5. ARTS COURT REDEVELOPMENT - IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

RÉAMÉNAGEMENT DE LA COUR DES ARTS – STRATÉGIE DE MISE EN œuvre

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AS AMENDED

That Council:

1. Approve the implementation of the Arts Court redevelopment project as the City’s prime opportunity to fulfill a high priority cultural facility need, as identified in the Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan and subject to consultation with the Province, direct to this project the City and Provincial funding currently set aside for this purpose as described in this report;

2. Continues to consider the Concert Hall project an important cultural priority that would make a real contribution to revitalizing the downtown and enhancing the stature of our community. The City will engage with the Friends of the Concert Hall to assist them in identifying and acquiring a suitable site, and at the appropriate time, supporting the project.

3. Direct staff to proceed with the Arts Court redevelopment project on the basis of:

a) The Ottawa Art Gallery component being developed at an alternate location to accommodate the Ottawa Art Gallery’s needs, and

b) The overall project being undertaken in two phases as outlined in this report;

4. Direct staff to develop, and report back in Q4 2010 on, a Request for Proposal (RFP) process for the development of the vacant portion of the Arts Court property at 60-70 Waller Street with a new Arts Court performance space in conjunction with a private sector development and underground parking facility as described in this report and as shown on Document 3;

5. Direct staff to pursue, and report back in Q4, 2010 on the provision of a new Ottawa Art Gallery facility as part of the integration of the Urban Park and OSEG components of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan as outlined in this report.

RecommandationS MODIFéES du ComitÉ

Le Conseil :

1. approuve la mise en œuvre du projet de réaménagement de la Cour des Arts et saisisse cette occasion unique de combler un besoin prioritaire en matière d’installations culturelles, conformément aux objectifs fixés dans le Plan pour les arts et le patrimoine Ottawa 20/20; et, après consultation avec la province, affecte à ce projet les fonds alloués par la Ville et le gouvernement provincial, fonds qui avaient été réservés pour cette fin et tel que décrit dans ce rapport;

2. considère encore le projet de la salle de concert comme une priorité importante sur le plan culturel et est d’avis qu’une telle salle apporterait une contribution réelle à la revitalisation du centre-ville et à la mise en valeur de notre communauté. La Ville entrera en contact avec les Amis de la salle de concert (Friends of the Concert Hall) afin de les aider à trouver et à acquérir un emplacement convenable, et au moment opportun, d’apporter son soutien au projet.

3. demande au personnel de mettre en œuvre le projet de réaménagement de la Cour des Arts fondé sur les principes suivants :

a) les locaux de la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa seront aménagés à un autre emplacement de manière à satisfaire aux besoins de la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa;

b) l’ensemble du projet se déroulera en deux étapes, comme il est indiqué dans le rapport;

4. demande au personnel de préparer, et d’en faire rapport au 4^e trimestre de 2010, la procédure pour une demande de propositions (DP) portant sur l’aménagement de la partie vacante de la propriété de la Cour des Arts située au 60-70, rue Waller, afin d’y ajouter une nouvelle salle de spectacle ainsi que des installations de stationnement et des aménagements entrepris par le secteur privé, comme il est indiqué dans le présent rapport et dans le Document 3;

5. enjoigne le personnel à poursuivre le projet d’aménagement de nouvelles installations pour la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa, (et d’en faire rapport au 4^etrimestre de 2010) dans le cadre de l’intégration du parc urbain et des éléments de l’OSEG du plan de partenariat pour la revitalisation de Lansdowne, tel que décrit dans le présent rapport.

DOCUMENTATION

1. City Manager’s report dated 26 July 2010 (ACS2010-CMR-REP-0039).

2. Extract of Draft Minute, 17 August 2010.

Report to/Rapport au:

Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee

Comité des services organisationnels et du développement économique

and Council / et au Conseil

26 July 2010 / le 26 juillet 2010

Submitted by/Soumis par: Kent Kirkpatrick, City Manager / Directeur municipal

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Gordon MacNair, Director, Real Estate Partnerships and Development Office/Directeur, Partenariats et Développement en immobilier

(613) 580-2424 x 21217, Gordon.MacNair@Ottawa.ca

City Wide/à l'échelle de la Ville

Ref N°: ACS2010-CMR-REP-0039

SUBJECT:

ARTS COURT REDEVELOPMENT - IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

OBJET :

RÉAMÉNAGEMENT DE LA COUR DES ARTS – STRATÉGIE DE MISE EN œuvre

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend that Council:

2. Direct staff to monitor future development opportunities within the central area of the City to identify any potential to implement a concert hall facility project as part of a proposed development;

3. Direct staff to proceed with the Arts Court redevelopment project on the basis of:

a) The Ottawa Art Gallery component being developed at an alternate location to accommodate the Ottawa Art Gallery’s needs, and

b) The overall project being undertaken in two phases as outlined in this report;

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

Le Comité des services organisationnels et du développement recommande que le Conseil :

2. demande au personnel de demeurer à l’affût de possibilités d’aménagement dans le centre de la Ville d’une salle de concert dans le cadre d’un projet d’aménagement;

3. demande au personnel de mettre en œuvre le projet de réaménagement de la Cour des Arts fondé sur les principes suivants :

a) les locaux de la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa seront aménagés à un autre emplacement de manière à satisfaire aux besoins de la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa;

b) l’ensemble du projet se déroulera en deux étapes, comme il est indiqué dans le rapport;

BACKGROUND

In April 2003 the City adopted the Ottawa 20/20 Arts & Heritage Plan and, like the other growth management plans, this Plan defines a 20-year vision and identifies strategies, policy statements and actions for implementation as described in Document 1 of this report.

As set out in the 5-year progress report on the Arts and Heritage Plan received by Council on 28 April 2010, the City has utilized partnership and funding program opportunities to move forward with, and achieve many of the projects identified as action initiatives in the Plan. In this regard, the Shenkman Arts Centre and Trinity Gallery have been completed in the East End; the Irving Greenberg Theatre for the Great Canadian Theatre Company has been completed in the West End; the Centrepointe Theatre is currently being expanded; the lease for the Ottawa School of Art has been renewed; Muséoparc Vanier Museopark opened to the public in 2006; and a new Archives and Library Technical Services facility is currently under construction.

The Concert Hall and Arts Court projects were also identified as important initiatives of the Arts and Heritage Plan warranting early action. While actions have been initiated on both these projects, they have not yet advanced beyond the conceptual planning stage as further described in Document 1 of this report.

Purpose of the Report

The 2003 Arts and Heritage Plan did not prioritize the 10 important actions to support performing and visual arts, as identified in the Plan, but instead set out a strategy of looking towards partnership and funding program opportunities to move these initiatives forward.

The purpose of this report is to outline the relative opportunities that currently exist with respect to the Concert Hall and Arts Court projects and make recommendations regarding the prime implementation opportunity accordingly.

DISCUSSION

The Concert Hall Project

The apparent opportunity to have the Concert Hall project included in Morguard’s proposed development at 150 Elgin no longer appears viable as described in Document 1 of this report.

In addition, the Friends of the Concert Hall as described in Document 1 and in their letter attached as Document 6 of this report, acknowledge that pursuing possible options for securing a site for the Concert Hall in the downtown core can only be done if the City of Ottawa works with the Friends of the Concert Hall to develop potential models for the project, explores sites and options, and assists in securing the site.

At a meeting held on 29 June 2010, the City Manager discussed the status of the Concert Hall project with representatives of the Friends of the Concert Hall and advised that there is little opportunity to advance the project at this time as staff is not aware of any development projects currently in the planning stages that might provide a suitable opportunity to include the Concert Hall.

Since the prime opportunity to move forward with an arts and cultural facility now relates to the redevelopment and enhancement of Arts Court, including the relocation of the Ottawa Art Gallery component, the Friends of the Concert Hall were informed that staff would be recommending that the City proceed with the Arts Court project and that the $12M in City and Provincial funds for an arts and cultural facility, that have until now been directed towards the Concert Hall project, be directed to the Arts Court project in keeping with the Council directive of 26 March 2009 as outlined in Document 1.

The City Manager also indicated that staff would recommend to Committee and Council that staff be directed to monitor future development opportunities within the central area of the City to identify any potential to implement a concert hall facility project as part of a proposed development.

Recommendations 1 and 2 of this report have been formulated accordingly.

The Arts Court Project

The Realty Initiatives and Development Branch, in cooperation with the Cultural and Heritage Services Branch has been working towards creating an implementation plan for revitalizing Arts Court based on the options considered in 2008 by the Steering Committee for the Arts Court revitalization project.

A functional building program and associated demonstration floor plans (Arts Court Complex Demonstration Plan - Option 3) were developed in early 2009 for a redeveloped Arts Court complex at 2 Daly Avenue, that provides for an expanded Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), new theatre facilities, renovated spaces for some of the other Arts group, and a private sector component, as shown in Document 5 of this report.

Realty Initiatives and Development Branch noted the following with respect to Demonstration Plan - Option 3:

· Accommodating the space needs of a much expanded OAG results in the potential loss of approximately 3,000 sq. ft. of space for the other Arts Courts tenants;

· The proposed floor plan to accommodate the functional program appears to provide little internal connectivity amongst the Arts Court components and, as a result, poor connectivity to the neighbourhood; and

· The proposed location of the new theatre under a private sector tower would increase structural costs and reduces development flexibility and value for the private sector component.

However, a further analysis has recently been carried out that provides additional, financial, architectural and programming information and indicates there may be both potential opportunities and advantages in accommodating the OAG component in either a different manner at 2 and 10 Daly Avenue or separately at another location.

In this regard, Arts Court Complex Demonstration Plan - Option 4 has been prepared by Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. Architects, as shown in Document 4 of this report to accommodate the OAG component at 2 & 10 Daly Avenue in a different way in order to provide for a more effective and economical overall Arts Court Development project at that location as set out in Document 2 of this report.

The costs for implementing Demonstration Plan - Option #4, are estimated as follows:

· Construction cost, including a 12% contingency - $ 29,468,700;

· Soft Costs – $7,367,175 (25% of construction costs);

Subtotal -$36,835,875;
Contingency (10%) - $3,683,588;
Total Estimated Cost - $40,519,463.

