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The National Capital Commission’s plan to turn the old mill at Chaudière Falls into a major waterfront destination is turning into an expensive undertaking as costs soar and a high-profile tenant remains elusive.
The Ottawa River has always been a critical element in the NCC’s vision to transform the capital, and since 2007 the federal agency has put considerable effort into rehabilitating the 167-year-old mill into a major business or cultural centre that would have a big draw. The NCC was even willing to allow a new building on the site if it was a cultural institution, but that idea fell through. Two years on, rehabilitation costs have jumped more than 50 per cent to $1.6 million, but so far, no high-profile tenant has taken the bait.
The NCC is not giving up, however. A second call for proposals to take the site over has gone out and the NCC is hoping for better luck this time. The window for bids closes today.
“The NCC always intended, and still intends to find a suitable occupant for this facility. There is an (request for proposals) process and the deadline is … June 25,” spokesman Jean Wolff said. “It is important to do this because this is a heritage site in the capital area that the NCC holds for all Canadians and the best way to enjoy it is to have something there that will attract them. Leaving it vacant is not the way to valorize the site.”
According to access to information documents obtained by the Citizen, the NCC set aside $1 million in 2007 to restore the heritage building and then lease it to a “classy” tenant who would turn it into something of a hot spot in the city. Located beside the Chaudière Falls, right in the western shadow of Parliament, it was seen as ideal location for everything from an artists’ complex to a spa to a major restaurant or retail complex. Despite initial interest from more than 40 businesses in the first RFP, none made an offer. NCC officials believe the recession may have dampened the interest of prospective investors.
The Ottawa Art Gallery also expressed interest, but found the location to be unsuitable for its needs and backed out. NCC officials acknowledge that the building may not meet strict temperature and humidity standards often required by museums.
Built in 1842, when Ottawa was only a backwater lumber town, the mill survived the Great Fire of 1900 only to fall into ruin. The NCC bought it in 1963, repaired the building in two stages in the 1970s and ’80s, and leased it as a restaurant until 2007. Covering an area of about 7,000 square feet across two floors, the building was run down and needed yet another facelift after the restaurant closed. The masonry was falling apart, the roof gutters were collapsing, and the electrical and sprinkler systems needed fixing. As well, the metal roof needed recoating and a new water line was required. To bring the building up to standard and make it attractive enough for a new tenant, the NCC planned to spend $1 million on renovations.
The access documents stress that the work was needed to “create a level playing field” with other leasing opportunities that might be competing with the site.
“In other words, the objective in this work program was to remove as many cost impediments to the leasing and operation of the building as possible in order to attract capable entrepreneurs and assist the success of the operations they propose,” said the documents, which were obtained for the Citizen by researcher Ken Rubin.
The initial work was to be confined to the mill and the interior. However, after a non-profit group expressed interest, but said it needed 15,000 square feet — more than the mill could offer — the NCC was prepared to allow a new building “in the footprint of the former Bronson Mill” next to the surviving mill building. It was acknowledged that the new construction would create problems, not the least of which was “compromise” access to nearby Amelia Island. In the end, the plan for the new building died.
In 2007/08, NCC spent a little more than $500,000 on the restoration, and it then spent another $1.1 million by March this year.
Wolff said costs went up because, as rehabilitation work was going on, “new deficiencies,” were discovered and had to be fixed. He said the watermain, for instance, needed to be upgraded to improve its serviceability for the future.
“Those were not part of the original plan, but they were deemed necessary,” Wolff said.
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