Park sale could fund Gardens
JOE BELANGER, Free Press City Hall Reporter 2005-06-29 02:12:22
London's historic Wonderland Gardens will likely be revived by the city -- and
nearby parkland could be sold off to provide the cash to do it.
A move by some city council members to hand over a piece of adjacent city-owned
parkland for a condominium project is already raising alarms.
After discussing the issue behind closed doors Monday, city council is waiting
for detailed cost estimates, The Free Press has learned.
"I think people will go ballistic if they try to hand over even one inch of
Springbank Park to developers," said George Sinclair, chair of the Urban League
of London.
"You start there and where does it end? But there are no facts on the table yet,
so we're still just jabbing at shadows."
It appears two private-sector proposals are no longer being considered.
"If the costs to restore and the costs to operate the facility are too high, it
could still come back for a request for proposal from the private sector," said
one source.
Several council sources confirmed the new direction.
They also confirmed Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell is leading a push to have
city-owned land above the floodplain -- either next to or part of the city-owned
Elmo W. Curtis Gardens -- rezoned for a highrise.
Gosnell refused to discuss details of council's closed meeting, but reiterated
his previous public comments.
"It seems to me to make that project viable, we need to have some development
available," Gosnell said.
"It would provide revenue to put into whatever we decide to do with the park and
give the city revenue for an underutilized piece of property. But it would have
to be compatible with and respect the city-owned parks there now."
Some council members are gearing up for a battle.
"There's a move afoot from inside council, but this is open public space,
parkland, not an area for development," said another councillor.
Council has begun its summer break and doesn't meet again until July 25.
Another concern council members raised is that discussions over the fate of
publicly owned land remain private.
Two expressions of interest were received from the private sector over the last
year.
The most recent proposal came from D.G. Henderson and Associates. The company
would transform the Gardens into a tourist destination and health-care facility
with a spa built around the site's hot springs.
Henderson's plan includes a 250-suite building and a 150-room hotel complex
connected to a renovated version of the Gardens' bandshell and restaurant.
The other proposal, by Rana Entertainment, would restore the site to its 1930s
Art Deco splendour as an entertainment facility.
Rana plans to restore the ballroom, pavilion and restaurant for use for weddings
and cultural events.
The 1.75-hectare Wonderland Gardens was built in 1935 by Wilf and Charlie Jones,
with a bandshell and open-air dance floor.
Copyright © The London Free Press