While the above amount is not included in the City’s approved Capital Budgets to date, $1.5M has been identified in 2012 and $40M identified in 2013 in the City’s Long Range Financial Plan with respect to implementing the Arts Court project.

Implementation of Demonstration Plan - Option #4 would require the total demolition of the non-heritage (annex) portion of the existing Arts Court facilities and, therefore, likely would require that the existing tenants be relocated temporarily to another location or have most, if not all of the facility “go dark” for at period of at least 1 year.

As a result, Arts Court Complex Demonstration Plan - Option #5 has been prepared, as shown on Document 3 of this report to provide for an Arts Court Development project at 2 & 10 Daly Avenue and 60-70 Waller Street on the basis that the OAG component would be located elsewhere in order to allow for additional cost effective opportunities for the current users at Arts Court to have better facilities and a further ability to grow their programs and not be unduly affected by construction activities as further outlined in Document 2 of this report.

Cultural Services staff have also continued to consult with the Arts Court tenants and have subsequently advised that any redevelopment of Arts Court should include a multi-use screening and presentation space for media arts since media art presentation is critically under served in Ottawa and must be established if Arts Court redevelopment is to be relevant to the current and emerging art practices and audiences.

The essential role of this space would be to provide a film and video screening theatre with broad-based capacity for multi-format presentation and it would also function as a small lecture room or an intimate space for music performances.

As a conventional, single 350 seat theatre may not be able to accommodate competing disciplines and scheduling (i.e. theatre productions run for 2-3 weeks consecutively and media arts happen 1-2 nights at a time) the provision of flexible performance space, as shown on Document 2 of this report is also being recommended by Cultural Services staff.

Based on recent discussions with the OAG representatives, staff explored redevelopment options for Arts Court as follows:

Ø A redevelopment at 2 and 10 Daly Avenue that includes for an expanded OAG component and is based on Arts Court Complex Demonstration Plan - Option #4.

Ø A redevelopment at 2 and 10 Daly Avenue that excludes the OAG component and is based on Arts Court Complex Demonstration Plan - Option #5 with the OAG component then being accommodated potentially at one of the following locations:

· Morguard Corporation’s proposed mixed-use building at 150 Elgin Street, or

· A new facility within the proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Park.

Staff made requests to both Morguard and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) to provide conceptual plans and costing for accommodating the OAG component within their proposed developments at 150 Elgin Street and Lansdowne Park respectively, before the end of May 2010.

While Morguard indicated an interest in having the OAG as part of the proposed development at 150 Elgin Street and that the OAG’s requirements could be accommodated on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors of Morguard’s proposed development, they have also indicated that they would not be prepared to move forward with construction of the underground parking, retail and possible OAG components without first having a firm commitment from another party to lease the tower portion of their project.

OSEG has determined that the OAG requirements could be accommodated in the portion of the Stadium and Urban Mixed-Use component of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan (the “LPP”) now occupied by the Salons A, B, and C. They have provided the City with conceptual floor plans to indicate how the OAG requirements could fit into that space. OSEG provided a preliminary indication that the space could be made available on a “base building basis” under a long-term lease with a reduced net rent, reflective of the space renovation costs and a lease inducement towards the “space fit-up” costs. Staff’s analysis of this information revealed that the City would be paying a premium of approximately $3M, in present value terms for the provision of base building space over that for a City built and owned facility.

OSEG’s architects also recommended that the City explore the use of the Aberdeen Pavilion as an option for a new OAG facility but City staff believes the construction of major building facilities within the Aberdeen Pavilion would not be cost effective nor in keeping with the intent of the heritage designation for this building. The Design Review Panel (DRP) for the LPP has also strongly advised against locating the OAG in the Aberdeen Pavilion. However, the Chair of the DRP has recently advised the OAG that the best location for an OAG facility at Lansdowne Park might be the location of OSEG’s proposed Building “D” based on the following reasons:

· A new OAG facility can be purposely built and designed to be a signature building;

· The facility would have a street address;

· It would be beside the proposed theatre which provides opportunities to use that space by agreement for lectures or documentaries;

· The location also has a very good relationship to the park for public exposure and outdoor events like art in the park and the farmers square, once sorted out will be proximate as will the Aberdeen Pavilion;

· The Building “D” location has both profile and proximity/adjacent to other features the OAG would probably not build as part of its own program.

On 28 June 2010 when approving the LPP, Council also carried the following motion:

“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Design Review Panel (DRP) be directed to ensure that in accordance with winning park design and the direction of City Council that the master plan and the integrated site plan include the following items:

· A multi-purpose farmers square in the same general area and orientation to the Aberdeen Pavilion as the winning park design;

· The new park and open space shall not be used for day-to-day parking on the surface and there be no parking on the great lawn;

· A home for the new Ottawa Art Gallery to the satisfaction of the board of the Gallery and Design Review Panel, should Council approve;

· A formal integrated cycling connection from Bank Street to the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, and to the cycling paths on the far side of the Driveway and that this be co-ordinated with the NCC;

· Shuttle drop-off and pick-up that has no impact on the great lawn.

The development of a new OAG facility at a location such as Lansdowne would allow the Ottawa Arts Court project to be developed and funded in two phases so that the project could proceed at the earliest possible opportunity and that the existing tenants and facilities would not need to be unduly disturbed while the project is being implemented.

The two phases for the Arts Court project are proposed as follows:

Phase 1:

Utilize a RFP process, or processes, for the development of the private sector component at 60-70 Waller Street in conjunction with design and construction of the following:

The proposed new performance spaces for Arts Court on vacant property at 60-70 Waller Street as shown on Document 2;
A new OAG facility at an alternate location such as Lansdowne Park.

The total cost for Phase 1 is estimated at $25.1M with the estimated cost for the proposed performance spaces at 60-70 Waller Street being approximately $10.4M and the estimated cost for a new stand alone OAG facility being approximately $14.7M.

It is estimated by staff that $6M of the existing $12M City and Provincial funding available for an arts and cultural facility, together with the proceeds from the sale of the property rights for a private sector development at 60-70 Waller Street, should cover the cost of the new performance facilities at that location.

A design solution for the gallery in the overlap area is likely to evolve during the integrated design process for the LPP. The cost and funding of a stand alone OAG facility will be assessed against the relative importance of and needs/requirements for the other LLP components. Utilizing the other $6M of the $12m in City and Provincial funding for the OAG component of the project together with such other funds that may be identified by the City and OSEG for providing the OAG facility at Lansdowne as part of the LPP, could potentially cover the cost of a new OAG facility at that location. The final cost to the City will not be known until the integrated design process is complete

Phase 2:

Upon completion of a new OAG facility and relocation of OAG’s existing operations to that location, renovate the existing Arts Court facilities at 2 and 10 Daly Avenue to provide enhanced and expanded spaces for use by the other Arts Court tenants.

Since the total estimated cost to implement all of the Arts Court components at the existing location per Demonstration Plan - Option #4 is approximately $40.5M and the estimated cost of the proposed Phase 1 is $25.1M. The estimated amount to fund Phase 2 is approximately $15.4M and would fit within the overall identified funding requirement as set out in the Long Range Financial Plan.

Recommendations 3, 4 and 5 of this report have been formulated accordingly.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

Any environmental implications associated with the recommendations in this report will be identified as part of the Site Plan approval process for the proposed Arts Court and Ottawa Art Gallery facilities.

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no rural implications associated with the recommendations in this report.

CONSULTATION

At a meeting held on 29 June 2010, the City Manager discussed the status of the Concert Hall project with representatives of the Friends of the Concert Hall and advised that there is little opportunity to advance the project at this time and that the prime opportunity to move forward with an arts and cultural facility now related to the redevelopment and enhancement of Arts Court, including the relocation of the Ottawa Art Gallery component as described in this report.

The Friends of the Concert Hall were informed that staff would be recommending that the City proceed with the Arts Court project, and that the $12M in City and Provincial funds for an arts and cultural facility, which have until now been directed towards the Concert Hall project, be directed to the Arts Court project. The City Manager also indicated that staff would be directed to monitor future development opportunities within the central area of the City to identify any potential to implement a concert hall facility project as part of a proposed development.

On 30 June 2010 representatives of the Arts Court Foundation and Ottawa Art Gallery were both made aware of the recommendations in this report and have indicated support for implementation of the strategy.

On 19 July 2010, a detailed presentation on the Council report recommendations and redevelopment options was made to the City of Ottawa Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee and the Committee received this as information.

On the 15 July and 22 July 2010 staff made two presentations of the Council report to the Arts Court tenants. Cultural community representatives were supportive of the redevelopment options and stressed the importance of both phases being completed promptly should the two-phased option move forward. Other comments included: impact/compatibility of private development on the 60 Waller Street site, need for more parking, future operating funding pressures related to expanded space and programming or rental rate increases, Waller Street noise, and governance as areas that will require further discussion and action. In addition, it was urged at both meetings that affordable live/work space for artists be included into the RFP for the privately developed tower.

Staff indicated that the matters raised would be considered when developing the details of the proposed RFP process.

HOUSING FIRST POLICY

The Official Plan policy directs that the City make land available for affordable housing and give priority for the sale or lease of surplus City-owned property for this purpose.

The Housing First Policy, approved by Council on 13 July 2005, establishes priority consideration to the Affordable Housing Division in the identification of potentially surplus City-owned property, to be used in achieving the City’s affordable housing program targets. The policy also requires that the Official Plan target of 25% affordable housing, be met on any City-owned property sold for residential development. Where viable, residential properties are disposed of without a condition requiring an affordable housing component, 25% of the proceeds from the sale are to be credited to a housing fund, to be used for the development of affordable housing elsewhere in the City.

The subject property is zoned MD-S66 a downtown mixed-use development zone, and therefore the provision of affordable housing, and/or a financial contribution in lieu of affordable housing, will depend on the ultimate use for private sector component in a development on the site.

COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR (S)

On 7 May 2010, the Manager of Realty Initiatives and Development Branch provided a briefing memo to the members of Council outlining the potential development options being reviewed for the Arts Court project as described in this report.

