According to a recent poll, Sudburians are growing increasingly fond of the idea of an arena located downtown.

3RDLINE STUDIO, the Sudbury-based architectural firm that is promoting Project Now as an alternative to the Kingsway Entertainment District, hired polling firm Oracle in July to conduct a poll of 500 area residents.

Two questions were asked:

Should the multi-purpose facility be built where there are existing infrastructure services, including road, water and sewer access, as well as public transit services?

Would you be more likely to support the lower cost downtown option if the savings were used for upgrades and new services in local neighbourhoods and outlying areas of the community?

According to the Oracle poll, 61 per cent of respondents said they would support a renovated arena that would free up $40 million to be used in neighbourhoods and bedroom communities. Thirty-six per cent of respondents said they would not support such an arena and three per cent said they were unsure.

More than 58 per cent of respondents were female, while 41.8 per cent identified as male. Those aged 18-35 accounted for 22.2 per cent of respondents, while those aged 65 and over accounted for 21.4 per cent. Thirty-five to 44-year-olds accounted for 19.6 per cent; those aged 55-64, nearly 19 per cent; and 45 to 54-year-olds, 18 per cent.

The margin of error for the poll was +/- 4.4 per cent 19 of 20 times. It was conducted from July 22-26. Fifty-two per cent of respondents live inside the former city of Sudbury, while 48 per cent live in the surrounding communities.

Firstly, Oracle asked about infrastructure and compared the responses to those obtained during a similar poll conducted in 2017.

Three years ago, pollsters found 70 per cent of respondents wanted an arena built where there is already infrastructure and access to transit. In July, that number climbed to 75 per cent.

In 2017, 21 per cent of those polled said no to existing infrastructure, while in July that number dropped to 17 per cent. The rest of the respondents were unsure.

Secondly, Oracle asked about redistributing the extra money that would not be required for an extensive arena renovation.

The Project Now vision for a downtown events centre could save taxpayers as much as $40 million, 3RDLINE STUDIO has said.

Project Now reimagines the Elgin Street barn with a top-to-bottom makeover that includes hundreds of new parking spaces, retail space and much better accessibility. 3RDLINE estimates the work could be completed for about $60 million, a significant reduction from the $100 million (or more) pegged for the KED.

Illustrations of the renovation show a grand entrance area and a top-fed bowl surrounded by an upper-level concourse. The building will be completely accessible and will have easy loading access and event support spaces.

The project would also leave residents and visitors with new parking options. There are currently about 3,700 parking spaces within a 10-minute walk of the arena, but the 3RDLINE plan would add 450 spots in a structure along Minto Street, which would be accessible to those who work and visit downtown, as well as those who will eventually use The Junction facilities. It would be connected to the events centre via a glassed-in walkway and would include 60,000-square-feet of retail space along Minto and Brady Streets.

3RDLINE has said work on the three-year construction project could begin immediately, without any delay and without interrupting either the Wolves or the Five seasons.

The Kingsway Entertainment District, which is facing legal challenges, would consist of a $100 million arena paid for by city taxpayers, a $60-million casino Gateway Casinos would build, plus related projects.

mkkeown@postmedia.com

Twitter: @marykkeown

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