Taking Memorial Arena into the future

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It’s a project that would forever change the landscape of downtown Belleville.

One of the five bids submitted for the redevelopment of the Memorial Arena and the adjacent Legion site calls for the building of two residential towers and the creation of the Belleville St. Lawrence Market.

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Belleville native Joe Mancuso said the $42-million bid is the creation of a threesome, including himself, Al Soorty of RMS Canada Holding Inc. and award-winning architect Loghman Azar of LINE Architect Inc.

In a phone interview Friday afternoon, Mancuso told The Intelligencer the project will not only preserve the downtown core’s history, but will inject the modern flare needed for future development in the city centre.

“History is so important to people and it’s important to preserve that, but you have to remember that we are living today and we also need the things that will help us in today’s world,” he said. “This was not an easy project to design, but we’re confident we have a concept that will breathe life back into downtown Belleville.”

In addition to developing the Memorial Arena site into a market retail area complimenting the outdoor Farmer’s Market, the project will also include two towers approximately 10 stories tall with an estimated 90 apartment units each.

“The economic impact only starts with the $42 million of construction cost but the impact of the economic spin-offs to the community as a whole are huge,” Mancuso explained. “You can multiply that benefit by many times as dollars are spent in the community both the product and labour and even simple things such as lunches for the workers the benefits will be felt far and wide and for a long time to come.”

The proposal also includes a variety of public open spaces for people to use freely, including the arena colonnade and its restored façade, Pinnacle Colonnade, rooftop terraces, gardens, café, fitness club, grand stairs, fountain court, childcare centre and service court. A hockey hall of fame is planned for the end floor above the main entrance of the arena facing the rooftop gardens.

“This project is designed to become a tale of success and civic pride. The blend of modern and traditional architecture in this new complex will restore the façade of the arena and will make the St. Lawrence Market of Belleville a magnet destination,” Mancuso explained. “People will come, with their families and tourists, to enjoy the market or just walk on the rooftop garden and colonnades, or enjoy the outdoor seating and café, or go jogging. This vision brings great value to the community by creating a mix of residential and commercial uses in one place and will serve as a catalyst to boost economic growth in downtown Belleville.”

Mancuso said demolition of the Memorial Arena was never an option for the trio.

“I grew up in Belleville, learned to skate there and remember how vibrant that area was when I was a kid,” he said. “A few years ago when I heard it might be torn down it really saddened me and I thought at the time, as I do now, that building really needs to be preserved,” he said. “Look at what the city has done with the waterfront trail, the sidewalks downtown — they’ve done a great job. Now we thinks it’s time to take another step into the future. We know the success of the revitalization plans requires a multi-use design concept to bring people to this place for a variety of purposes. This flexibility will aid growth into the future.”

Earlier this year the city listed both the Legion property and the adjacent Memorial Arena which has been vacant since December 2010 when the floor failed. The listing price of the Legion is $399,000 while the Memorial Arena is listed at $499,000.

The St. Lawrence Market of Belleville bid is one of five presented to council behind closed doors earlier this month. The bids are all scheduled to be available during a public meeting scheduled for Tuesday (Nov. 26) at 5 p.m. in council chambers. A decision on the sale is expected in January 2020.

Mancuso said the project is about much more than building a couple of residential units.

“This is far more than a building or two. It cannot be business as usual, because repeating the same old type of buildings will not produce different results.   Instead, we have proposed a bold new concept that mixes traditional with modern architecture in the context of a variety of functional public open spaces, all in adequate sizes with necessary critical mass that can make a difference and will stand the highest chance of success.”