St. Catharines Downtown Association

Two companies -- Martin Vinik Planning for the Arts LLC and Levitt Goodman Architects Ltd. -- were hired by Brock Univer sity and the City of St. Catharines in January to investigate the feasibility of relocating Brock's School of Fine and Performing Arts to downtown St. Catharines in concert with the building of a major arts venue. The consultants concluded the project will have "truly enormous economic impacts over time, as the centre changes the very character of downtown St. Catharines, increases property values, stimulates commercial development and fundamentally alters the city's economy."

Toronto consultants hired to study the feasibility of a new Niagara Centre for the Arts are giving their wholehearted endorsement to a $101-million project for the lower-level parking lot that they say will "change the very character of downtown St. Catharines."

Tonight's city council meeting will feature a presentation from the consultants, and a recommendation that councillors approve the massive project in principle.

To see full story in The St. Catharines Standard please visit: 

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1335217