City of Greater Sudbury council approved a final integrated site plan for a future main arena, enlarged casino and hotel-restaurant development on the city’s east end on Nov. 22.
The first phase of the Kingsway Entertainment District consists of an arena/event centre owned by the City of Greater Sudbury, a gaming complex operated by Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, a hotel complex, restaurants and an outdoor festival square.
The goal is open the complex in April 2020.
The approval allows city staff to rezone the Kingsway site, prepare a financial plan and move toward issuing the design-build RFP for the project within the first four months of 2018.
The city’s investment in the arena, roads and other infrastructure is projected to be $100 million.
Gateway Casinos has committed approximately $60 million to build the new gaming complex.
Additional private sector investments are anticipated for the rest of the development.
The arena will have a seating capacity of 5,800 seats for hockey and 6,500 for concerts. It will replace the aging 4,600-seat downtown Sudbury Community Arena.
A city news release said a key consideration in choosing the east end Kingsway site was the availability of land for parking.
The Entertainment District has 3,475 parking seats with room for overflow parking of more than 7,000 as the development expands over time.
“This evening’s decision culminates over 10 years of planning to renew our community arena and to strengthen our quality of life and place,” said Mayor Brian Bigger in a statement.
“It will benefit generations of residents as a choice destination for large concerts and sporting events.”
