Council Affirms Support for The Junction

Jul 11, 2018

The Junction, the shared site for the new Library/Art Gallery and Convention and Performance Centre, passed another milestone at the July 10 City Council meeting with the approval of staff recommendations for next steps to continue to move the projects forward. This includes performing a site investigation, refining project design and capital costs, selecting key suppliers, beginning the process to establish a Municipal Services Corporation, attracting a hotel developer, and completing a business case for a Financial Plan to be included for consideration in the 2019 municipal budget.

Council also authorized an additional commitment of $175,000 to implement the next phase of work.

An update on The Junction was also presented, including business plans, the organizational model, a financial plan and integrated site design scenarios.

The Junction aligns with the Downtown Master Plan, the Greater Together Strategic Plan, and the From the Ground Up economic development strategic plan.

"The Junction will be transformational for Greater Sudbury and I am very excited to see this project move forward,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. “The Junction will be an important anchor to the future of our historic downtown and a facility that our entire community will be proud of. I am confident that the programming and opportunities that will be created by this new space will not only enhance the quality of life for residents, but will generate economic growth and create jobs.”

Representatives from CentreLine Design Architectural Studio and Cumulus Architects Inc. presented integrated site design scenarios, which reflected Council’s direction in June 2017 and community consultations held in April 2018.

As part of the integrated site design strategy, the community was engaged to ensure that the concerns and aspirations of residents about the projects were reflected in the design. The engagement strategy included a series of community in person events across Greater Sudbury, informant interviews with communities across Canada who have recently undertaken similar projects, a design workshop with community stakeholders, and an internal technical review of the draft designs. Throughout this process, 550 people provided more than 900 comments. In addition, 580 residents provided an additional 22 ideas through the online engagement platform at Over to You Greater Sudbury.

Regular reports will continue at Council meetings, with a comprehensive update in the first quarter of 2019.

More information about The Junction is available at https://www.greatersudbury.ca/large-projects

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