City council will soon have its first opportunity to weigh in plans for a redesigned and downsized operations campus in the east end, with public works and building maintenance staff no longer included.
The revised plan will be formally presented to council during its Feb. 7 committee of the whole meeting.
“Right-sizing this project is the best decision moving forward,” deputy CAO Jayne Holmes said in a news release. “By condensing the design we’ll reduce impacts on the land while fulfilling our commitment to electrify the city’s fleet vehicles. Updating existing facilities also allows for the work to be done more strategically over time so we can continue to meet current and future operational needs.”
In late 2019, city council directed staff to develop a business case for the proposed centralized campus, which was said to cost in the range of $200 million and would be located on city-owned land behind the Waste Resource Innovation Centre.
A cost update is not included in the report heading to council on Feb. 7, though it notes council will be asked to approve the project as part of its next multi-year budget (2024 to 2027), for which endorsement is expected in December.
Following analysis of environmental and archaeological studies of the city-owned lands on Dunlop Drive beside the Waste Resource Innovation Centre, near the intersection of Stone Road East and Watson Parkway South, staff proposes a reduced size and scope for the project.
If approved as-is, the new facility would be home to Guelph Transit and fleet services only, with existing municipal facilities upgraded to house other city services such as roads, parks and building maintenance and solid waste collections.
The overall floor area is set at more than 40,000 square metres, with nearly three-quarters of that dedicated to transit services.
If approved, the facility is expected to built in a phased process over several years.
