Plenty of talk about revamping downtown
February 24, 2010
Posted By MIKE WHITEHOUSE, THE SUDBURY STAR
Downtown Sudbury is in line for some massive changes.
Members of Downtown Sudbury were updated on a number of projects in the works for downtown at the business improvement area's annual general meeting Monday.
New investment initiatives, a proposal to move the railway tracks out of the city core and the rapidly evolving Northern Ontario School of Architecture were front and centre at the meeting.
The Downtown Village Development Corp. is building a business case for investment in the core. A revamped web-site ( www.dvdcsudbury.ca)lists properties downtown and provides a range of other information to potential investors.
In the past month, the not-for-profit organization dealt with 12 inquiries, most from out of town including one from Montreal, said managing director Susan Thompson.
The group is dealing with at least one major tenant consider
ing leaving downtown, though Thompson would not elaborate.
The group is also working with Sudbury native and international designer Bruce Mau on plans to create the first Centre for Massive Change in Sudbury, likely affiliated with Laurentian University and downtown.
The proposed think tank would be a follow-up to Mau's presentation in Sudbury in November.
The Downtown Village Development Corp. has commissioned surveys showing Sudburians favour a single, vibrant downtown and wish it had more stores and restaurants. The surveys also show people wish downtown businesses were open later in the evening and on weekends.
Laurentian University economist David Robinson gave an update on the proposal to relocate the 52-acre CP Rail corridor from downtown Sudbury and redevelop the land.
The group, Imagine Sudbury, began work a couple of years ago and continues to make slow but steady progress, Robinson said.
In the past year, members of Imagine Sudbury have met with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp, FedNor, Bombardier Inc., CP Rail and Vale Inco about the proposal.
Most tellingly, none of these necessary partners have shut the door to the project, he said.
Robinson couldn't put a figure on the cost of moving the tracks and preparing the site for development, but said the value of the reclaimed land for commercial and high-residential use would be about $500 million, which would be more than enough to pay the costs.