In addition, staff have met with both Councillors Bedard and Holmes to provide an overview of these options and received feedback that the relocation of the Ottawa Art Gallery component to an alternate site should be advanced if this will result in the Arts Court redevelopment project being implemented in the near future with enhanced facilities that benefit all parties.

When Council deliberated on the LPP, during the special meeting commencing on 17 June 2010, Council was advised of the likely nature of the recommendations of this report and adopted a motion directing that the integrated site plan for the Lansdowne Partnership Plan project include “a home for the new Ottawa Art Gallery to the satisfaction of the board of the Gallery and Design Review Panel, should Council approve.”

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

Legal Services has advised that the $6M grant for an arts and cultural facility from the Province was provided towards the funding of a City concert hall project as described within the letter from the Minister of Culture, Madeleine Meilleur dated 23 March 2006. As such, the City must consult with the Province before redirecting the remainder of the funding to another project if the Concert Hall project does not proceed.

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

The redevelopment and expansion of the Arts Court and the provision of a new Ottawa Art Gallery are strategic initiatives that are identified in the City’s 20/20 Arts & Heritage Plan. The recommendations of this report provide an implementation strategy to account for the current opportunities which exist to realize these projects in the near future.

At the same time the recommendations also recognize the need for the City to continue to monitor proposals for development in the central area of the City and to identify potential partnering opportunities that might allow the Concert Hall project/strategic initiative to proceed.

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no technical implications to implementing the recommendations in this report.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The City has funds in the amount of $5.47M available in Capital Account # 903258 for funding an arts facility.

In addition, the provincial funding contribution towards a concert hall is being held in a reserve account # 840115 with a current balance of $6.576M.

The final cost for this proposed phased development will be presented when the results of the RFP and Integrated Design processes, as set out in recommendations 4 and 5 are returned to Council for approval.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1: Background - Arts & Heritage Plan and Concert Hall & Arts Court Projects

Document 2: Demonstration Plans - Options 4 and 5 - Major Features

Document 3: Arts Court Demonstration Plan (Option #5)

Document 4: Arts Court Demonstration Plan (Option #4)

Document 5: Arts Court Demonstration Plan (Option #3)

Document 6: Friends of the Concert Hall - Letter dated 17 June 2010

DISPOSITION

Subject to Committee and Council approval, staff will implement the recommendations as outlined in the report.

DOCUMENT 1

Background - Arts & Heritage Plan and Concert Hall & Arts Court Projects

The Arts and Heritage Plan

In April 2003 the City adopted the Ottawa 20/20 Arts & Heritage Plan and like the other growth management plans, this Plan defines a 20-year vision and identifies strategies, policy statements and actions for implementation.

One of the key strategies and policies set out in the Arts Plan component is for the City to spearhead a partnered drive aimed at greater access for Ottawa artists, audiences and community to a new and improved network of well-linked, adequately distributed and appropriately-supported venues for the local arts. In this respect, the Arts Plan sets out three important actions that are required as follows:

1. Develop and sustain new indoor, outdoor and natural municipal spaces for the local arts through an integrated, long-term set of actions that focus on developing municipal arts places and incorporating arts space into all new appropriate municipal initiatives;

2. Develop and sustain a cultural capital funding program that supports the maintenance, conservation, improvement, retrofitting and redevelopment of existing local indoor, outdoor and natural arts space, both City and community-owned;

3. Establish a municipal, cultural capital reserve fund that supports new local arts facility development (indoor, outdoor and natural space) and is funded through development charges as well as other sources.

The Arts Plan identified a number of the existing and /or legacy initiatives as follows:

A. Theatres for Literary, Media (Film/Video) and Performing Arts

“The largest gap in Ottawa performing arts space is seen in the lack of theatres and facilities that make the creation, development and presentation of local work as performed by local artists the priority.

Support for the following five existing and/or legacy initiatives in Ottawa would address this serious gap. These five projects have existing momentum, have been identified for development and require seed leveraging support from the City of Ottawa in order to succeed. They include:

1. An 800-seat festival/concert hall with recording capabilities in the downtown core (music community);

2. A 260-seat venue dedicated to local professional theatre in the central area (Great Canadian Theatre Company);

3. A 400-seat venue dedicated to local professional dance, film/video, literary work, theatre and multidisciplinary initiatives (Arts Court redevelopment);

4. A 600-seat performance venue in the east end (within the planned East End Arts Facility); and

5. A permanent, outdoor amphitheatre to support existing summer theatre, dance and literary arts in Strathcona Park (Odyssey Theatre).

In addition to performance space, these five projects would aim to include round-the-clock access to space for rehearsal, production support, storage, meetings and administrative work.

Expansion plans are also underway at Centrepointe Theatre in order to respond to the demand for rehearsal and performance space, and to upgrade dressing room and production support areas. “

B. Visual Arts Sector Initiatives

“Support for the following existing and/or legacy initiatives would go a long way to meeting basic needs in the local, visual arts sector.

These five projects have existing momentum, have been identified for development, and require seed leveraging support from the City of Ottawa in order to succeed. They include:

1. Visual arts space in the new Central Library/Arts and Heritage Complex to include exhibition, conservation, storage, collections management, administrative and meeting space;

2. Visual arts space in the planned East End Arts Facility to accommodate introductory to advanced visual arts instruction, as well as both permanent and temporary exhibition space;

3. Renewal of lease or relocation of Ottawa School of Art providing introductory to advanced visual art instruction in all media, pre-professional training and permanent exhibition space in the central area;

4. Exhibition and collection space in the new South Library development; and

5. Visual arts space within Lansdowne Park redevelopment.”

In this regard, the Shenkman Arts Centre and Trinity Gallery have been completed in the East End, the Irving Greenberg Theatre for the Great Canadian Theatre Company has been completed in the West End, the Centrepointe Theatre is currently being expanded, the lease for the Ottawa School of Art has been renewed, Muséoparc Vanier Museopark opened to the public in 2006, and a new Archives and Library Technical Services facility is currently under construction.

While actions have been initiated on both the Concert Hall and Arts Court projects, they have not yet advanced beyond the conceptual planning stage as set out below.

Concert Hall Project

In May 2004, as part of a combined residential/office/retail development proposed by Morguard Corporation to the City, the Ottawa Chamber Music Society (OCMS) saw an opportunity to develop a Concert Hall and as a result, then moved forward with Morguard to partner on a design and construction plan for a 925-seat Community Concert Hall at 150 Elgin Street.

In October 2004, City Council approved the 150 Elgin Street Concert Hall Business Plan Evaluation Report (ACS2004-DEV-BUS-0007), committed $5.47M in municipal capital funding to the project, and approved the waiving of permit fees and development charges in the amount of $925K. On 21 December 2005, Morguard purchased the property at 150 Elgin Street subject to a development and option top repurchase agreements.

In March 2006, provincial funding in the amount of $6.5M was announced for the Community Concert Hall and was transferred to the City. At the request of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, City Council approved the transfer of $500,000 from the $6.5M provincial funding to OCMS on 24 May 2006 to offset project management costs and to finalize the design and building program for the facility.

On 14 February 2007, City Council approved the extension of the City’s endorsement and funding deadline from 30 September 2006 to 30 November 2007 (ACS 2007-CPS-CSF-0003) in order for the OCMS to continue its work aimed at realizing federal government and private sector funding for the Community Concert Hall. On 28 November 2007, City Council granted the Ottawa Chamber Music Society an extension to 28 February 2008 to raise funds for the Community Concert Hall

On 28 February 2008, Ottawa Chamber Music Society advised the City that it would no longer be pursuing the concert hall project at 150 Elgin Street and subsequently, on 26 March 2008, City Council directed as follows: “that the $5.475M Capital Project for the Community Concert Hall remain open until further options for the development of a mid-sized Concert Hall or other city arts facility, as identified as a priority within the Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan, can be assessed.”

The City's unilateral rights to repurchase the 150 Elgin Street property from Morguard expired on 28 February 2008 and, while the City had a first option to lease or purchase the Concert Hall space based on the provisions of the Development Agreement between Morguard and the City for use as a visual or performing arts facility identified as a priority in the City’s Arts and Heritage Plan, the option has now expired as well. Morguard is currently moving forward with alternate development plans for the concert hall space as provided for in the Development Agreement with the City, and so the opportunity to have a concert hall included in the development at 150 Elgin Street appears to be no longer viable.

There is approximately $12.05M in City and Provincial funding available, as indicated in the Financial Implications section of this report to fund a current Arts and Heritage Plan project opportunity.

The Friends of the Concert Hall was established in April 2008, as a non-profit charitable corporation to be the successor to the Ottawa Chamber Music Society in continuing a campaign for a concert hall. In a letter dated 17 June 2010 to members of Council (letter attached as Document 4 to this report), The Friends of the Concert Hall have indicated their desire that the City work with them to explore other opportunities to allow the concert hall project to be implemented and to preserve the $12M in funding for the concert hall project.

Arts Court Project

Arts Court (81,000 square feet) is a multi-tenant, multi-disciplinary arts facility, owned and operated by the City in collaboration with the Ottawa Arts Court Foundation since 1988. OACF, is located in the City owned heritage buildings at 2 and 10 Daly Avenue (former Carleton County Court House and Registry Office) and utilizes the adjacent vacant property at 60-70 Waller Street (site of City’s former Police Headquarters) for parking.

The adjacent heritage building at 75-77 Nicholas Street (the former Carleton County Gaol) was purchased from the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC) in 1983 by Hostelling International Canada. The City of Ottawa, as the successor to the RMOC has the right to reacquire the building in 2029 for $10, or at an earlier date if it ceases to be used as a hostel.

Arts Court currently houses 21 art organizations, two public galleries, The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) including the Firestone Gallery is an independent municipal gallery; SAW Gallery, an artist-run Centre and a small 130-seat black box theatre operated by the OACF.

In 2004, Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy established a Retail, Arts and Theatre Precinct for the area comprising the Rideau Centre, the Congress Centre, and the parcels south and east of the Rideau Centre and some retail frontage along Rideau Street. The Strategy states: “To support the existing heritage offerings and reinforce the role of this precinct as an emerging cultural destination, the City should introduce a program of heritage theming to Nicholas and Daly Streets. These two streets form the heart of the Arts and Theatre area and it is important that they are reinvigorated, inviting and safe.”

