macphail
10-28-2005, 04:06 PM
For Immediate Release
Oct. 28, 2005, 14:20 p.m.
For further information contact:
Cynthia Beach, Commissioner of Department of Planning & Development, 546-4291 ext. 1150
Council To Receive Study On A North Block LVEC
Site Bounded By Ontario, Barrack, King And Place D'Armes
Two weeks ahead of schedule, Kingston City Council will receive a CAO staff report at Tuesday night's council meeting (Nov. 1) on the suitability of the North Block as a site location for a proposed Large Venue Entertainment Centre.
North Block is part of the Central Business District and the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area and occupies 4.5 blocks in Kingston's historic downtown.
As part of its evaluation of the Large Venue Entertainment Centre and in response to public input received, City Council passed a motion on September 20 that the North Block be the subject of a site analysis under the direction of the Chief Administrative Officer, and that a report be issued by November 15, 2005.
According to the reports' Executive Summary it has been determined that:
1. The Large Venue Entertainment Centre can be located on a single block within North Block business district;
2. It is reasonable to assume that the capital cost for constructing and equipping the Large Venue Entertainment Centre will remain the same as the $37.3 million in the Business Plan presently before Council;
3. That significant land and business relocation costs arising at the inner harbour site will be avoided.
Further, the report outlines and recommends that the Large Venue Entertainment Centre be located on the block bounded by Ontario Street, Barrack Street, King Street, and Place D'Armes. The proposed site is the location of a former coal gas plant that in 2001 saw the City spend $2.3 million cleaning up the site along with other coal-tar affected sites.
The report also recommends that the City's 2005 capital budget be amended to approve the construction of the LVEC at $37.3 million as an upset maximum with financing as set out in the Large Venue Entertainment Centre Business Plan previously received by and presently before City Council.
The report suggests that sports and entertainment facility will have a building foot print of approximately 75,000 sq. ft and will contain a total floor area of
approximately 132,000 square feet. It will initially have a total of 5,000 seats and will be designed in such a way to accommodate future expansion to a total of 6,000 seats to meet anticipated population growth.
Since the early 1990s, various Councils for the City of Kingston have evaluated the prospects of developing a new facility to replace the Memorial Centre.
In late 2003, Council passed a resolution to support the Large Venue Entertainment Centre Task Force (LVEC Task Force) established by the Mayor to make recommendations to Council regarding types of events and activities needed by the Community and supported by an LVEC, the appropriate location for an LVEC and a financing vehicle for an LVEC.
As a sports and entertainment venue, the LVEC will host concerts, family shows, special sporting events, trade shows, conventions etc.
It will also be the home of the Kingston Frontenacs, an Ontario Hockey League Major Junior A franchise, and help meet the community's need for ice and floor based recreation sports. The facility will deliver significant direct and indirect economic benefits, estimated to be in the range of $20 million annually.
Kingston City Council will debate the Large Venue Entertainment Centre North Block study at its Tuesday November 1, 2005, meeting.
A copy of the study will be available on the City's Web site at
<http://www.cityofkingston.ca/nb/ (https://webmail.cogeco.ca/webmail.cgi?cmd=url&url=http!3A!2F!2Fwww.cityofkingston.ca!2Fnb!2F)> Friday afternoon, October 28, 2005.
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Oct. 28, 2005, 14:20 p.m.
For further information contact:
Cynthia Beach, Commissioner of Department of Planning & Development, 546-4291 ext. 1150
Council To Receive Study On A North Block LVEC
Site Bounded By Ontario, Barrack, King And Place D'Armes
Two weeks ahead of schedule, Kingston City Council will receive a CAO staff report at Tuesday night's council meeting (Nov. 1) on the suitability of the North Block as a site location for a proposed Large Venue Entertainment Centre.
North Block is part of the Central Business District and the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area and occupies 4.5 blocks in Kingston's historic downtown.
As part of its evaluation of the Large Venue Entertainment Centre and in response to public input received, City Council passed a motion on September 20 that the North Block be the subject of a site analysis under the direction of the Chief Administrative Officer, and that a report be issued by November 15, 2005.
According to the reports' Executive Summary it has been determined that:
1. The Large Venue Entertainment Centre can be located on a single block within North Block business district;
2. It is reasonable to assume that the capital cost for constructing and equipping the Large Venue Entertainment Centre will remain the same as the $37.3 million in the Business Plan presently before Council;
3. That significant land and business relocation costs arising at the inner harbour site will be avoided.
Further, the report outlines and recommends that the Large Venue Entertainment Centre be located on the block bounded by Ontario Street, Barrack Street, King Street, and Place D'Armes. The proposed site is the location of a former coal gas plant that in 2001 saw the City spend $2.3 million cleaning up the site along with other coal-tar affected sites.
The report also recommends that the City's 2005 capital budget be amended to approve the construction of the LVEC at $37.3 million as an upset maximum with financing as set out in the Large Venue Entertainment Centre Business Plan previously received by and presently before City Council.
The report suggests that sports and entertainment facility will have a building foot print of approximately 75,000 sq. ft and will contain a total floor area of
approximately 132,000 square feet. It will initially have a total of 5,000 seats and will be designed in such a way to accommodate future expansion to a total of 6,000 seats to meet anticipated population growth.
Since the early 1990s, various Councils for the City of Kingston have evaluated the prospects of developing a new facility to replace the Memorial Centre.
In late 2003, Council passed a resolution to support the Large Venue Entertainment Centre Task Force (LVEC Task Force) established by the Mayor to make recommendations to Council regarding types of events and activities needed by the Community and supported by an LVEC, the appropriate location for an LVEC and a financing vehicle for an LVEC.
As a sports and entertainment venue, the LVEC will host concerts, family shows, special sporting events, trade shows, conventions etc.
It will also be the home of the Kingston Frontenacs, an Ontario Hockey League Major Junior A franchise, and help meet the community's need for ice and floor based recreation sports. The facility will deliver significant direct and indirect economic benefits, estimated to be in the range of $20 million annually.
Kingston City Council will debate the Large Venue Entertainment Centre North Block study at its Tuesday November 1, 2005, meeting.
A copy of the study will be available on the City's Web site at
<http://www.cityofkingston.ca/nb/ (https://webmail.cogeco.ca/webmail.cgi?cmd=url&url=http!3A!2F!2Fwww.cityofkingston.ca!2Fnb!2F)> Friday afternoon, October 28, 2005.
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