Morrow Park remains an option to replace PMC

Morrow Park is still a possible location for a new sport and entertainment centre to replace the Peterborough Memorial Centre, city councillors decided Monday.

Although a new consultant’s report suggested councillors put any planning toward a Morrow Park facility “on hold” for now and turn their attention instead on putting the centre downtown, councillors said no.

In a committee meeting on Monday, councillors voted to keep thinking about Morrow Park as a site very much in contention with the downtown for a new major sport and entertainment centre.

“I don’t think we should totally cut off our option of viable land that we actually own — that is literally at the gateway to downtown,” said Coun. Lesley Parnell, whose idea it was to keep Morrow Park on the table. “It would be very feasible, in my opinion — you might be able to have a twin-pad (arena) on that very same spot or beside it — and that would still help our downtown.”

The move came after Jon Hack of Sierra Planning and Management of Toronto gave a presentation about why it would be better to consider a downtown site. Sierra’s preferred downtown location is a large triangular site including the city’s former public works yard on Townsend Street plus Market Plaza, Smitty’s restaurant plaza and the Tim Hortons on George Street. But private landowners hold much of the property on the site, and consultants will only negotiate with them if council is interested in the location.

Hack told councillors on Monday that while a land assembly would be complicated, it would pay off in so far as it would revitalize a neighbourhood in the central area.

“I can tell you the city needs to lead,” Hack said. “If you take

that leap — and there will be extraordinary development costs for sure — the benefits will be considerable.”

But Parnell remained concerned; she pointed out that one key property, Market Plaza, “is not for sale.”

Coun. Kemi Akapo acknowledged that indeed those challenges exist, but urged councillors to also consider the benefits of a revitalized downtown.

“I think this is an opportunity for this council to have a longterm view,” Akapo said. “I think we need to have a bigger, and longer vision for what’s possible — and I think the Market Plaza location is the location for us.”

Coun. Kim Zippel said she was also interested in a downtown facility, saying that holding onto the idea of putting it at Morrow Park could block them from the greater benefits of going downtown.

But when Zippel moved that the idea of putting the Morrow Park site “on hold” for now as city planning staff and the consultants had suggested, the motion lost (Zippel voted for it, along with Akapo, Coun. Stephen Wright and Mayor Diane Therrien).

Coun. Dean Pappas, the other Town Ward councillor and the finance chair, said he didn’t want to dismiss Morrow Park as an option. He said he was concerned about limiting any potential development plans of private property owners if the city takes years to assemble enough land to realize its plans on the Market Plaza site.

Pappas added that it would likely take 30 years to pay off a new facility, and that in the meantime arenas often need city subsidies to operate.

Sierra’s report offers projected construction costs: A new 5,800-seat facility, with an accompanying ice pad for community use, would cost somewhere between $91.3 million and $97 million if built in 2020. If the facility were scaled back somewhat — 5,000 seats and no community ice sheet — then the cost is between $82.3 million and $88 million.

Coun. Gary Baldwin said he’s not interested in a scaled-back facility.

Coun. Keith Riel said he wasn’t ready to set aside any thoughts of Morrow Park. He noted that the projected construction costs don’t include the cost of land acquisition — and so the project could quickly get very pricey if land assembly is needed.

“There’s one property that doesn’t cost us one red cent. We own it: Morrow Park,” he said.

Riel said he believes this new facility will spur development nearby no matter where it goes — Morrow Park included. Build at Morrow Park and Riel predicts there will be condos and commercial development at the nearby vacant former Canadian Malt property.

He said the city might even consider building a twin-pad arena on the Malt property.

“Anywhere we put it, it could end up being an economic driver,” Riel said.