In August 2004, the OAG produced a Feasibility Study entitled The Ottawa Art Gallery: Connecting Artists and Community, undertaken by LORD Cultural Resources, which provides the details of OAG’s requirements. Among other issues, the study identified problems with the visibility of the Gallery, both within the Arts Court facility and in the community as a whole, and the inadequacy of the existing heritage spaces for the gallery’s contemporary arts programming.

The study indicated that the current facility was inadequate in terms of proper exhibition spaces, support spaces for the collection conversation and preservation of the Firestone Art Collection valued at over $11M and cited that new building space with 40,000 net square feet would be required.

In 2005, the City of Ottawa partnered with the OACF to complete a Pre-Feasibility Needs Assessment and Best Practice Analysis for an arts and creative cluster on the site of the ‘Cultural Precinct’ conducted by LORD Cultural Resources.

A project Steering Committee, led by the City, comprised of representatives from the Ottawa Arts Court Foundation (OACF), The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), Hostelling International was formed in 2005 for the Arts Court Cultural Complex (ACCC) project.

A December 2007 Building Program and Business Plan, prepared by LORD Cultural Resources (LORD), proposed a P3 approach with an estimated total cost of $67 million.

Based on the final estimates for construction and soft costs, staff recommended a rescoping of the project to bring the costs more in line with a potential funding framework of $40M. The ACCC Steering Committee Chair led a series of facilitated rescoping sessions with the stakeholders from February to September 2008. Staff also engaged Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. Architects to review the facility options in the Lord Report, review hard and soft costs estimates, identify reduced scope scenarios within a $40 million budget, coordinate the task of costing the proposed scenarios, take into account Steering Committee rescoping sessions and present the findings to the City and the Steering Committee.

DOCUMENT 2

Demonstration Plan Options 4 and 5 - Major Features

Demonstration Plan Option #4 includes the following major features:

1. Constructing a new 2 storey infill building on the footprint of the existing Arts Court Annex and the vacant Waller Street lands to accommodate the revised Arts Court Complex programs;

2. Creating significant through-block pedestrian linkages at the grade level (Agora/Foyer elevation ±67.0) giving access and visibility to the principal public spaces;

3. Locating the expanded Saw Gallery/ Club Saw at grade with a prominent entrance and courtyard off Nicholas Street;

4. Locating the Ottawa Art Gallery on the second level with its own prominent entrance and outdoor exhibit area at the intersection of Daly Avenue and Waller Street;

5. Locating Theatre A and Theatre B at grade with a prominent entrance off Waller Street and linkage to the Media Arts Hub and the Ottawa Art Gallery. The nature of the theatre/ presentation spaces is still to be determined;

6. Accommodating all existing office tenants displaced from the Arts Court Annex and accommodating the Saw Video, IFCO and Art Engine expansion proposals by relocating them in the historic Arts Court building in spaces vacated by the OAG (7,100 sq. ft.), or into part of the new building basement (6,494 sq. ft.);

7. Providing the opportunity for an 18-storey private sector tower (130,000 sq. ft.) to be constructed above the Arts Court Complex with underground parking (62 spaces).

Demonstration Plan Option #5 includes the following major features:

1. The Ottawa Art Gallery is excluded from the redevelopment at 2 and 10 Daly Avenue;

2. The existing Arts Court Annex is renovated to accommodate an expanded Media Arts Hub, and additional presentation spaces, and all existing office tenants. Approximately 7,100 sq. ft. of unassigned space becomes available for new tenants in locations previously occupied by the OAG;

3 New flexible presentation space, a screening room and back-of-house spaces are introduced in a new building on the vacant lands at 60-70 Waller Street lands;

4. The private sector component is maximized and includes, a 19-storey private sector tower with ground floor commercial, 2 levels of offices, and 16-storey of residential uses (157,000 sq. ft.) over underground parking (62 spaces);

5. A significant through-block pedestrian linkage at the grade level (Agora/Foyer elevation ±67.0) is created giving access and visibility to the principal public spaces.

DOCUMENT 3

Arts Court Demonstration Plan (Option #5)

DOCUMENT 4

Arts Court Demonstration Plan (Option #4)

DOCUMENT 5

Arts Court Demonstration Plan (Option #3)

DOCUMENT 6

Friends of the Concert Hall - Letter dated 17 June 2010

To: His Worship Larry O’Brien, Mayor of the City of Ottawa

Councillors of the City of Ottawa

A World-class Concert Hall for a World-class City.

For many years now an acoustically perfect mid-sized Concert Hall located in the downtown core has enjoyed broad public support. It has been regarded as a top priority by successive City Councils, and the April 28th staff progress report to Council on the Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan identifies it as a project that remains outstanding.

The Concert Hall would be used by a wide range of performing artists from jazz to spoken word to classical music. It would make our national capital a recording centre and anchor our many musical festivals. It would be an architectural gem, enhancing our urban environment, inviting people into a welcoming space where they can discover, define and express their community. It would revitalize the downtown, attracting visitors and stimulating the restaurants and other places of culture and entertainment that would thrive in its vicinity. Other cities, some smaller and less important than our own, have invested in similar facilities and rejoice in their success. The opportunity for Ottawa is there to be seized, if we can harness the energy and vision of our community.

In view of the real possibility that some $12 million (plus interest) in City and Provincial funds set aside for the Concert Hall might now be diverted to other uses, the Friends of the Concert Hall believe the time is ripe to set forth clearly the conditions under which this important project can be brought to fruition. Foremost among these are that the City must engage in this project, not only by preserving the existing funding, but by actively assisting the Friends in identifying and acquiring a suitable site. Without such commitment there is little possibility that a Concert Hall can be built in the foreseeable future.

It will be recalled that the earlier proposal to build a Concert Hall as part of a development by the Morguard Corporation at 150 Elgin Street, on land sold to them by the City, foundered in February 2008. Money had been contributed by the City and the Province, and a federal contribution was pledged, but funds from the private sector could not be raised within an impossibly short time frame. The Friends of the Concert Hall was established in April 2008 as a non-profit charitable corporation to continue the campaign. For a time it appeared the Morguard proposal could be revived, but as it is increasingly uncertain when any development will take place on that site, this no longer appears to be a viable option.

The Friends have explored various options and held discussions with potential partners. Our studies and our discussions have renewed our conviction that the Concert Hall must be located in the downtown core. There could be co-location with other cultural facilities such as a library, theatre, art gallery, and other types of cultural activity, which would benefit from being part of a centrally located environment with full access by public transit. 150 Elgin Street remains an ideal site. Other potential sites include the new library, for which the City is in the process of acquiring land, and the current, City-owned library property. There may well be other possibilities for partnership with private development. Lansdowne Park has been presented as a possibility but is less attractive as it is outside the downtown core.

Pursuing any of these possible options for securing a site in the downtown core can only be done if the City of Ottawa works with the Friends to develop potential models for the project, explores sites and options, and assists in securing the site. Such support and involvement by the City will also create the confidence and momentum required to bring together the other levels of government, potential partners and users including the universities, the NAC, other cultural organizations, representatives of the private sector, and other concerned partners. Together with the broad public represented by the Friends, these partners would energize the support and fund-raising needed to drive this project forward.

The most immediate decision is to preserve the city and provincial money set aside for the Concert Hall. While a past Council decision could be construed to allow these moneys to be used for other cultural purposes, the Friends remind the Council that these funds were secured for a Concert Hall and would not otherwise have been available for any use. As long as the Concert Hall remains viable there is no justification for using these funds for anything else. With the active engagement of the City the Concert Hall can be a lasting monument to our foresight and civic pride, a place where great things happen, an inspiration for generations of young people for generations to come.

FRIENDS OF THE CONCERT HALL

Naomi Ridout

Secretary

June 17, 2010

ARTS COURT REDEVELOPMENT - IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

RÉAMÉNAGEMENT DE LA COUR DES ARTS – STRATÉGIE DE MISE EN œuvre

ACS2010-CMR-REP-0039 CITY WIDE/À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

Nancy Schepers, Acting City Manager, Rick O’Connor, City Clerk, Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager, City Operations and Solicitor and Dave Donaldson, Manager of Realty Initiatives and Development were present to answer questions on this matter.

With respect to the $6 million provided by the Province, Councillor Doucet asked if the City had yet made the request to the Province to transfer the money to Lansdowne Park. He recalled that the Province had not wanted to provide any funding to Lansdowne because it was sole-sourced. Ms. Schepers advised that the request had not yet been made.

Given that the site plan has yet to be finalized, Councillor Doucet asked if staff could confirm that Building “D” would be made available for Ottawa Arts Gallery (OAG). Mr. Donaldson explained that per Council’s direction in June, the location will be part of the implementation strategy for the Arts Court project, which will be reported to Council in November. The OAG component will be contingent on finding an appropriate location that will benefit the Gallery.

Councillor Doucet referred to Option 4 and asked what the potential advantages were in accommodating the OAG in the Arts Court. He also asked if the City considered a temporary site downtown for Arts Court tenants if Option 4 was implemented. Mr. Donaldson advised that Option 4 allows the tenants to remain in the existing building during the demolition of the Annex Building. He added that the advantages of relocating is that it allows the projects to be phased in, in order to build the new art gallery component. In order to have the least amount of disruption, the intent is to build the new presentation space for other art gallery users and then move the art gallery and renovate the rest of the building. In the end, it would provide for better spaces for the other Arts Court tenants that are more on the presentation side of the business as opposed to the Art Gallery. Councillor Doucet felt that the advantages of keeping the Art Gallery in the downtown core outweighed the disadvantages.

Mark Monahan, Executive Director of Ottawa Bluesfest is a supporter of the Arts Court and believed the importance of redeveloping it. His concern related to the suggestion that money would be received from property rights at 60 Waller Street. As Councillor Doucet pointed out, there are some loose ends with this proposal and wondered if Council was setting up a situation, similar to the concert hall, by re-directing the $12 million with no current private sector involvement. He suggested waiting until the private sector was secured or some potential proposal is put forward before transferring the $12 million elsewhere. If Council is suggesting that the concert hall is dead as it stands, then it would be wise to entertain other proposals and have community support.

