Just what Ramia wanted
By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist
Fri. Oct 2 - 4:46 AM
IT MAY not have been the declaration everyone has been waiting for, but the developer behind a proposed new convention centre in downtown Halifax says a government request Thursday for more detail was just what he wanted.
Joe Ramia would not have been able to proceed with plans for building a new convention centre unless he received the 500-page request for proposal released by the NDP government after its weekly cabinet meeting.
The proposal requires Rank Inc. to develop a design and facility management plan based on what the government has indicated it wants included, financing for the project and the price.
It has been suggested that the price for a new convention centre could be in the range of $100 million to $200 million, but it all depends on what the government says it wants.
The existing World Trade and Convention Centre facilities have been deemed by trade centre officials to be inadequate for many organizations interested in holding meetings in Halifax, resulting in about 80 per cent of potential convention business seeking accommodations elsewhere.
If a new convention centre is built, it’s proposed that it would be capable of handling more than 2,000 people in its convention hall and, with a major exhibit hall, would qualify to host conventions that are not coming to this region.
The whole Nova Centre Global Trade and Finance project, which also includes private-sector plans for a hotel with residential units, retail complex and financial centre office tower, is projected to cost more than $300 million to build.
Demolition of the former Herald building on Argyle Street and the former home of the Midtown Tavern on Grafton Street should begin this month. Once demolition is completed, Rank may decide to proceed immediately with excavation based on the fact that something will be built on the site, whether or not the convention centre goes as planned.
The plan is to begin pouring concrete in 2010. It should take about three years to complete all aspects of the project.
"The beauty about this project is that it brings thousands of people to downtown, whether there is a convention or not," Ramia, the lead investor in Rank, told me Thursday.
Convention centres in other cities have traditionally been crowded when a convention is in town but a dead zone when there is a lull in business. Ramia says the mixed-use design of the Nova Centre aims to make it a hot spot whether or not there is a convention.
Although most people seem to be enthusiastic about a major new development in the downtown, there are also opponents to Rank’s plan, based on concerns about heritage and maintaining views from Citadel Hill.
Rank insists, however, that it meets all the view plane requirements from Citadel Hill. In fact, the 1970 view plane legislation, aimed at protecting the view of the harbour from the Citadel ramparts, has been included in the city’s new HRM by Design development plan.
Ramia says a strong Halifax is a key economic element for the province and improving the downtown is critical to creating a stronger Halifax. He said the announcement Thursday will provide a much-needed spark for the downtown district, which should have a long-lasting economic impact on the city and the province once construction begins.
The provincial government has given Rank until February to provide the details it wants, and a decision on whether to proceed with the convention centre will be made in March. It is expected the developer and government officials will be negotiating over the details before they are presented to cabinet for a decision.
It will be a surprise if the convention centre isn’t built. The key will probably be Rank’s ability to negotiate an acceptable price tag.
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