A report headed to city council Wednesday recommends the current Sudbury Arena site be used to house a new convention centre, art gallery and public library.
The arena will be empty by 2020, when a new $100 million facility is scheduled to be completed in what's being called The Kingsway entertainment district. The report says that creates an opportunity to house the three projects – estimated to cost $63 million to build – in the heart of downtown Sudbury.
That would also shut the door on an effort by the owners of the Rainbow Centre to have the art gallery and library built in the mall. The report said that option was considered, but scored low on the evaluation matrix the group used to score each option. Staff were directed to find a site that could house all the projects, taking advantage of economies of scale.
Other sites that were considered include the Minto Street parking lot and the Shaughnessy parking lot. But the arena scored highest for a number of reasons. It's owned by the city; is properly zoned for the projects; has enough space; eases community concern about the future of the location after the new arena opens; addresses priorities in the Downtown Master Plan; and sharing one site will likely reduce the cost of construction for all three projects.
A new, privately-built hotel is expected to be part of the development.
The Greater Sudbury Convention and Performance Centre – previously referred to as the Synergy Centre – would have 19,500 square feet of space to rent, including a 950-seat hall for concerts and 13,000 square feet for conventions.
Once complete, the report estimates it would create $2.3 million in new economic activity each year, but would require an annual operating subsidy of $272,000 from the city.
That's fairly typical of such spaces, the report said, with comparable facilities in other cities losing between $100,000 and $1 million a year. It should be run by an independent non-profit board of directors.
Read the full report here.
