$400M Arts Commons plan aims to energize downtown
Revamped plans for a long-desired expansion of the 1980s-era Arts Commons complex would bring new arts venues and a residential tower to the Olympic Plaza district.
The expansion, billed as a “transformation of Calgary’s downtown cultural heart,” could be built in two phases for $400 million, says Arts Commons CEO Johann Zietsman, who spoke about the plan at a city council committee this week.
Zietsman said he has met with provincial ministers to discuss a funding formula for the first phase of the project, which could include a cost-sharing agreement between the three levels of government and a cut of the existing Rivers District community revitalization levy.
The proposal includes seven new arts venues and a “completely transformed” Olympic Plaza precinct.
“We believe for those kinds of numbers, $200 million for Phase 1 and $200 million for Phase 2, the value of money and the impact is far beyond what those numbers represent compared to any other cultural development anywhere in Canada or the world,” Zietsman said.
“Our project also includes a residential tower on top of the theatre, which achieves one big aim that I know the city shares, which is downtown residential densification, which has all kinds of incredible benefits in terms of animation,” he said.
The existing Arts Commons complex, which opened in 1985, is aging faster than planned because of intense use, Zietsman said; Arts Commons venues are in use an average of 229 days per year, way above the benchmarks targeted by most performing arts venues.
One of the largest performance venues in Canada, Arts Commons includes the Jack Singer Concert Hall, Max Bell Theatre, Martha Cohen Theatre, Big Secret Theatre and the Engineered Air Theatre.
The organization has increased revenues by 39 per cent since 2010, but it utilizes existing venues “way above the norm,” he said, resulting in limited capacity for further revenue increases in the current facility.
Coun. Druh Farrell said the city has been discussing improvements to the arts facility for some time. Previous iterations of the plan were more ambitious and costly, she said.
“Arts Commons has needed a refresh for many years and Olympic Plaza was built as a temporary plaza for medal ceremonies (during the 1988 Calgary Games),” Farrell said. “A lot of what we see there was built as a temporary measure, so it needs a capital refresh so that it works better and there is an opportunity to do all of this together.”
The $400-million price tag doesn’t include all of the improvements that would need to be made
It has to compete with a number of other projects that are considered priorities, so we’ll have to make some decisions.
to Olympic Plaza, but Farrell said the city has considered building parking beneath the plaza to generate revenue to offset the cost.
But as the city prepares to release its next four-year budget — widely expected to include spending cuts and some scaling back of municipal services — the project faces an uphill battle, Farrell said.
“It has to compete with a number of other projects that are considered priorities, so we’ll have to make some decisions.”