The Ledo Hotel building is slated to come down as part of a City of Greater Sudbury plan to level the property for use as a potential parking lot.
Several of the demolition project’s 24 bid takers toured the property on Oct. 6 as part of a mandatory site visit to review the site’s existing condition.
The tender is slated to close Oct. 20, and demolition is expected to begin in mid-November.
The city purchased the entire triangular block on which the Ledo Hotel building stands earlier this year. It also includes an existing parking lot and a collection of buildings attached to each other to the east.
Although the buildings to the east are not included in the current demolition tender, the city clarified in July that they are also slated to come down. Sudbury.com asked a city spokesperson when these buildings will come down, but have not yet received a response.
Sudbury.com toured the Ledo Hotel building last year, when then-owner George Soule was planning to renovate it to accommodate an affordable housing project which later fell through. Its main floor had been largely gutted to accommodate a film shoot. It also appeared as though thieves had been rooting through the building to steal copper pipes from the walls.
The Ledo Hotel is a three-story structure spanning 13,250 square feet, according to the city’s tender document, and has been vacant since an Ontario Fire Marshal Immediate Threat to Life Order forced its immediate closure in 2020.
Hazardous material such as asbestos is to be removed from the building prior to its demolition. The building is to come down as a top-down systematic demolition using heavy machinery.
The winning bidder is expected to salvage and recycle materials whenever possible, and to salvage and relocate the main Ledo Hotel sign.
The affected property is to be infilled flat.
The block was purchased by the city earlier this year for approximately $2 million, and Mayor Paul Lefebvre said at the time that the land “will be considered for future parking.”
Last week’s update on the city’s event centre/arena project flagged the property as part of a “larger scale redevelopment project anchored by an event centre facility.”
The city’s plan is to attract private investment adjacent to the proposed upcoming municipal facility, including such amenities as a hotel and convention centre, parking structure and other commercial ventures.
A city spokesperson clarified to Sudbury.com on Oct. 6, “While there has been mention that the property could be used for parking or to continue development of the downtown, at this time, no decisions have been made regarding how the land will be used.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
