Facing a price tag of $365 million to put a retractable roof on BC Place, provincial officials are rethinking the plan and looking at alternatives -- like an earlier proposal for a waterfront MLS stadium.

The reality is that spending a lot of money on BC Place may not be the most prudent investment by the city and province: it's an older facility occupying some pretty prime real estate in downtown Vancouver. Serving as the home of the CFL's BC Lions -- who seem to be lost in these discussions -- BC Place has been eyed for a dramatic makeover to coincide with a move by the Vancouver Whitecaps during their shift to MLS.

One alternative: revive a plan by Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot for a privately financed waterfront stadium, tear down BC Place and replace it with a new development that could possibly include a suitable stadium for the Lions. This scenario basically exchanges development rights for funding for a new stadium in a public-private partnership.

This talk is all preliminary, of course. But given the economy we're guessing it will gain some momentum in coming months.