Councillor Bloess admitted that shifting money that is put aside for another project and then shifting it on a whim was not smart. He asked Mr. Monahan what he needed from Council to see if his proposal was viable. Mr. Monahan’s suggestion was to defer the report in order to review other proposals. Mr. Kanellakos advised that the funds in Recommendation 1 of the staff report was based on the business case of assessments of the Arts Court site and what staff believe would be the City’s share of a contribution of that site with respect to an RFP. The process that staff are proposing is that Council approve an RFP process to see if the private sector is interested. The money allocated to the concert hall is required to make it economically viable for the City and for the private sector to develop that site. The results of an RFP process would determine if enough money was allocated. At this stage, going forward with an RFP without an investment would not be viable.

In response to a follow up question from the Councillor, Mr. Kanellakos advised that Mr. Monahan’s proposal had not been submitted to staff, nor was it on Council’s Arts and Heritage Plan list. He opined that it would require a motion by Council to add it to the list and make it a priority. An analysis has been done by the Real Estate and Property staff to make the business case is attractive to the private sector, which is the reason for proposing to shift the money to the Ottawa Arts Gallery. Councillor Bloess concluded that he would move a motion later in this regard.

Jamie Koebel (parent and Cultural worker) spoke in favour of moving the Ottawa Arts Gallery to Lansdowne Park. As a parent’s point of view, moving the OAG to another location would provide a bigger facility for educational programs for children. She noted the importance of children learning through the arts, whether it is science or about their heritage. She commented on how the parking was horrendous at the current Arts Court location and how it (the parking) did not feel safe. The current building itself is a lovely building but noted that her children, who participated in this year’s programs, were located to her surprise in a rental space. She concluded that a bigger and better location would be the best option for the OAG.

Lawson Hunter (Chair of Ottawa Arts Gallery Board – Counsel, Stikeman Elliot LLP) and Alexandra Badzak (Executive Director Ottawa Arts Gallery) spoke consecutively noting their support for the move. Mr. Hunter believed that there was a pressing need for the move of the Gallery. As noted from the previous speaker, there is little space and parking is not adequate. He advised that the current location does not allow the display of the Firestone collection owned by the OAG, which is a valuable City asset. There is no room to expand programs such as children’s or the contemporary arts program. There have been many discussions with key stakeholders such as the City, Councillors and Ottawa Art Gallery about the possibility of moving to Lansdowne Park. They support the continued search for a site for the Chamber Music Hall and felt that Lansdowne would be an appropriate site for the Gallery. They believe a signature building is required in keeping with what a municipal art gallery should portray to the community. The OAG Board is committed to a bold new vision at Lansdowne Park, which fits with their strategic objectives. They believe they can enhance the site and make it a year-round destination. He strongly urged Committee to approve this report.

Ms. Badzak appreciated connecting with many Councillors on this issue. While Mr. Hunter spoke to their needs, Ms. Badzak described their vision and what they thought the OAG could do at Lansdowne Park. She provided a few scenarios such as parents dropping off their kids for their programs while they shop at the farmers market. Later meet an artist biologist who is talking about the tomatoes she has grown on her bicycle. People can attend shows, talk to some of the artists and buy some t-shirts at the store on the way out. She hoped through this vision and the scenarios she provided, Councillors would see how a Municipal Arts Gallery has an integral role and enrich the everyday lives of residents. It also encompasses the Ottawa 2020 Plan and the Economic Strategy Development Plan. She felt that people move to Ottawa because it is culturally diverse and rich, not for the roads and hospitals.

Councillor Doucet shared their vision and believed that local artists deserved a better location than church basements. But regarding their dream at Lansdowne Park, he said there was no guaranty that they would be relocated at Lansdowne Park nor did he think the provincial money would be transferred for this purpose. Mr. Lawson understood that there are outstanding issues. They want to be involved in the process as they have in the past. They commissioned a law group that identified needs for an appropriate municipal gallery. With this, they believe there are possible sites at Lansdowne Park.

Councillor Deans felt that there was considerable risk for the OAG, noting that Phase II which would be the re-development of the Arts Court would not go forward until the OAG has successfully landed on its own. Mr. Lawson interpreted the report that both parts of the redevelopment would have an agreement in order to proceed. Sequentially, there will be logistical issues in terms of the other arts services and the disruption it will cause to them.

Hypothetically, Councillor Deans wondered what would happen with the OAG if the move to Lansdowne Park was unsuccessful. Mr. Hunter felt that these two were interrelated, therefore would be unlikely to happen. Mr. Donaldson explained that the whole idea of the strategy is that Phase I would move forward with the first phase of the Arts Court and the OAG at an alternate location, which would hopefully be Lansdowne Park. If not, Option 4 would be an alternative and everything would be done on site.

Councillor Deans was happy to hear that there is a guaranty that the OAG would not become homeless. To the delegate, the Councillor asked how they felt if the chosen building at Lansdowne Park was not adequately located and/or with a visually high profile. Mr. Hunter commented that there would be advantages of where the Ottawa Arts Gallery would be located, noting it could be a self-standing building, looking over the canal, or, if the location is closer to Bank Street, architecturally, it would be the podium/hub of the building.

Councillor Bédard referred to the expenditure and believed that is would cost $14.7 million to have a standalone gallery and that money would come from the sale of the land for the development of the tower on the Arts Court site as well as the City’s contribution from the existing funds. Mr. Donaldson explained that the total funding for the first phase entailed the redevelopment of the Arts Court building and the Art Gallery component. The funding for the remaining phases would be outlined in a report when staff determine the location, the cost to accommodate that location and the outcome of the Lansdowne Live Proposal.

Councillor Bédard confirmed that money is available if the Arts Court land is sold in a P3 situation. Mr. Donaldson confirmed that available money would fund the Arts Court tenants.

Councillor Desroches previously met with the delegates and one topic they discussed was that they needed to be pragmatic and practical. Although a consensus can be reached, he reiterated the delegate’s concern that if the suggested location was inadequate, the OAG Board would likely not approve it. The Councillor noted his support of the staff report and hoped that others would vote the same way. He highlighted the success of the Great Canadian Theatre Company was by bringing in donors and raising funds and asked their thoughts on this. Mr. Lawson claimed that they have plans in place in terms of raising money whether it is with individuals or partners. Based on past experience, having an appropriate site and venue is important for fund raising.

Uta Riccius (Artist, instructor, Ottawa Arts Gallery Board Member) spoke as an artist at the OAG and wondered how many Councillors knew there was an art gallery at City Hall and how many Councillors visited the displayed artwork. Her point was that most art galleries are tucked away inside cultural buildings, in a church basement or along a beaten path. Although there are many great opportunities and spaces provided to artists to show off their work, she wondered if it was worth the space if no one visits the galleries. Ms. Riccius is a Board Member, Chair of the Acquisition’s Committee, and a practicing visual artist who grew up in Ottawa, but moved to Montreal and Berlin before returning to her hometown. Upon her return, she was aware of the situation of galleries in Ottawa, resulting in her work becoming more community driven, interacting and working with the community, creating public interventions and interactions, given that she realized how difficult it was to get the community to go to a public gallery. She noted the importance of visibility and accessibility when determining the location and felt that Lansdowne Park would be an exciting opportunity. It would create a building that would be accessible and visual not only to practicing artists but for the citizens of Ottawa and for tourists. A stand-alone building would be a hub, which is what Ottawa needs, being visibly noted on the map. With possibly a café or a gift shop, visitors can stop, browse and spend more time looking and talking about art. Currently, OAG is invisible and tucked away in the Arts Court building. A new building would create a larger exhibition space, and artists would be recognized on a national and international level. It would reflect the cultural vitality to the citizens of Ottawa.

Alan Bowker, Director of Friends of the Concert Hall put forward their position in a letter to the Mayor and City Councillors dated 17 June 2010, which is held on file with the City Clerk. The Friends have had good discussions with a number of Councillors, the Mayor and City staff and felt that the staff report was accurate and fair in its description of the history of the project and the present situation. He noted that they are grateful for the assistance which is envisaged in Recommendation 2, although emphasized that it did not entirely meet the concerns of the Friends.

In particular, the Friends continue to hold the position that the $12.05 million which is proposed to divert to the Arts Court/Art Gallery project are funds that were provided for the purpose of a Concert Hall. They should not be diverted to any other use as long as this project remains possible and a priority for the City. If they are to be temporarily diverted, there should be an explicit assurance that once a site for the Concert Hall is identified, the City would restore these funds. He assumed the Province would also require similar assurance.

Mr. Bowker reiterated that his letter also stated that the Concert Hall be made a reality only if the “City of Ottawa works with the Friends to develop potential models for the project, explore sites and options, and assists in securing the site.” He highlighted that Recommendation 2 only referred to monitoring future development opportunities to identify the potential to implement a Concert Hall project. He hoped that Recommendation 2 be amended to reflect these concerns.

Kelly Neall, Managing Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) described the Ottawa Animation Festival as one of the largest events of its kind in the world attracting over 27,000 attendees, 2000 entries and 1800 participants from the entertainment industry who stay in town on average for 4 days. Their festival generates over a million dollars every year in tourist revenue and is an economic stimulator for Ottawa’s animation and digital media sector.

Beginning in 1976, they had always been housed in the National Arts Centre (NAC), which had a perfectly sized screening facility, but unfortunately a few years ago the NAC could no longer accommodate the Festival due to high demand for space from their own in-house theatre groups, resulting in the lost of the Festival’s hub and was forced to spread into several venues around the City.

In the last couple of years they attempted to recreate a hub in the Arts Court building with a café, a screening and workshop venue and a mini trade show, but the space was too small and in need of renovation. Although the outside of Arts Court is very impressive, the inside has needed work for many years.

Ms. Neall emphasized how the new Arts Court development will be huge for the whole digital media and arts sector. It can be a space that the rapidly growing gaming and digital media sectors can use to do receptions and screenings. It will be a compliment to the new conference space, providing a post-meeting location for parties and entertainment. With more feature films shooting in town, it will provide a place to screen dailies. It will encourage more film events to start up and will generally enrich the downtown living. She urged Committee and Council to move ahead with this exciting new development that will be a great economic stimulator for Ottawa.

