Sudbury unveils location of new downtown arena

A report is set to go before Greater Sudbury city council next week outlines the site selected for the new arena and events centre downtown.

The new events centre in downtown Sudbury will be built across the street from the current arena, on land bordered by Brady, Van Horne, Shaunessy and Minto streets.

A report headed to city council Feb. 18 said the site is most cost-effective since no roads would have to be realigned and no major utility relocations would be required.

“Additionally, there are opportunities to downsize or eliminate portions of the road network,” the report said.

“This is expected to result in operational cost savings as well as capital infrastructure savings since most of the existing infrastructure is at or near the end of its life. The site solidly anchors the south downtown, offering redevelopment opportunities on three sides.”

The location also preserves the existing railway station and doesn’t affect the nearby Sudbury Theatre Centre.

“Through supplemental investigations, it is understood that ground conditions are consistent throughout the south district,” the report said.

“The soil capacity is considered to be weak and foundation support for large structures would likely require piles founded in bedrock ... The additional analysis shows that the cost and complexity of constructing foundations for the event centre does not vary substantially across the south district.”

Schematic design

BBB Architects is working on the schematic design for the $200 million project, and “preliminary geotechnical investigation is currently under review by the architectural team,” the report said.

“The feedback from this review will guide the detailed geotechnical investigation in support of the foundational design.”

Sudbury is hoping its new arena will mirror the success of Budweiser Gardens in London, which opened in 2002 as a public/private partnership.

“Downtown’s assessment value (in London) has more than doubled in the past 20 years, reaching $1.96 billion in 2019,” the report said.

“Building permit value was over $143 million for 2018 and 2019. In 2018 and 2019, there was almost $100 million in residential construction downtown, including 175 market rate residential apartment units and 134 affordable housing units.”

Dispersed parking

In terms of parking, the report said the events centre would “keep the dispersed parking model of the Sudbury Community Arena.”

“The Downtown Master Plan team is planning to include parking impact reports for the event centre and cultural hub to ensure adequate downtown parking,” the report said.

“The footprint of the new event centre is slightly larger than the existing arena, therefore the net change in parking spots will depend on the future state of the property occupied by the existing arena. Available parking was not considered a significant factor in site selection as it is deemed necessary to make similar longer-term parking plans in all options.”

The full report is available here.