Langford calls for referendum on expansion of Starlight Stadium

As the City of Langford and Pacific FC continue their negotiations for a stadium agreement, Mayor Scott Goodmanson says he wants the club to be the facility’s long-term tenant.

“I have no desire for them to leave,” he said Tuesday.

The comments come on the heels of announcements made on the City of Langford’s Facebook page, outlining plans for a public referendum regarding costs to upgrade the park.

The city says a referendum will happen, but the mayor didn’t offer details as to what the specific question will be, or when the question will be posed to Langford voters.

“Exact timelines as to what the question will be and so forth, nothing has been set up yet,” says Goodmanson.

In one of the posts, the city says three proposals were submitted by suppliers ranging from $10,425,665 to $14,667,256, which would see capacity expanded to close to 10,000 from the current 6,000.

The city calls the proposals “out-of-date” and says council is including $50,000 in the 2024 capital budget for detailed design renderings and class D cost estimates to add at least 2,000 additional seats on the north side of the stadium.

Pacific FC has maintained throughout its existence that completion of the stadium and increased seating is central to its long-term growth and viability.

The club opted not to renew its lease agreement with Langford, which Goodmanson says expired at the end of December.

Pacific FC could not comment on camera Tuesday, but Paul Beirne, the club’s managing director, doubled down on a statement made in January, which reads: “Starlight Stadium has been our home for the past five seasons and will continue to be. We are working closely with the City of Langford for the coming season and beyond. We look forward to welcoming our fans to our home opener April 13th against the Halifax Wanderers at Starlight Stadium.”

This guarantee of a home opener comes without a current agreement in place, but Goodmanson says the two sides are talking.

“Talks are happening as we speak,” he says.

But with Langford and Pacific FC both expressing the desire for a long-term stay at Starlight, what’s the holdup?

“That’s not for me to say,” says Goodmanson. “We’re in the middle of negotiations and I’m not trying to be hesitant. It would be inappropriate for me to say anything that would hamper those in any way.”

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