City report urges council not to rush Coliseum decision
A staff report to be presented to executive committee next week is recommending the city slow its timeline on redeveloping the Northlands Coliseum site.
"This report provides an overview of the pros, cons and risks associated with various market-based approaches to redeveloping the Coliseum site," says the report, which was released Thursday.
Delaying a decision until 2019 or later would allow the city to work with local community leagues and get public input on the redevelopment, according to the report.
"Administration is recommending that an offer to the market is best positioned after council has approved a development concept in 2019," says the report.
'This is bigger than just the community'
The plan to delay the redevelopment has been presented to community leagues near the aging arena.
"Based on as much as I've read so far, the city recognizes the most important thing is that we get it right, not that we get it done today, or tomorrow, but that we get it right when it's done," said Bellevue Community League president Brian Finley.
Finley has lived in Bellevue, which is directly south of the Coliseum, since 1999.
"Obviously, as somebody in the community, we're very concerned about what happens there, but we also recognize that this is bigger than just the community," said Finley.
The staff report recommends two options that would offer the Coliseum site to private companies on the basis that the successful proponent would redevelop the site and take on the responsibility of demolishing the building.
Option one would see a negotiated request for proposals (NRFP) go out this summer, while option two would see one go out in 2019 or later.
The benefits of this approach would be transferring the risk and costs of demolition to the private sector, while eliminating the "annual arena holding cost to the city," according to the report.
The current holding cost to the city is $1.5 million per year.
Cost of demolition unclear
The risk of putting out an NRFP this summer "without a completed demolition study, would mean it would be difficult to evaluate the quality of bids," and would mean "reduced ability to involve Edmontonians in the discussion around change at this location," according to the report.
Last fall, Northlands estimated the cost of demolition at $8 million. A report presented to city council showed different numbers, projecting the cost of demolition between $15 million and $25 million.
