, a fixture since 1887, seeks a larger, rentable clubhouse and more visibility. The Public Gardens Foundation is asking for a Victorian-style conservatory. The site also includes a parks depot for sports field and horticultural maintenance.

Three layout options are presented in the plan, but each requires trade-offs. While some configurations could support both soccer and rugby, none can accommodate football without displacing another tenant.

For more than four decades, the Canadian Football League and the sport’s local boosters have sought to place an expansion franchise in the Nova Scotia capital. A Halifax team would even out the nine-team CFL, provide better scheduling options and likely expand the league’s playoff format and its revenue.

But the lack of a suitable stadium has scuttled the goal for decades.

Stadium seating expansion would only be possible if the province provided land from the neighbouring Museum of Natural History, allowing up to 10,000 seats, the report indicates.

Coun. Patty Cuttell called for a larger stadium at a different location that could also support commercial use, CBC reported.

And, Coun. Trish Purdy described the idea of a permanent stadium on the site as a “big negative,” arguing that it would never be able to host CFL games, according to CBC.

The media outlet also reported that Coun. Tony Mancini praised the temporary stadium’s impact since 2019, calling it a “huge success” that has drawn about 6,000 fans per game and boosted downtown activity.

“It’s had a huge impact to the downtown and it’s been great,” said Mancini.

But he acknowledged its shortcomings, especially for larger events, recalling a 2023 exhibition game between Canada and Brazil’s women’s soccer teams.

“Two of the best teams in the world here. They’re changing in shipping containers, they had to use [portable toilets], there’s no running water, there’s not a real stadium, so a real stadium is definitely needed,” he said, according to CBC.

Koziak Roberts emphasized that this report is only an initial step, CBC reported. Estimated total costs for all development options range from $116 million to $123 million, assuming construction starts in 2029 and factoring in inflation. An 8,600-seat stadium itself has an estimated cost of $92 million.

Regional council will review the plan at a future meeting to decide whether to commission a staff report recommending a specific approach for the block and confirming financial support from higher levels of government and tenant groups.

“It is not envisioned that the municipality should assume primary financial responsibilities over these interests,” the report noted.

Public consultation will follow once more clarity is achieved about what the site can realistically accommodate, CBC reported.