And the winner is…Cinéma NDG

By P.A. Sévigny , September 12th, 2012

While it's still going to be at least two to three years before any kind of ribbon will be cut in front of the newly renovated theatre's doors, it's now up to the Cinéma NDG project to produce the realistic business plan it will require in order to get the $10 to $12 Million it will need to completely renovate the old Sherbrooke Street theatre and turn it into a truly modern world-class cultural complex.            
As compared to the Empress Cultural Center's project, borough officials told reporters that an independent jury selected the Cinema NDG project [mostly] because it had a more realistic grasp as to what it would cost to completely renovate the old theatre in order to turn it into a modern cinema complex than did its rival, the Empress Cultural Center Project. Aside from using the already successful Cinéma Beaubien project as a working model for the new project, borough real estate manager Claude Champoux said there was no way the old theatre could be renovated and brought up to scratch for under $10 million. While borough executives admitted that the Empress Cultural Center project had its merits, at least one of them said it was more a question of 'Show me the money' because they all believe it is going to cost a lot more than $6 million (as suggested by the Empress project) to renovate the old building in order to convert it into a working cinema complex. As the Cinema project took the trouble to include a local bank's letter of intent to lend them over $4.5 million (based upon the present building's land value) to help finance their project, another letter from the city's well-respected Héritage Montréal helped to seal the deal. According to the borough's own press release, even borough Mayor Michael Applebaum is satisfied with the decision.
“As well as respecting the building's original vocation,” wrote the mayor in a borough press release, “…the project's financial plan is both realistic and viable… [and] … falls in line with the sustainable solution we had long been searching for.”
Aside from converting most of the building into an art-house cinema complex with four separate theatres which will use up to 80 percent of the building's working areas, the balance of the theatre's valuable street front property is expected to be converted into a working micro-brewery in order to produce the revenue it will need to support its debt. While many of the borough's local residents are pleased to see that the old theatre may once again have a chance to open its doors to the public, a large number of borough activists, including NDG councilor Peter McQueen, believe the project's leaders should have consulted the borough's local community before going ahead with their plan to convert the building into a massive cinema complex.
“It would have been a lot better if they had bothered to talk to the people in the community,” said McQueen. “Everybody knows there's a desperate need for more live concert venues and this was a perfect opportunity to build one for all of the city's musicians…especially the ones who happen to live in the city's west end.”
The project's leaders have until the end of the year to come up with a workable business plan that will be acceptable to the borough after which they have another year to come up with the financing they will need to finally renovate and prepare the old building for the big night when the lights will finally be turned up on the old Empress.n