Vancouver has gone through some questionable development proposals including casino and soccer stadium uses right on the downtown waterfront.These can be located anywhere, and it seemed strange to consider uses that would not take advantage of the extraordinary waterfront views. Well now it is Nanaimo’s turn. As reported by CBC a huge complex that could sport a World Hockey League team and rock concerts will be voted on by residents on March 11. Voters will be asked to approve $80 million dollars in borrowing, with 69.8 million to be spent on the centre, and close to 10 million being spent to clean up the waterfront location and to upgrade utilities. The site, located at One Port Drive is on the south side of Nanaimo’s downtown, is a last remnant of waterfront and has a mining and industrial use history.
In addition, 5.4 million dollars will be need to annually service the debt-this apparently is not going to result in increased property taxes. Of the 7 million dollars collected by Nanaimo Council for capital projects it is expected that two million dollars will be needed to annually service the debt.
The Yes for Nanaimo Event Centre group thinks that once the arena is built, it will house a sports team and will fill up with name events and concerts and recoup the money. It is seen as a catalyst for development in the community. The NoVote2017 factions says the building is in the wrong place, takes away a view and will result increased property taxes and municipal debt. As one proponent noted “construction of the building could balloon to hundreds of millions of dollars and borrowing that amount of money will result “in serious consequences” for a city the size of Nanaimo. And these consequences will be carried by Nanaimo residents, forcing us to make tough choices about critical infrastructure and cut services to pay for the arena and service that debt.”
The World Hockey League also influenced voters by announcing this week that they would commit to bring a team if the arena was built. It can seem surprising that a Council would be willing to underwrite such a large expenditure without a guaranteed income. Price Tags will be watching to see whether voters approve this huge amount of borrowing.
This is desperation at it’s most desperate despite strong opposition. Let’s see tomorrow!
Can you imagine, a pack of yobbos yelling and chasing a chunk of plastic on a choice waterfront location! Nan is better than that!
Is that supposed to be Front St or the Esplanade in the foreground of the drawing at the top? Or is the province widening and realigning Hwy 1? Is that the right drawing?
PS I’ve lived nearly twenty years within five minutes walk of both of these sketches and I can’t place either of them!
Roger, I believe the illustration at top is at Terminal and Comox near the Millstone River bridge. The site at bottom (and on Nanaimo’s Website) is just south of the Gabriola ferry dock and a bit inland on Front St, south of the mall.
Thanqu Alex, Yes, indeed the top illustration is on the old bus depot/Tallyho site: the other on the harbour front boat basin. Neither make sense especially when Nan has an established rec/sports centre with plenty of room upThird Street.
There are far better uses of downtown waterfront land. This site is adjacent to the historic E&N Railway property, listed now as the Southern Railway on the Nanaimo zoning maps. A sports arena will put the screws to any other use on the surrounding lands with its parking and road expansion demands, all just for occasional events.
Some people deride Nanaimo, and it’s not hard to understand why with ideas like this. I for one believe Nanaimo has great potential, and the historic downtown waterfront is key. The proposed site is one of two that could allow the consummation of an unrealized great marriage of the times between commuter rail and millions of ferry passengers. A beautifully-designed combined train station and ferry terminal surrounded by a walkable urban environment with great, converging local transit would ultimately have a more meaningful, positive impact on the future of that town than a single–use sports facility. There may even be enough room left for a larger town square.
There are at least two huge malls to the north on the highway that could partner with the sports arena. They’ve got the land and private money to invest (why leave taxpayers so exposed?), and the impetus to improve transit and density there would be greater. And an arena won’t detract from an already lousy land use, namely oceans of parking surrounding a last-century mall.
What a spectacular failure of imagination this financially questionable sports and road proposal is, especially on the historic waterfront.
Sandy, I’m not sure where the illustration of the arena posted below the headline came from, but it appears to place the complex at Terminal and Comox on the shore of the Millstone River, not on the downtown waterfront. The Terminal location is much better than downtown, in my view, though the nearby residents would not likely agree. Better yet is the big mall at the north end of town … or not at all.
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Reblogged this on Sandy James Planner.
80% voted no. Not happening.
More residential housing and a fast, passenger only ferry to Vancouver would spur far more visitors and economic growth.
http://www.mycoastnow.com/26758/passenger-ferry-service-nanaimo-vancouver-step-closer/
http://www.westerninvestor.com/news/british-columbia/trio-bid-for-nanaimo-vancouver-passenger-ferry-service-1.2345571
Common sense folks in Nanaimo saw that and voted 80% against this this expensive, ill conceived, four events a year, convention centre mega project.