City approves Wellington Hotel, parking garage demolition

The City of Sherbrooke’s demolition committee gave its final approval Wednesday for the demolition of the Wellington Hotel and the staggered parking lot on Dépôt St., but work won’t begin until the consortium composed of the FTQ real estate fund, Groupe Custeau, and Sherweb submits its plans for the sites in question.

The files for both projects were processed at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. The Wellington Hotel, built in two stages, in 1928 and in the 1960s, would require too much investment to meet current standards and fix structural problems. Since it has some value to the city’s intangible heritage, some masonry adornments could be saved or replicated in the new building.

According to preliminary sketches projected on Wednesday, two buildings would be built on lots freed up by various demolitions, including that of the Wellington Hotel. With a total area of 173,000 square feet, the new buildings could rise as high as nine and seven storeys respectively. No formal plan has yet been submitted to the city.

The staged parking lot on Dépôt St. was built in 1962 and the effects of freezing, thawing, and de-icing salt are evident. The city is recommending tearing down the structure completely because restoration, which would extend the life of the structure by 15 years, would cost $2.2 million. Adding a floor would cost $5 million, but it would be on a fairly advanced structure. The rebuilt parking lot would have 280 spaces. Ornament embellishments added to the current structure in recent years can be dismantled and reused on the Webster parking lot.

The approval was not met without controversy, however, as mayoral candidate Steve Lussier questioned the need to rush the approval before the Well Inc. projects have even been submitted.

The city replied that, with a cost of $2.2 million over 15 years, the cost of a renovated parking space to the city would be about $700 per year. Demolition and reconstruction would cost $6.9 million, it estimates, for a lifespan of 75 years, representing a cost $320 per space per year. The cost of the demolition is estimated at $425,000.

“The idea is that when the Well inc. project is filed, most likely in November, the administrative work for parking will be completed and we will be able to move forward with the demolition,” says demolition committee member and City Councillor Vincent Boutin.

Lussier also complained that his requests for detailed information on the project have been ignored and wondered how cost estimates were determined without the submission of a final business plan.