The old Lakeshore Lions Arena is getting a new life after all.Humber College has joined forces with arena owner Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and will invest $7 million to retrofit the nearly 70-year-old building into a media and performing arts facility.
The 20-year lease project calls for dance and rehearsal studios, two film studios, a later phase black box theatre, faculty offices, as well as a high school-sized gymnasium with changerooms.
Officials will unveil the project at a community information session on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeshore Collegiate.
Next February, the arena will become home to approximately 325 students in Humber's creative and performing arts programs: comedy, theatre performance and production, and acting for film and television, said Pamela Hanft, Humber's associate vice-president, and academic principal of the Lakeshore campus.
Humber Lakeshore campus' two-storey 'L' building - where the programs currently operate - is slated for demolition. A four-storey replacement building is being funded with federal and provincial infrastructure funding, Hanft said.
"We're looking for additional space. We've seen tremendous growth in degree enrolment at the Lakeshore campus," Hanft said of Humber's interest in the arena, noting theatre and acting programs require considerable square footage.
"It will be a really good thing for the Lakeshore community."
Community use of all areas, except the film studios, will be available through TDSB permit at a preferential rate, said TDSB trustee Bruce Davis, who spearheaded a development plan for the arena for the past two years.
"I'm thrilled. This may be a far better fit with (Lakeshore Collegiate) than the MLSE proposal. Frankly, this will be much, much better for students," Davis said.
In the deal, the TDSB gains 1,000 hours a year of access: 700 hours in the gym; 100 hours in the future black box theatre, and 200 hours in the dance-rehearsal studios, Davis said.
In July, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) suspended a proposed $13-million investment to relocate the BMO Field bubble to Lakeshore Collegiate, and to retrofit the arena as the Toronto FC's practice facility.
MLSE officials said the sports giant was focused on replacing BMO Field's artificial turf with permanent natural grass, and moving its community use field to Lamport Stadium.
However, MLSE recently made a $1.2-million commitment to build an artificial turf field in south Etobicoke, possibly at Lakeshore Collegiate.
Davis said this week the field's location has yet to be finalized.
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