Downtown Sudbury's Elm Place makes its pitch for new library

There are hopes Sudbury's largest downtown building will help turn the page on a few years of decline in the neighbourhood.

Vista Hospitality, the property group that owns Elm Place, has been quietly pitching the idea of converting some of the 650,000-square-foot property into a space for a new library.

In February, citing ballooning construction costs, Mayor Paul Lefebvre put a pause on the city's $90-million Junction East project — a combined art gallery, library and centre for folk arts.

Lefevbre also charged city staffers with coming up with different ideas for new facilities, ideally coming to the table smaller in size, leaner and with a $65-million price tag.

That's when several community groups, like the team behind Elm Place, started planning for a possible transformation of their own properties.

Samer Ghazi, vice-president of asset management with Vista Hospitality, said his group is working with the City of Greater Sudbury, the Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA), the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders to see if the facility would be a good fit with the city's plans.

"We have more than 900 parking spots. We have a large spaces which can be used for expansion in the future in case there are other expansion plans by the city."

Ghazi said the group is also readying other plans — three to four different concepts — that will cater to seniors and families.  

Although the city hasn't formally commented on any plans for the library, art gallery or performing arts centre, Ghazi said most of the conversation has been "positive."

"We'll see what the days will bring in."

Greg Oldenburg, owner of the Brewer's Lofts on Lorne Street, has pitched a few different ideas to the public since he purchased the former Northern Breweries property years ago.

Now, Oldenburg is making a case for the industrial site to be the new home for the Art Gallery of Sudbury.

"I thought that there was an opportunity to assist with some of the things that [Lefebvre] was talking about, like reducing costs. But in the same breath, we can not only reduce the cost, but also maintain the amount of space that was originally proposed for the gallery."

"The concept here isn't a new one," Oldenburg said. "There's been galleries all over the world that have been built from existing industrial buildings.

"The Tate Modern in London as an example, or the public school in New York that became PS1 for the Museum of Modern Art. So these ideas aren't necessarily new, but I think the building itself lays out like an art gallery." 

Oldenburg added he's enjoying the influx of new ideas of how to repurpose abandoned, or minimally used properties in the city's core.

"I think these are fantastic things," he said.  "And I'm enthusiastic, because Sudbury has a great creative centre.

"Look at the people that have been born and raised here and inspired by the city," he said. "Bruce Mao, Terry O'Reilly or others that have gone on to do incredible things.

"I hope myself and others are part of that conversation."