K-ROCK CENTRE (REGIONAL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE) ARCHIVE
North Block Report To City Council
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Keep up with plans for the remainder of the North Block area as they are shaped
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REPORT DOWNLOADS
The full text of the report to Council on a proposed North Block location for the LVEC.
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FIGURES
North Block Location.
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Concept: Level 1 - Main concourse.
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Concept: Level 2 - Suite level.
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Concept: Building cross section.
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Concept: Ground Floor Plan (NORR Ltd. concept)
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Concept: Building cross section. (NORR Ltd. concept)
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Land Ownership.
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Existing Land Use.
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North Block and Schedule E to the Official Plan.
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Official Plan Designations.
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Existing Zoning.
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Downtown Action Plan Phasing.
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Below are excerpts from the staff report to City Council on a proposed North Block location for a Large Venue Entertainment Centre. The full report and related figures can be downloaded using the links at right.
INTRODUCTION
Since the early nineties, various Councils for the City of Kingston have evaluated the prospects of developing a new facility to replace the Memorial Centre. In late 2003, Council passed a resolution to support the Large Venue Entertainment Centre Task Force (LVEC Task Force) established by the Mayor to make recommendations to Council regarding types of events and activities needed by the Community and supported by an LVEC, the appropriate location for an LVEC and a financing vehicle for an LVEC.
As a sports and entertainment venue, the LVEC will host concerts, family shows, special sporting events, trade shows, conventions etc. It will also be the home of the Kingston Frontenacs, an Ontario Hockey League Major Junior A franchise, and help meet the community's need for ice and floor based recreation sports. The facility will deliver significant direct and indirect economic benefits, estimated to be in the range of $20 million annually.
The LVEC Task Force's recommendations with respect to location were twofold:
- The LVEC be downtown, and
- The LVEC be located at Anglin Bay, in the Inner Harbour.
As part of its evaluation of the Anglin Bay site, and in response to public input received, Council, at its September 20, 2005, meeting passed the following motion which, in part, reads:
WHEREAS the Market Study was distributed to members of Council on September 13, 2005;
AND WHEREAS the North Block remains a possible site within this Downtown context;
AND WHEREAS the Market Study is specific to a Downtown site;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Business Plan and Market Study be received and used as the basis for the construction of the new sports and entertainment centre at a downtown site, and that the North Block be the subject of a comprehensive site analysis under the direction of the Chief Administrative Officer for report to Council not later than November 15, 2005, for site decision by Council on that date…
This report is submitted for Council's consideration as part of its deliberations on the North Block site.
NORTH BLOCK LOCATION
The four and one half (4.5) blocks known as the North Block (see Figure 1) are bounded by:
- Place D'Armes on the north,
- Wellington Street on the west,
- Queen Street to King Street and the currently non-built frontage along Queen Street to Ontario Street on the south, and
- Ontario Street on the east.
The North Block is part of the Central Business District and the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area and occupies a strategic location in downtown Kingston. It is only one block from Princess Street, the city's principal downtown shopping street. To the east is Ontario Street, and further east is the shoreline of Kingston Harbour. To the northeast lie the historic Fort Frontenac, and the causeway leading across the Cataraqui River to Kingston East. To the north are law offices and an office building of the Provincial Ministry of Health, as well as a low-rise high-density residential development (Frontenac Village) constructed approximately 20 years ago. Just beyond it are Anglin Bay and the Inner Harbour. To the west of the North Block lies Wellington Street, a north south arterial street, linking Princess Street to residential districts north of it. To the south is the continuation of the Central Business District, the historic downtown core for the City of Kingston
SELECTION OF DEVELOPMENT SITE
Site selection of a specific land parcel for development within the North Block was based on:
- Land ownership;
- Existing land use;
- Serviceability;
- Accessibility;
- Compatibility;
- Avoidance of land acquisition, if practical; and
- Ability to build the LVEC while retaining the existing grid system for travelled roads without the need to close existing thoroughfares.
Land Ownership:
The lands that comprise the North Block are owned by four parties. Land ownership is, as shown in Figure 6 and discussed as follows:
Block No. 1: bounded by Wellington Street, Barrack Street, King Street, and Place D'Armes is owned by The City of Kingston and 771375 Ontario Limited.
Block No. 2: bounded by King Street, Place D'Armes, Ontario Street and Barrack Street is wholly owned by the City of Kingston.
Block No. 3: bounded by Wellington Street, Queen Street, King Street, and Barrack Street is owned by Kincore Holdings Ltd. and the LCBO.
Block No. 4: bounded by King Street, Barrack Street, Ontario Street and Queen Street is wholly owned by the City of Kingston.
Block No. 5: is one half of a block located on the south side of Queen Street between King and Ontario Streets and is owned by Kincore Holdings Ltd.
Existing Land Use:
Existing land use is shown in Figure 7. Existing buildings on the North Block site are small. Existing land uses are commercial, industrial/utility, and parking. The number of parking spaces on each block is also shown in Figure 7.
Block No. 2 bounded by King Street, Barrack Street, Ontario Street and Place D'Armes is the only block to have no buildings or structures on it. It is gravel surfaced and used for ground level parking.
Serviceability:
All four blocks have services available to them as is discussed further below.
Accessibility:
All four blocks are accessible. The North Block is bounded on all sides by arterial roads as shown on Schedule E (See Figure 8) to the Official Plan. These are Place D'Armes, Wellington Street, Queen Street and Ontario Street. Each block abuts an arterial road on two sides.
Compatibility:
The North Block is located in downtown Kingston. The North Block is used for commercial, industrial/utility and parking. There are no residential uses within or directly abutting the site.
The site is surrounded by commercial uses along Wellington Street; commercial uses along Queen Street; commercial, transportation and education uses along Ontario Street; and open space and commercial uses along Place D'Armes.
The nearest residentially designated and occupied lands are Frontenac Village. Frontenac Village is separated from the North Block by an arterial road (Place D'Armes), a park at Place D'Armes and Ontario Street, and commercial uses on the north side of Place D'Armes.
Proposed height for the LVEC, based on the architectural concepts, is approximately 12.8 metres at the build-to-plane (the lot line) and 18 metres at the maximum height of the LVEC for the concept by Norr Architects and 13.8 metres at the build-to-plane and 21.8 metres at the maximum height of the LVEC. This is well within the heights permitted by Zoning By-law 96-259 of 17 metres at the build-to-plane and 25.5 metres at the apex of the angular plane. A pictorial representation of the above is contained in Appendix B.
A high degree of compatibility is achieved by the location of the LVEC on the North Block site. The proposed use, from a land use planning perspective, is compatible with the adjoining uses.
Land Acquisition and Avoidance of Building(s) Demolition:
The buildings located along Queen Street are of historical significance. Other buildings such as the LCBO, Good Life Fitness, and Food Basics all contain active business. The only block able to accommodate the LVEC without the need to relocate existing businesses, demolish existing buildings, or acquire additional land is block No. 2.
Street Pattern and Grid Street System Retention:
The site, if possible, is to accommodate the LVEC without the need to close existing streets to pedestrian and vehicular traffic and retain the existing block grid pattern. Block No. 2 is the only block which can accommodate the LVEC without the closure of roads, and maintain the existing grid pattern of roads.
Summary:
Based on the above evaluation, Block No. 2 is the only block which appears to satisfy all the above criteria. It is bounded by Place D'Armes, King Street, Ontario Street, and the existing park at Ontario Street/Place D'Armes.
