Sinking the Well

Last week, the consortium behind the Well Inc revitalization plan for Wellington St. South in Sherbrooke pulled its proposal, sending developers and politicians scrambling back to drawing board to try to come up with a new plan.

The project, proposed by a consortium made up of Sherweb, the Groupe Custeau, and the Fonds immobilier FTQ, featured the construction of new buildings on the site of the former Wellington Hotel and the properties adjacent to it, which now belong to the City of Sherbrooke. The project was part of the revitalization plans for downtown Sherbrooke, which have been awaited for several years. Already, the municipality of Sherbrooke and its partners have revitalized much of the downtown core, including the Wellington North area and Frontenac Street.

Wellington South, on the other hand, has been deteriorating for several decades and became the focal point of some of the City’s less admirable activities. Bars, strip clubs, and drug dealing made the area less than attractive to other businesses. Discussions on the revitalization of the city center have led to numerous studies and consultations, among others the Sherbrooke Downtown Diagnostic Framework (2012) 1 and the Downtown Master Plan for Sustainable Development (2015). In spite of the interest, the City has not been able to advance acceptable plans for the southern portion of the street. The sector is highly impoverished, both socially and economically: and the vacancy rate is high. The area has a higher proportion of people living below the poverty line than the Sherbrooke average.

The plan submitted by the Consortium consisted of the construction of two office towers, a new multi-level parking garage, and a public square. It would have completely changed the portrait of the street.

In its final months, the City Council headed by then-mayor Bernard Sévigny reacted quickly and enthusiastically to the Consortium’s proposal and rushed through the administrative process to sign on. The City purchased or expropriated several properties, including the iconic Wellington Hotel, and passed a motion approving a municipal loan of $26 million to finance the garage.

Although the project was met with general approval, objections were raised about the lack of transparency and openness of the project, the impact of two multi-storey buildings on the downtown profile, and concern was also raised about the potential ‘gentrification’ of nearby streets that would affect some of the City’s most vulnerable denizens. Opposition was raised by independent members of Council and the topic became a subject of debate during last November’s election, which saw Sévigny and the majority of his fellow Renouveau Sherbrookois councillors turfed.

What appeared to be a sure thing suddenly came under question with the surprise victory of current mayor Steve Lussier and his independent new Council. Lussier himself, while criticizing the tender process, or lack thereof, did not directly oppose the project but criticised the way the file had unfolded, and promised a review.

The announcement last week of the consortium’s retraction of its proposal was met with shock – and in some cases dismay – by the City’s elected officials, the business community, and other stakeholders, and threw plans to refit the area into jeopardy. Since the announcement, other developers have come forward with ideas for their own projects, bringing the entire process back to the starting point. Meanwhile, Wellington South continues ti deteriorate, aided in this by newly vacant lots and empty buildings.

The Well Inc consortium was greeted at first with open arms by city officials as it promised a complete makeover of one of the city’s most problematic areas. It soon became victim of the political process, however, and came to symbolize the former administration. Major change is always controversial within a community and a project of this scope became a major discussion point during the election, although it probably didn’t play a major role in the former mayor’s defeat, which was more than likely a public reaction to what was seen as arrogance on his part and that of his party.

It is interesting to note that the Consortium’s announcement of its withdrawal was met with near panic at City Hall and among business leaders, many of whom had realigned their future plans to take advantage of the new situation. Beginning the project from the beginning will mean even more delay – and decay- for the Wellington South area, which has been problematic for a very long time.

The consortium plan would have dramatically altered the face of Sherbrooke’s downtown core and its withdrawal puts into question the city’s obvious desire to gentrify many of the streets nearby, including Ball, Sanborn, and Brooks, and rebuild the area between Wellington and Belvédère. Moreover, the current situation might also put a damper on other projects whose promoters are always wary of government interference or inaction.

Sherbrooke Council now has to decide on a new project, which will surely take them several years. This time, politicians would be wise to pay more attention to public concern and go through the appropriate tender and consultation processes, all of which is likely to sow discord within an already fragmented Council. Without a firmly committed mayor to back a specific project and a majority caucus to guide it through, the long-awaited decision could be delayed again and the end product may or may not be an improvement on that proposed by the consortium. The loan for the new parking lot has already been approved, although there is no commitment as yet to actually spend the money an that, of course, will depend on whatever potential project, if any, gains the support of City Hall. Meanwhile, Wellington South, with its newly vacated properties, will continue to be one of the City’s biggest eyesores and a testament to political incompetence.

Sherbrooke needs major redevelopment downtown and the failure of its most promising solution yet doesn’t bode well for attracting another of similar scope. Nevertheless, the process must go one and, it is hoped, will be completed by a proposal that a majority can clearly get behind. Otherwise, one of Sherbrooke’s iconic streets will remain a depressing and discouraging example of how cooperation between government and business can suddenly disappear. We deserved better.