University seeking partnerships for College Avenue Campus

News Release Release Date: January 12, 2016 9:10 a.m.

The University of Regina released a request for proposals (RFP) today seeking development partners able to support the College Avenue Campus Renewal Project. This project is the University’s number one capital fundraising priority and is aimed at revitalizing the 100-year-old College Avenue Campus (CAC) to enable it to continue as an economic, educational and cultural hub for the city of Regina.

“Through our recent campus master planning consultations, our campus community has been urging us to redevelop the College Avenue Campus in a way that preserves its unique history, protects the heritage of its buildings, and embraces the park landscape that is so integral to the beauty and attractiveness of our city,” said Dr. Vianne Timmons, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina. “We are seeking development partners that share and can help deliver on a similar vision for the future of College Avenue Campus.”

The University’s campus master planning consultations, conducted jointly with Wascana Centre Authority, identified several parcels of land adjacent to existing CAC facilities for potential future development. The RFP released today seeks proposals for development on three of these parcels. The primary criteria for evaluating these proposals will be:

the demonstrated synergy of the proposal with the educational, cultural and community programming delivered at the University’s downtown campus;
the commitment to develop in a manner that protects the heritage of CAC and enhances the surrounding park space;
the level of financial contribution to the CAC Renewal Project; and
how effectively the proposed project advances the goals of the University and its Wascana Centre Authority partners.

“As we heard during our consultations, there is clear support to explore every avenue to make the College Avenue Campus sustainable while preserving and enhancing it as a vibrant, accessible centre of learning for the citizens of Regina and those from across the province who access its services,” added Timmons. “Given the generous and collaborative nature of Saskatchewan people, I am optimistic that we can find a partner who shares our commitment to redeveloping in a way that honours the historic character of the current buildings and integrates any new construction in a way that enhances Wascana Centre.”

Request for Proposals – Background:

Selected proposals will be subject to applicable planning and development approvals and public consultation requirements of Wascana Centre Authority and its partners, including a public forum to obtain input on the proposal prior to awarding the project.

Applications for commercial use will be limited to proposals for office space and/or specific educational, cultural, and artistic functions consistent with the Mission, Mandate and Values of Wascana Centre Authority. All developers will be required to ensure that proposed developments comply with The Wascana Centre Act and show a commitment to conservation and stewardship of the land, as is expected of all partners in Wascana Centre.

The University is not expecting to develop all three sites at once and is not obligated to accept proposals for any or all of the sites.

A full copy of the RFP is available upon request.

College Avenue Campus – Background:

Since its founding more than a century ago, Regina College – now the University of Regina’s College Avenue Campus – has remained an important part of the economic, cultural and educational life of our province, and has become the focus of the University’s educational outreach into the larger community, the province, and the world.

Now home to the University’s Centre for Continuing Education (including the Lifelong Learning Centre and the Conservatory of Performing Arts), each year CAC serves approximately 8,000 learners between six months and 96 years of age. CAC also hosts dozens of community and cultural events every year. These activities contribute $18 million in gross domestic product (GDP) annually to the Saskatchewan economy and support nearly 500 full and part-time jobs. The CAC Renewal Project is expected to generate nearly 400 jobs during the construction phase and have a GDP impact of approximately $40 million during the development phase.

For more information about the College Avenue Campus Renewal Project, please visit: www.uregina.ca/giving.