Loretto Beninger, although Vice-Chair of the Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee, spoke to the Committee on her own behalf. In reference to the money raised by private citizens such as herself that is proposed to be transferred in order to let Lansdowne Park build the much-needed Ottawa City Concert Hall, she sent a letter entitled Concert Hall is a Virtual Lost Cause that identified the concert hall as being one example of a fundamental flaw in the way that City Council addresses issues in this City.

With reference to the concert hall, on the large-scale big picture, it is part of an international system called leisure and entertainment. One example of a leisure and entertainment program is Sports and Recreation in the City of Ottawa. It’s a core city system whereby its buildings get built, its programs get developed and advertised, and city staff does the work supplemented by volunteers. She quoted the City Clerk and Solicitor as saying during a mid-term Governance Review that “it’s a system that just rolls over because it does not require direct citizen intervention to lobby for its needs on a case-by-case basis, nor does each case have to be reviewed in the public sphere”.

Another leisure and entertainment program is arts, heritage, festivals, and multiculturalism. However, its funding is the opposite of rollover as it is considered a non-core program. She explained that a non-core system works only on a case-by-case basis, is always reviewed in the public sphere, and is always subject to political whim for its financing. Finances for non-core items work on an inverted pyramid system, where city money is the smallest base upon which provincial and federal systems add a percentage to the city’s base funding. The most-recently built Shenkman Centre is an example of how the non-core leisure system works. The Shenkman Centre required thousands of volunteer hours to create, and each element of the building of it had to be locked in with legal contracts so that council couldn’t renege on its commitment. Citizens had to justify each step of the way despite the fact that Council had seen it as a priority item for over twenty years.

Ms. Beninger referred to the 2008 budget deliberations, where she spoke about the inequality of this core versus non-core system. A copy of her presentation is held on file with the City Clerk.

The concert hall, the Ottawa art gallery, the Arts Court facility, the Shenkman Centre, the multiple theatres for drama and dance are all examples of not-for-profit community leisure buildings that are waiting to be built. She asked that Council consider the fundamental flaw in the City’s system and reconsider Ottawa’s business model by leaving the funding intact and add to it to build the concert hall. She also asked to leave the space next to Arts Court intact and build leisure and entertainment culture facilities there.

Tom McSorley, Executive Director of the Canadian Film Institute expressed his organization’s support for this exciting and enriching project. The further development of Artscourt into a multi-disciplinary, multi-purpose arts destination for artists and audiences alike is forward thinking and visionary; it is also practical and will yield tangible benefits for the cultural and commercial life of the city and its citizens for generations.

Mr. McSorley spoke of the importance of Arts Court to the development and growth of Ottawa’s film and video-making community and suggested that Arts Court needs an onsite presentation venue for moving images (film, video, and digital media), which is part of the proposed plan of expansion. He recalled that the development of downtown art spaces like Arts Court is an international phenomenon such as the new ‘lightbox’ cinemas in Toronto, potsdamerplatz film festival zone in Berlin and Montreal concentrates its film festivals in a central downtown area.

Ryan Stec, Artistic Director of Artengine spoke of the development of the cultural landscape of Ottawa over the past twenty years. Dynamic arts organizations like SAW Gallery and SAW Video where founded as collectives and have matured into local institutions. They have gained recognition for their cutting edge production and programming from cultural communities across the country. He noted, however the drastic change in the media arts. Groups like Artengine where almost entirely virtual only five years ago, and now their organization sits at the crossroads of the regions creative and research communities, connecting artists and technologists on a weekly basis, from the incubation stage right through to the launch of their projects.

The growth of Artengine has been driven by strong and diverse collaborations across many artistic disciplines, and what is most exciting about the foundation outlined for the Arts Court redevelopment is how it continues to foster these collaborations amongst the many groups in the facility. The atrium concept creates an important increase in visibility and access to the dynamic production and programming organizations while also supporting their unique identities. The atrium builds on one of the most concrete strengths of the Arts Court facility – a distributed model of production and presentation organizations that creates a diverse range of programming. This strength, the Arts Court as a cultural incubator, is made more public by the atrium concept. Organizations become more accessible, and the public has the opportunity to see the rich diversity active in the building. Cross-pollination begins to happen not only at the organizational level, but at the audience level where it is perhaps most important.

The concentration of the media arts groups into a hub will allow for more dynamic flow of audience and resources. Although each of the media arts production organizations has a unique vision at its core, the overlap at the edges is a unique and fruitful place. This simple connection in space will facilitate greater collaborations amongst the organizations, but also increased access for artists to their diverse resources.

The media arts hub, coupled with a small screening and presentation space, will also add a key element to the cultural landscape. As the healthy digital media and informational technology sector continues to attract new professional residents to the city, cultural activity that reflects a new generation of audiences.

The development of a new performing arts facility in Arts Court should not only respond to the needs of the existing community, but drive it forward with a unique vision of the future. The Arts Court re-development shows this potential. It is key to unlocking another layer of excellence in cultural production, and as the city provides a foundation that looks to the future, the organizations housed in it will fill that future with a rich cultural landscape grounded in the heart of the city. With a new convention center on the horizon, the Arts Court development becomes an excellent companion to this hub of activity. Home-grown cutting edge cultural production and presentation in the backyard of this facility puts the cities best foot forward to a large audience. The re-development of Arts Court will succeed not only at showcasing Ottawa to itself, but also to the national and international audiences that come to visit the nation’s capital. It is a significant step towards standing tall and raising our head above the shadow of the Peace Tower.

Councillor Doucet agreed with his presentation but asked how the delegate felt about selling off a big chunk of the site for the condo. The delegate said that it had not yet been decided that a condo will be erected and noted that there a lot of residents that were involved in the group consultation process with the cultural department and when looking at iconic places around the world, they are not P3 projects, however, going through the process and seeing the plans and options, he felt that there was a really fine touch, particularly with and Atrium and connecting while segmenting those buildings.

David B. Flemming, President, Heritage Ottawa began by noting that Heritage Ottawa has been a tenant of Arts Court for the past twenty years. Arts Court has been the centre for many arts (and one heritage) organizations in the City of Ottawa. The building and the foundation that operate it on behalf of the City of Ottawa provide local artists and cultural organizations with support for a wide range of activities not the least of which include administrative and management space and performance and exhibit space.

The Implementation Strategy that is being considered will enable the City to build on the contribution made by these various groups over the past two decades. The proposal also has an important heritage component, the preservation of one of the most important Ottawa buildings designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The development design proposed by Barry Padolsky Architects will create a setting which will benefit both the arts community and the citizens of Ottawa as we recognize the importance of arts and heritage to Ottawa residents and to visitors to our city.

The proposal to investigate a possible relocation of the OAG to a new Lansdowne Park development complements the expansion of the Arts Court facility and provides an opportunity to find a much-needed new home for our premier municipal art collection. If this is to be accomplished, it is essential that City provide the OAG’s staff and Board with ongoing architectural and engineering advice in any negotiations with the private developer.

Any Ottawa Art Gallery development at Lansdowne Park must complement the rest of the public space proposed for the site and reflect the importance and integrity of the two designated heritage buildings on the site: the Aberdeen Pavilion and the Horticulture Building. As important as it is to find a new home for the Ottawa Arts Gallery, this should not be used by either the Ottawa Sport and Entertainment Group (OSEG) or the City of Ottawa as a justification for relocating the Horticulture Building.

Peggy Ducharme, Executive Director, Downtown Rideau BIA (DRBIA) supported the recommendations of the Arts Court Redevelopment Implementation Strategy. In 1997, the Downtown Rideau Board of Management identified a theme to brand Downtown Rideau as part of the City’s Official Plan policies for the district resulting from the 1993 $5 million dollar Rideau Redevelopment Capital Project (of which the DRBIA paid half) that removed the Transit Mall from Rideau Street. After assessing and reviewing their district’s assets, membership, geographical make-up, history and what distinguished us from other Ottawa BIAs; they chose an Arts & Theatre theme for their District.

Their vision was adopted by the City and entrenched in its Official Plan policies when the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy also identified their theme and expanded it to include retail based on the strength of Rideau Centre, thus officially recognizing Downtown Rideau as Ottawa’s Retail, Arts & Theatre District. Recently, the Rideau Street Urban Design Strategy equally ranked and endorsed their theme when both their BIA and community stakeholder consultation processes identified the area as an Arts & Theatre District first, and foremost.

Based on this information and the strength of property development investment in Downtown Rideau in the past five years that is still strong and growing, Ms. Ducharme asked Committee to approve this strategy and seize this opportunity and momentum that the community has been working on for the past 13 years. She assured that the Downtown Rideau community will work with the City of Ottawa to make this project a success.

Patrice James, Director, Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa Inc. (IFCO) urged Committee to support the pressing need to move forward with the Arts Court Redevelopment project, which was originally identified in the Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan as an important initiative in 2003. Arts Court is by far one of the best examples the City of Ottawa has of a sustainable creative space, in that it has succeeded very well at being Ottawa’s quintessential creative hub, representing a variety of artists in a variety of artistic disciplines.

Furthermore, as one of 21 arts organizations currently housed within the Arts Court, IFCO is enthusiastic about seeing this project realized. IFCO along with SAW Video, Artengine, Canadian Film Institute/Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Available Light Screening Collective combined, serve hundreds of local artists. Media Art works are also being frequently programmed in visual art galleries like Galerie SAW Gallery and the Ottawa Art Gallery amongst others. Even though media arts programming has greatly enhanced the visibility of the Arts Court, bringing in thousands of patrons each year; affordable and accessible media art presentation spaces are presently greatly underserved both within and without the Arts Court. Within The Arts Court Redevelopment Project, there is an express commitment to redressing this problem through the creation of a realistic multi-format presentation space, among the need for additional expanded media art spaces within the Arts Court which more accurately meet the needs of the media arts in Ottawa.

