Kingsway Entertainment District team not 'rattled' by new downtown arena proposal

Dario Zulich, the well-known developer behind the Kingsway Entertainment District, said he's urging his team to be patient.

A motion to be presented to Sudbury city council – tabled by city councillors Geoff McCausland and Mark Signoretti –  calls for staff to seriously consider a proposal by Sudbury architects 3rdLineStudio. 

The plan – dubbed Project Now – emerged over the summer. It suggests a retrofit of the downtown arena would cost just under $60 million, far less than an expected $100 million for the Kingsway Entertainment District. Because the city owns the land the arena sits on, construction could begin immediately, the group says. 

Although proponents of Project Now don't explicitly state as much, giving it the green light would also mean putting the brakes on the Kingsway Entertainment District, a project that Zulich in a partnership with the city.

Zulich said the timing of Project Now is "interesting."

"I'm a little disappointed, no question, because we're so close to the finish line here on this project," Zulich said. 

Plans for the KED are currently mired down in legal hearings. A Superior Court is expected to rule on the legality of how city council approved plans for the KED in the coming days, while LPAT hearings are expected to begin September 17. 

"We are on the eve of the decision from the Superior Court, which I think is going to be favourable," Zulich said. "And we're also on the eve of the LPAT hearings...I just find it interesting that that's coming out right now."

As for the $40 million in savings promised by Project Now, Zulich said the cost differences between renovating and building new were discussed by council back in 2015.

"Fiscal responsibility was taken into account five years ago when the council said, do we renovate to be retrofitted or do we go new?" Zulich said.

"Being fiscally responsible is about making that investment not for the short term, but for the long term and for the next 50 years."

"We're the capital city of northern Ontario and an events centre, coupled with a hotel, and casino conference center, you know, that is truly an investment."

While the LPAT and Supreme Court decisions are still pending, a post on the KED's Facebook page likened the debate to trying to decide on a new pair of shoes.

"A pair of shoes too small today are still too small tomorrow," the post says. "Do you know what feels great? Putting on a pair of shoes that fit perfectly."

"Why are we so excited about the Kingsway location? Elbow room, there's lots of it."

The motion is scheduled to be presented to city council September 8.