LISTEN: Hear MyMcMurray’s Tyler King discuss the latest development in the downtown arena project with the redevelopment’s Executive Director, Ron Taylor.
[audio:http://pmd.country933.com/audio/tyler-news/rontaylormar182013.mp3]
Read the full Inquiry Report here.
The municipality’s attempts to get the land for a downtown sports and entertainment arena have been harshly criticized by a provincially-appointed inquiry officer.
In his report, the officer rules that the expropriation of downtown businesses in order to build the project is not fair, sound, or reasonably necessary.
His nearly 50 page decision rhymes off several reasons for this opinion, from a lack of planning for parking, to unsatisfactory consultation with the public, affected landowners, and tenants, to the municipality not having policies in place for the public-private partnership it expects to finance the building of the arena.
But the decision is not legally binding; it will simply be one of many opinions presented to municipal council when it makes the final decision on whether to expropriate the land, unless an agreement with the business owners is reached before then.
Executive director of the redevelopment project Ron Taylor says the report did not come as a surprise, as inquiry officers very frequently side with property owners in expropriation disputes.
He says their plans are not affected, and he regards many of the criticisms leveled by the inquiry officer to be mere differences of opinion.
Part of the inquiry report reveals previously unreleased details, such as a planned 8,000 seat capacity for the arena (with expansion to 9,500 for concerts), and a nearby business tower which could connect directly to the arena and provide underground parking.
Taylor says those details would eventually be up to the company that designs the project after the RFP (Request For Proposal) process.
He says their plan remains to select such a company by the end of the summer, to allow for excavation and site preparation to begin next spring in anticipation of construction.
MORE TO COME
NEW: Conceptual images of what the redevelopment near the Nomad Hotel could look like were tabled as part of the inquiry:
March 18, 2013
