Prime land in redevelopment spotlight - Celebrating Age Centre focus of study

Monday, 15 May 2023

The economic development committee has agreed to a project to look into redeveloping the closed Celebrating Age Centre in Victoria St.

A project looking at redeveloping the closed Celebrating Age Centre in Victoria St into a new community facility has been approved by the city’s economic development committee.

It comes as a deadline looms for the Theatre of the Impossible Trust (TOTI) to convince the council it has a viable plan to save Founders Theatre for community use.

The economic development committee has formally asked staff to work with the council’s Municipal Endowment Fund (MEF) advisory group to develop a feasibility study. It will consider various mixed-use commercial and community-use options at the Celebrating Age Centre.

The MEF has a current value of just under $58 million, a staff report said.

The decision at the economic development committee meeting follows a request from the community and natural environment committee last month.

Councillors at the April hui voted for the MEF to look at the Celebrating Age Centre providing 1000sqm of community use space.

Founders Theatre in Hamilton is set for demolition but the Theatre of the Impossible Trust is hoping it can still hold this off.

Other community facility developments were due to be considered in the 2024-34 long term plan, the community and natural environment committee heard.

But last month’s meeting also voted 12-3 to give TOTI till this week to respond to a Property Group consultants report putting the cost of refurbishing that venue at more than $41 million.

That’s heavily at odds with TOTI’s estimate of around $10 million.

The TOTI response is due to be discussed at a June meeting of the community and natural environment committee.

Trustee Graham Haines said in April it was “fantastic” to have been thrown a lifeline for saving Founders.

The theatre was closed in 2016 and has only survived an earlier vote for demolition by a number of reprieves during ongoing debate about its future.

During April’s meeting, mayor Paula Southgate stressed that next week’s report back by TOTI was “one further opportunity” for it to bring everything to the table including funding pledges and a financial sustainability model.

TOTI’s Haines said then that the report back would be “a complete package”.