Media art proponents are greatly enthused by the endless possibilities for growing audiences and developing even more dynamic programming that an expanded Arts Court cultural facility would enable, and as such strongly encourage the Committee to make The Arts Court Redevelopment Project ‘shovel ready’ within the project’s recommended timeline.

Susan Annis, Chair Arts Court Foundation Board urged the Committee to support the report as they think it is the best thing that can happen to Ottawa. There have been some compelling and compassionate presentations at this meeting with respect to Arts Court and the Ottawa Arts Gallery. Some tenants spoke of what this new proposed facility can do for them and their work and what this can do for the City. She credited staff for what they have done and putting together this report by marrying two issues together. With the Art Gallery moving out, the Arts Court vision creates the potential to have a creative hub in Ottawa, which would be the centre of the performing media, literary and visual arts. It is a Public, Private Partnership that employs an integrated approach to the site, meaning financial responsibility, ongoing revenue streams and artistic ways of creativity.

Ms. Annis explained that there would be a new 350-seat theatre and a media screening space that will be available to tenants. Also, a vibrant renovated heritage building that will include 150-seat theatre, a private component that is compatible with the cultural activity to the site. The phasing is important because it mitigates the upset to current tenants because it allows the gallery to move into a significant space and the renovated court house to be adjusted and purposed for arts presentation. There has been a lot of talk about media hub, a component of the new arts court vision that has been around for years.

Penny McCann, Director of SAW Video spoke in favour of the proposed Arts Court Redevelopment project. Since its inception, Arts Court has been a uniquely collaborative project with the City of Ottawa, the Arts Court Foundation, and the tenants of Arts Court who have transformed an institutional heritage building into a vibrant centre for the professional arts, supporting hundreds of artists in the performing, literary, visual and media arts.

The rise of the media arts in Ottawa has profoundly changed the nature of programming in Arts Court. Expanding the profile and presentation capacity of the media arts is a key component of the Arts Court redevelopment proposal, which proposes the construction of a film and screening theatre in Phase I and the creation of a media arts hub within a renovated Arts Court in Phase II. The Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan identifies both the Arts Court redevelopment project and a new Concert Hall as important initiatives to be undertaken. A concert hall is still clearly needed in Ottawa, however also much needed and long overdue are a new home for the Ottawa Art Gallery and an expanded and redeveloped Arts Court. In accepting this two-phase project as proposed, Arts Court’s capacity will dramatically increase, attracting increased audiences and benefitting professional arts organizations and artists throughout the city.

The Committee concluded the delegation portion of the meeting and discuss two motions presented by Councillors Bloess and Deans.

Councillor Bloess explained that his motion was requesting that staff evaluate the Monahan proposal and report back to CSEDC on the viability and the funding requirements for this initiative.

Councillor Deans introduced her motion, indicating that it was a substitute for Recommendation 2.

In reference to the Bloess motion, Mr. Kanellakos stated that he did not want to pre-judge the Monahan proposal but in the scope in the plan that they have for Arts and Culture and the capital operating funding available, he did not see the effort being put into that business case from a staff perspective, but they will take direction if the motion passes.

The motion to replace the subsequent motion number 2, staff are supportive of that motion, which it is consistent with the commitment made to the groups representing the Friends of the Concert Hall.

Councillor Holmes commenced by stating that they owed a debt of gratitude to the Friends of the Concert Hall because they are the ones who have raised the $12 million from the City and the Province to come forward and have ready a cultural project. Many have spent a great deal of time trying to get that Concert Hall to go forward, but unfortunately Morgard is not in a position to move forward with their project. She indicated that she was prepared to move the $12 million of cultural money onto Arts Court as it is ready to go. She felt that it was good for the Art Gallery to move into a new space, with energy and commitment to whether it is Lansdowne, which the Councillor hoped it would be. She also hoped that the Art Gallery would send Council a written memorandum stating that it has to be located on Bank Street (as opposed to the canal), but that it has to be architecturally unique and outline their priorities for what they want and need. She further voiced her hope of a piece of City infrastructure that is exciting, a place that everyone can be proud of, a place where residents can go and see the City’s Firestone collection, worth millions of dollars. It is a wonderful opportunity for all the groups in the Arts Court that are squeezed together and do not have room to move. It is going to take a lot of care, consensus and working to together, but she felt this is a wonderful opportunity

At this time, Chair Jellett requested that Committee speak to the Deans motion, and then will follow with the Bloess motion and the staff report.

Councillor Deans explained that she felt it was important to recognize that the $12 million they have for cultural priorities is thanks to the Friends of the Concert Hall with the dream of a chamber facility in the downtown core. She indicated that this priority has not diminished noting that there have been roadblocks and problems resulting in not being able to move forward. She thought that it was what evident around the table that Council feels it is time to move on given there are other cultural priorities.

The Councillor stated the reason she put forth her motion was to strengthen the wording, to ensure that the public is aware that the chamber facility is still a priority. She indicated that she has been working with the community and the Friends of the Concert Hall, and they have agreed to this wording, and staff also support the wording.

Chair Jellett spoke to the last three words of the motion that Council “support a project”, implying that Council cannot tie the hands of any future Council. Rick O’Connor, City Clerk and Solicitor, indicated that they have been trying to flush out reports that would tie the hands of the future Council. These last few lines of this motion as the Chair has indicated are arguable. For clarity sake, he felt it might be easier to end this particular motion with “and acquiring a situable site”, which would reduce any of the confusion that might arise in future.

Councillor Deans felt that this was not a friendly amendment. Although she understood the suggestion to change the wording, she felt that this project should be supported into the future; therefore she would not accept a friendly amendment.

Chair Jellett stated that as a statement of intent, he could understand why it is there, but reiterated that when this project comes forward in the future, legal staff will advise the present Council that they are not bound by this statement.

Councillor Bloess felt that there was some confusion about shifting the $12 million over, noting that the Friends of the Concert Hall groups stated that they really do not want to lose that money. He felt the Deans motion is suggesting that Council replace the money, which they are not in a position to do. Mr. Kanellakos declared that his interpretation of the motion was that support could mean that the opportunity when they are looking for a site, a development opportunity with another partner; or a range of things depending with what happens with other levels of government. He thought the Councillor made a good point regarding taking the $12 million and moving it to another pot, then replenishing the pot once a site is found, but noted that it would be up to Council to decide. He felt this motion leaves it generic enough that it does not commit staff or Council, in terms of finding a level of support equivalent to the $12 million that may be used for another project.

Councillor Bloess wanted to be clear, the $12 million that we are talking about will be gone, to which Mr. Kanellakos confirmed. The Councillor indicated that it was not easy to come up with $12 million and will not be easy to replenish another $12 million and get to the same level. He wanted the delegates and the public to know that there is not going to be another $12 million floating around waiting to be allocated and that the motion was not necessary.

Councillor Desroches indicated his support of the staff recommendation and that they should unlock funding that would help make the project happen. Regarding the concert hall, he stated that the reality will be to start from scratch on this project, given that there is no concrete plan, only ideas; therefore he was reluctant in supporting the Deans motion.

Councillor Cullen pointed out that he would like to see a concert hall, and see Arts Court reach its potential and the goals that they aspire to. With respect to the Art Gallery, he remarked that it has treasures that very few people get to see because it has inadequate exhibition space. Referring to the staff report, it states “that the prime opportunity with dealing with an Arts and Cultural facility now relates to the redevelopment and enhancement of Arts Court…”, he inquired if there was anything in the Deans motion that redirects/keeps the $12 million in play for the concert hall. Mr. Kanellakos advised that his interpretation of the motion is the intent that the Friends of the Concert Hall keep the hope alive and marshal resources and support in the community. The statement of intent for support from this Council is to keep the concert hall a priority and that staff support them in finding a site, in terms of bringing in resource and there will be financial support, which is wide open at this point. It will allow them to ensure to their stakeholders and other levels of government that the municipality is supporting this project as a priority in the art, culture and heritage plan.

Councillor Cullen reiterated that if committee and council accept the Deans motion, which is a clear statement of intent, however the reality is that the $12 million that was in hand for the concert hall, if council accepts the direction and in conjunction with this report, this money is going towards Arts Court. To which Mr. Kanellakos concurred.

The Councillor indicated that even though he did not have a vote at Committee, he felt that Councillor Deans was doing the right thing by putting this motion forward. He noted that a lot of work went into the concert hall, and believed that there is a need for a concert hall in the City, he is enamoured by the concept which he thought is a wonderful one and is sorry that other circumstances particularly the recession which took away the opportunity to bring this to fruition. In summation, he stated that in the meantime there is no dispute that Arts Court needs to grow.

In closing, Councillor Deans stated that she felt that some Members of Committee were only focusing on words and reading more into them than what is actually there. She felt that it needed to be appreciated that losing the $12 million that the Friends of the Concert Hall worked so hard to acquire is a bitter pill to swallow. They do not want to go from being the City’s number one cultural priority to being off the radar. Therefore, they are looking for a statement of intent ensuring that the City will support them when the time is right.

Speaking to the Bloess motion, Councillor Deans sought clarification from staff on the Monahan proposal. Her understanding was this proposal was to look at other cultural priorities, she noted that in the context of the 20/20 plan, that the number one priority was the chamber music, number two was Arts Court/OAG development. She wanted to understand that if asking them to evaluate the Monahan proposal what this would do to the recommendation before Committee to move forward with the number two priority. Mr. Kanellakos replied that he did not think it would do anything to it, unless there was a commitment to move forward with the Monahan proposal. Presently there are a number of things that Council can take credit for over the last 4-5 years is the concert hall and the allocation of that money towards that project, the Great Canadian Theatre Company, the Arts Court development, the Shenkman proposal. Council moved a great number of significant projects this last term of Council pertaining to the arts, culture and heritage agenda for the City. There are a few remaining things to do in terms of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Masterplan, there are proposals that are received occasionally that have not been considered in a serious way unless directed by Council because the resources available to support them are limited. The last remaining resources is the $12 million that is going towards this project, other than some staff reports. However, if directed he would assign staff to review the proposal by Mr. Monahan and make recommendations to Council.

