City and RDNO to discuss sale of cultural centre site

Aug 18, 2020 | 3:14 PM

Vernon’s mayor says while there was talk about other sites, they don’t meet the needs for a proposed Greater Vernon cultural centre.

Victor Cumming said the city is focusing on the former Coldstream Hotel site at 2910 32nd Avenue downtown, and has directed city staff to negotiate a sale with the Regional District of North Okanagan for up to half of the parking lot.

“For all kinds of technical reasons, other sites do not match the needs of this new cultural centre, so we’re focusing what’s referred to as the Vernon block, the old Coldstream Hotel site. The business plan made it clear they needed more than one-third of the site and now we’ve committed up to half of the site for a cultural centre,” Cumming told Vernon Matters.

The mayor said the city will next establish a price for the land which he says will allow the planning process to go ahead knowing what the maximum cost will be.

“That will take place in September and shouldn’t be complicated. There is a pretty standard appraisal process and then we’ll identify what the overall value is per square foot,” he said.

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Cumming noted Vernon residents have already paid for the site.

“So basically this is going to be what portion of that total value isn’t paid for by our partners,” Cumming added.

The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce is praising the leadership of Vernon council for moving forward with a cultural centre in the downtown core.

“We appreciate the unity among the seven members of Vernon council as it shows clear support for the cultural centre and the significant impact the facility will have on the community, particularly with tourism and revitalizing downtown,” said Krystin Kempton, Greater Vernon Chamber president.

“There is an extremely tight timeline to have a land transaction between the city and RDNO completed and for the regional district to submit a grant application to senior government in October, but we are confident the elected officials and staff at the city and RDNO are committed to cooperatively making this great project move ahead. Success also depends on partnerships with the District of Coldstream and local cultural organizations.”

The chamber is also interested in a concept that was presented by Coun. Brian Quiring to city council – developing a park on the remaining half of the city-owned parking lot.

“This is a vision that could not only create a new park but anchor the adjacent cultural centre as a destination for residents and visitors. It definitely needs to be investigated further in terms of cost and logistics,” Kempton said.

by Pete McIntyre

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