The owners of Chatham’s downtown shopping centre are asking the municipality to dream big for the future of Chatham-Kent.
A group of local investors and the owners of the Downtown Chatham Centre (DCC) have drafted a proposal for Chatham-Kent Council’s consideration to redevelop the mall into a community hub and entertainment complex, which would consolidate several municipally-owned buildings into one location.
A preliminary design concept, paid for by the investors, has been created by an architectural firm as part of the proposal, which depicts a major overhaul of the property.
The design concept proposes redeveloping the former Sears portion of the property into a community hub and promenade, which would incorporate the Civic Centre, the Chatham Library Branch and the Chatham Cultural Centre.
The design also proposes demolishing the remaining portion of the DCC to make way for an entertainment complex, which would support a 4,000-seat facility for hosting a variety of sports and events, including an ice rink.
The remaining land on the DCC property would be retained by the group of local investors for future commercial and residential development.
The proposal will be presented to council for deliberation during its meeting on Monday, June 13. If directed by council, CK administration would then be instructed to determine the capital cost estimates for the project, along with financing and feasibility.
CK Mayor Darrin Canniff has already thrown his support behind the proposal and said it has the potential to spur growth in the community by attracting people to work and live within the municipality.
“This is a unique opportunity that most municipalities would die for. We’ve got local people stepping up, ready to make this investment and ready to do this for the community,” said Canniff. “We are going to make Chatham-Kent a better place because of what we’re going to do here.”
Rob Myers, co-owner of the DCC and one of the investors making the redevelopment proposal, said the project represents an investment in the future of Chatham-Kent.
“Everywhere in the community, this will create jobs, this will be a proud [addition] for our entire Chatham-Kent area,” said Myers. “We believe in the project.”
The DCC has changed hands multiple times over the past five years, with the current owners, Myers, Don Tetrault, Jessica and Pete Tsirimbis, Ron Nydam and Jim Bullock, purchasing the property in the spring of 2021.
“There’s no way you can have a shopping centre today in downtown Chatham,” said Myers, adding that 80 per cent of the DCC is currently unoccupied. “It can’t survive.”
With several aging municipal buildings in need of costly renovations, Mayor Canniff said it also makes financial sense to adopt a “one-stop-shop” model in the downtown core. The Civic Centre alone requires over $18 million in upgrades.
“We’re going to spend just as much money fixing up the old buildings that we’ve got than consolidating into a new one,” he said, adding that the municipality currently owns more than 150 properties within Chatham-Kent. “There’s great opportunities for the buildings we will leave. Private business will come in and create more employment, more living space, those types of things.”
Chatham-Kent underwent an independent efficiency review last year, which also recommended that the municipality repurpose or consolidate its facilities into one location to offer residents access to multiple services at the same location.
Should the project be given the green light by council, the group of investors believes construction could begin as early as this fall.