Councillor Deans inquired how this would differ from the refresh of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy that is presently being worked on. Mr. Kanellakos explained that the refresh will provide a new list of priorities, indicating that there was an update brought forward to the Community and Protective Services Committee regarding an assessment of the current 20/20 arts, culture and heritage plan, which included an assessment of where the gaps are remaining with in the current plan. He indicated that there are still a number of significant gaps not only in the projects that have been mentioned at this meeting but in a variety of other programs and needs in the community. He explained that they will be going through the consultation process in order to finalize the refresh, working with the Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability department and their arts, culture and heritage staff, which once completed will come before the new term of council for approval.

The Councillor questioned the motion, remarking that would this not be duplicating the work that is being done in the refresh. Mr. Kanellakos did not think that it would be duplicating, rather it would be inserting itself outside of a process that is underway, in order to identify priorities for this community.

Councillor Deans opined that staff recommendation then would be not to go off course, stay the course on the work that the City is currently doing. Mr. Kanellakos clarified that his recommendation would be to stay on the course that is currently being taken, he thought that when Mr. Monahan’s group have a proposal ready they would bring something forward using another avenue. He may not require other levels of government or municipal support, if it is a viable project that Council thinks make sense then they can look at it at that time. But as of now staff is focused on identifying priorities and trying to determine how to link them to the long term financial plan for the next term of Council.

Councillor Bédard asked staff if it was their understanding that the $6 million that City may now dedicate to the Arts Court for something else, perhaps the Monahan proposal. Mr. Kanellakos related that, that is not his understanding of Councillor Bloess’ motion, he informed that through the media he had heard that there may be some money allocated, however he has not heard directly for a direction.

Councillor Bédard stated that he would like this clarified because he thought that this is what Monahan’s proposal was, in other words, stand this down and use the money for something else, maybe for way of RFP and gather other submissions including his own. Councillor Bloess explained that the motion is requesting to evaluate the proposal and identify the funding requirements. He clarified that the motion does not to the money whatsoever. The Councillor felt it made good sense to have staff look at this and come back and inform whether this is a viable project and funding requirements that it would require.

Councillor Bédard indicated that Council has already made a decision relative to these funds in February/March 2008, where Council approved that the $6 million capital project for the community concert hall remain open until further development of a midsize concert hall or other City facility identified as a priority within Ottawa’s 20/20 arts, culture and heritage plan. Therefore that money could not go towards anything other than anything that has been approved by the 20/20 plan. He indicated that the proposal that is before Committee is important because it is within the scope of the Ottawa 20/20 plan, just as the Shenkman, Trinity Gallery and the Centre Point Theatre were in the plan, thus satisfying a commitment that was made years ago. This is also part of the Urban Downtown Design Strategy, which has been identified by the Rideau BIA and has been designated a retail, arts and theatre precinct.

The Councillor further commented that all of the presenters who spoke in favour and supported of the Arts Court proposal, only one stated that they wanted reassurance that their proposal would not be lost. The funding that is being proposed in Phase I and II is quite feasible, there is development in that area which proposes that there will be development or an interest in developing the site or an interest in Phase III. The Convention Centre is moving ahead, there is new development in the By-Ward Market and on Rideau Street, therefore this is an entire area that is being looked at by developers as a prime development area. He thought that they would end up with some successful bids on the parcel of land that is being proposed to development and staff will get the money necessary to move ahead on both Art Gallery and Arts Court, both of which are important to the City.

The Long Range Financial Plan also allocates certain funds that may be available in the future, therefore he felt that the phasing that is occurring is perfect. Phase I allows for certain aspects to move ahead, Phase II for the Long Range Financial Plan to kick in. He thought that this is an important occasion and he encouraged the Committee move forward with this particular project.

Councillor Bloess surmised that this was a simple motion, to look at other options and determine the funding requirements and then it would be up to committee and council to determine if it is viable to fund anything else or if there is any money left. He thought it interesting comments that he has been hearing regarding the money being allocated to the Concert Hall, this money came about because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity because a location became available across the street on Elgin. This was the only reason why this money was put upon the table, the commitment of other levels of government, there are several reasons why it has not come to fruition, but there seems to be a little re-write about how that money about.

Councillor Holmes indicated that she has spoken with Mr. Monahan and it was clear to her that he was interested in the $6 million for his project. This seems to have changed as he indicated that he would compete in an RFP for the money as well as other groups. To think that the City has spent ten years working on the Arts Court project, of which there are many groups within Arts Court that are interested, to think that someone could come in at the last minute with a totally undefined idea and look to access this money that has now been consumed by the report before, she thought this was unacceptable. Looking at his project is fine, when he comes forward with something in writing with a more developed concept that is acceptable at that time.

Chair Jellett wanted clarification that this would in no way impede the Arts Court re-development. Mr. Kanellakos stated that he did not interrupt this motion as asking for this money. He did note that he had heard media reports that he was looking for that money. He confirmed that the motion that is before the Committee is not a motion that was before the media. As the Councillor has stated his intent for the motion, he did not interpret it as a request for this money.

Moved by Councillor Bloess

That staff evaluate the “Monahan” proposal and report back to CSEDC on the viability and funding requirements.

LOST

YEAS (2): Councillors R. Bloess and R. Jellett

NAYS (6): Councillors R. Chiarelli, D. Deans, S. Desroches, E. El-Chantiry, M. McRae and B. Monette

Moved by Councillor Deans

WHEREAS a concert hall continues to be a priority for the City of Ottawa;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT recommendation #2 be replaced with the following:

2. The City Council continues to consider the Concert Hall project an important cultural priority that would make a real contribution to revitalizing the downtown and enhancing the stature of our community. The City will engage with the Friends of the Concert Hall to assist them in identifying and acquiring a suitable site, and at the appropriate time, supporting the project.

CARRIED

YEAS (5): Councillors R. Bloess, R. Chiarelli, D. Deans, M. McRae and B. Monette

NAYS (3): Councillors E. El-Chantiry, S. Desroches and R. Jellett

Councillor Deans stated that she thought this to be an important day, voicing that it is not every day that $12 million is spent on a cultural priority. She thought it unfortunate to a certain extent that the chamber music hall society has not be able to move forward but the City does have other priorities and thought that they should not be sitting on money when there are cultural priorities. She thought that there is a real opportunity for the Arts Court and the OAG to move forward and do exciting cultural and artistic things in the City. She indicated that she was disappointed that they only heard one delegation come forward and criticize Council and their commitment to the arts. Referring to page 47 of the report she referred to an entire list of achievements from this term of Council in terms of culturalized priorities in this city. It was her hope that the arts community recognized the commitment that Council has shown in the last couple of years. She thought that from an economical perspective, it was important that Council support arts and culture priorities in this community.

The Councillor noted that she felt there was some risks in this proposal for the Art Gallery, in moving to Lansdowne Park, She indicated that she liked Councillor Holmes’ hope that at the end of the day the Art Gallery will end up with a very prominent at Lansdowne Park if that is where they are going. She would not like to see them buried in the back of the site where very few people them. She thought that securing a building that is architecturally prominent and prominently situated will be tough, but hopes that it will be met. She was unsure that this is the best case scenario for their location and spoke to staff’s reassurance that if this did not work, they will look at other options, for she does not want the Art Gallery homeless at the end of this process.

In summation the Councillor thought they should move forward and see what can be worked out, and that the Chamber Music Society take heart that this Council is still supporting them into the future and that someday their turn will come. She felt the bank was not the place for the money to be sitting when there are cultural priorities that need to be tended to and voiced her support of the report as amended.

Councillor Doucet commenced by stating that Arts Court should have been redeveloped ten years ago, the site being proposed is an ideal site in the heart of Ottawa. He indicated that the Province stated that it will not participate in a sole source procurement process, therefore they will not support the moving of the Art Gallery to the Lansdowne location, it is illegal at the provincial level, therefore the money will not shift to Lansdowne Park. Secondly in the report, section 5, it places the Art Gallery in the urban park, there is the only place for it and he did not think that they were going to place the Art Gallery in a parking lot. His fear with this proposal was that the Art Gallery would become homeless.

Councillor Cullen commended all the individuals involved with this development process and have the opportunity to do something important in the arts and culture sector. However, he noted that it does mean going back to the drawing board with respect to the concert hall, but stated that they would get it built hopefully sooner rather than later.

He surmised that the issue of the Art Gallery is going to be a difficult one for Council and the Art Gallery itself. He remarked that there is no doubt that it needs to be liberated; he too is concerned with the risks of it being associated with Lansdowne Park. The Sports and Entertainment group said that this property would be at market rate and therefore that would be another tax to the tax payers of Ottawa. With the fall back of the Art Gallery being located at Arts Court, his hope if for something better, it deserves to have the space that the public will benefit from in having the opportunity to see the treasures that are housed in the Art Gallery.

He concluded that it was his hope that at the next Council meeting leadership will be shown; perseverance will prevail and will not deflect this investment in the cultural fabric in the city in the name of fiscal responsibility or some other priority. This is a big city which can stand to have a sport facility, an arts court, a concert hall and a central library.

Councillor Desroches referred to page 45 of the report, his questions was with respect to provincial funding, his understanding was that it was the City’s money to spend, he inquired what the legal framework entails for this situation. Mr. O’Connor replied that they would have to seek the province’s approval in this regard.

Councillor McRae asked legal staff if they recalled the original language in the first agreement was with respect to the province. She recalled that it was for the use for something like a concert, and would like to see what the specific language stated. Mr. O’Connor indicated that he would bring this information back prior to council.

That the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend that Council:

2. Continue to consider the Concert Hall project, an important cultural priority, that would make a real contribution to revitalizing the downtown and enhancing the stature of the community. The City will engage with the Friends of the Concert Hall to assist them in identifying and acquiring a suitable site, and at the appropriate time, supporting the project;

3. Direct staff to proceed with the Arts Court redevelopment project on the basis of:

a) The Ottawa Art Gallery component being developed at an alternate location to accommodate the Ottawa Art Gallery’s needs, and

b) The overall project being undertaken in two phases as outlined in this report;

CARRIED as amended

DIRECTION TO STAFF:

Legal Staff to provide the wording of the commitment made by the Province with respect to the funding allocated towards this project prior to Council.