Sudbury council approves development of new downtown event centre
The City of Sudbury is moving forward with construction of a new downtown event centre.
Council approved the project in a unanimous vote at a meeting on April 16.
In September, council directed staff to provide further detailed analysis on two options: to build a new event centre and or to renovate the Sudbury Community Arena.
Staff concluded that a new event centre would provide the best opportunity to meet Council’s objectives with the least impact, the greatest opportunity for complementary investment and the least risk during construction.
“The decision to build a new event centre aligns with council’s vision for redevelopment of downtown’s South District. This is an important investment in our city’s future,” said Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre. “Part of building a healthy and prosperous city means pursuing opportunities for growth, investment and employment. Making thoughtful investments in community infrastructure, specifically in the South District of downtown, will not just present a welcoming image for residents and visitors, but will send a confident message to businesses and investors.”
The estimate to build the new building is $200 million. The cost will require the city to raise up to $135 million in additional financing – a figure that falls within council’s debt management policy and provincial limits on municipal debt levels.
Staff will now take several steps to move the project forward, including preparing, issuing, evaluating and awarding the necessary Request for Proposal to procure a lead architect and engineering team for the project, recruiting a project director, and identifying a site for the new event centre
Staff will report to council on a regular basis with updates on the progress of the event centre.