Location and Catchment

Map of Potential Catchment Area

Although the geographical catchment market area for a multi-district, multi-purpose facility is defined as being within a 20-30 minute drive in an urban area, the market for the Mainland Common facility cannot be defined strictly in these terms as such an area would intersect with the catchment areas for the Sackville Sports Stadium and the Dartmouth Sportsplex as well as the Dalplex among others.

Immediate area under-serviced

Recreation facilities within HRM that have a leisure pool component include the Spryfield wave pool, the Dartmouth Sportsplex, Cole Harbour Place, and the Sackville Sports Stadium, all of which are somewhat remote from the proposed site. Although some of these facilities are within the recommended travel time, in the case of Dartmouth Sportsplex, the harbour represents a natural boundary which serves as a boundary, particularly at peak traffic times and Cole Harbour Place is too far away from the Mainland Common to entice prospective users of the MCRC.

Halifax Peninsula

Much of the former City of Halifax is served by the sport and recreation facilities provided by universities: The Tower at Saint Mary's and Dalplex on the campus of Dalhousie University. There are also municipal recreation centres in the north end (Needham Pool) and the downtown area (Centennial Pool). While University facilities will likely service the immediate area for many years to come, the long-term sustainability of both Needham and Centennial Pool as recreation centres comes into question. Given that it is likely these pools probably will eventually close or require major renovation/upgrades early in the life of a recreation centre at the Mainland Common, it may make sense to design the Mainland Common Recreation Centre to allow for future expansion to absorb Halifax Pennisula's needs.