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Merulla's dream: ‘This could be a billion-dollar development’
(Hamilton SPectator, Scott Radley, Nov 23 2017)

A city councillor says he has a billion-dollar idea for anyone willing to build a new arena, convention centre and concert hall in the downtown with their own money.

Coun. Sam Merulla says the city should consider transferring ownership of the FirstOntario Centre, the Hamilton Convention Centre and FirstOntario Concert Hall properties to a developer in exchange for the construction of privately built new facilities.

Once those essentials were looked after, that developer — or consortium of developers — could add lucrative residential and commercial facets to the plan as they wished.

"This could be a billion-dollar development," Merulla says.

The Ward 4 councillor will be introducing a notice of motion to that effect at Friday's general issues committee meeting.

This is the latest manoeuvre in a story that came to life a couple of weeks ago when Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer said the city should be exploring the construction of a new 5,000-10,000-seat arena which would likely cost between $60 million and $100 million. At the time he said he would match whatever the city put toward the project.

Those comments didn't initially get much official traction. But on Monday, council heard immediate repairs or upgrades costing more than $6 million are recommended for the convention centre and arena. The city's annual budget for such repairs is $800,000. Millions more will eventually be needed for less-urgent repairs to the city's three aging entertainment venues.

In the wake of that, Merulla crafted his motion that could leave Hamilton with a new rink and a new convention centre at no monetary cost to taxpayers. It might also bring the downtown a highrise condo development and commercial options that would provide significant tax revenue to the city.

"This is a win beyond comprehension for the taxpayers," he says. "There's no downside."

If this concept sounds somewhat similar to the gist of a consultant's report suggesting a private arena-convention centre development in the core that was essentially pushed aside by council almost as soon as it was submitted to the city back in March, Merulla doesn't disagree. Though the residential and commercial components are now new.

What's clearly changed today is the urgency to do something in light of the necessary repairs to the existing buildings that will cost the city millions. With millions more possibly being required down the road.

And while the billion-dollar figure might be slightly hyperbolic — even Merulla acknowledges it might not be quite that high — there's no doubt this would be a massive development that would likely be bigger than anything else in the city short of the LRT.

His plan appears to have some support around the council table, at least as an idea to explore.

Read it in full here.