Skip to content

Support Needed for a Conference Centre in Downtown Kingston

 Members Hub! (2000 × 800 px)-1

Support Needed for a Conference Centre in Downtown Kingston

On Tuesday, May 2nd at 7 pm, City Staff will be presenting a number of items to council related to the building of a conference centre in the downtown core. Downtown Kingston BIA, as well as a number of stakeholders and partners will be at the Council meeting offering support of the project in delegations. The economic impact of a Conference Centre in the downtown core on the business community will be huge. The proposed conference centre accommodates up to 1000 participants and will positively impact downtown pedestrian traffic during the shoulder seasons (spring, fall) . 

Show support for the building of a conference centre by sending an email or letter to Nicole Barrett, 
Administrative Assistant to the City Clerk nbarrett@cityofkingston.ca. If you are passionate about this topic you can also sign up to do your own delegation here: https://www.cityofkingston.ca/city-hall/city-council/delegations

We have provided sample letters at the bottom of this page that have been drafted with retail and hospitality/restaurants in mind. Copy/paste the one that suits your business best and tailor it to your individual experience. Or, simply write from scratch.

More information and resources below:

City Staff is requesting the following from Council:

  1. That Council direct staff to work with a Consultant to prepare and release a Request for Information (RFI) for the redevelopment of Block 4
  2. That Council direct staff to report back with proposed next steps once proposals from the Request for Information for the redevelopment of Block 4 have been evaluated; and 
  3. That Council continues to work with key stakeholders to advocate for upper levels of government funding for the development of a conference centre. 

The Conference Centre's high-level plan is as follows:

  • Block 4 design multi-use redevelopment including a restaurant, hotel, residential, ground floor commercial 
  • Inclusion of a 52,000 square feet privately owned and operated conference centre space 
  • Inclusion of a minimum of 160 + parking spaces
  • Retention, and restoration of 19-23 Queen St (Heritage buildings)
  • City contribution of the Block 4 property for $1 
  • As well as several other incentives for the investor 

     

Resources:

To read more about this Case for support in more depth Click Here

To read more about the Kingston Conference Centre Development - Timeline Click Here

To view a sample/template of a BIA Member Support Letter Click Here

 

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact member@downtownkingston.ca