Sudbury considers demolishing downtown arena for $5M, adding 160 parking spaces

Sudbury could spend $5 million to demolish its old arena for 160 temporary parking spots once the new downtown events centre opens.

Greater Sudbury is considering demolishing Sudbury Arena when the new events centre is open, creating 160 new parking spaces -- at least temporarily.

The idea is part of an update headed to city council July 15 on development ideas to go along with the new $200 million events centre being built downtown, likely within the next three years.

The update said there is already sufficient parking downtown to accommodate both the events centre and the cultural hub that is being constructed inside Tom Davies Square and includes a new library and art gallery.

Demolishing the old arena is just one option being considered. The city could also repurpose the Eglin Street barn, which was built in 1951.

As part of the process, the city is evaluating the condition of the building and the level of interest in the private sector in repurposing the structure.

Other considerations include “the impact of a large, potentially vacant structure on future private investment in the south district,” the report said.

Another factor is “the potential conflict of two buildings with similar configurations that could host similar events/programming in close proximity to each other.”

Demolition would cost about $5 million, and could add 160 new parking spots downtown, to go along with the 81 spots already at the arena.

The report recommends having staff simultaneously look into whether it’s feasible to repurpose the building, while also preparing a business plan to have it demolished, likely in 2028 after the events centre opens.

“This approach would preserve the option to demolish the building should a viable adaptive reuse not be established prior to the opening of the new event centre,” the report said.

The report also recommends updating the most recent parking study, conducted last year, that found there were 3,648 parking spaces within the area of “Ste-Anne Road, Canadian Pacific Rail and Paris Street.”

“Data collected during business hours, Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons, and special events showed that parking utilization did not exceed the ideal 85-90 per cent threshold, indicating sufficient parking,” the report said.

“The plan concluded that no new parking structure was needed and recommended deliberate parking management strategies instead. Overall, the plan suggests that future growth can be managed with strategic parking management.”

Read the full report here.