By Alan-Michael Steele [1]
BELLEVILLE – Belleville city council will hear proposals on what to do with the Memorial Arena during a special council session on Tuesday.
The arena sits at 15 Market Square, in the heart of downtown right next to city hall. Five groups will present their plans to council for consideration.
Floor plans for a conversion of the memorial arena to commercial space, presented by the city as part of the Downtown Commons plan in March.
One of the proposals, from a company called RMS Holdings, calls for the development of the site with a pair of residential towers.
In March, the city put forward the idea of the building being converted into commercial space as part of the Downtown Commons plan.
The arena has been closed since December 2010 when the cooling system for the ice surface broke down. [2] The city declined to refurbish the arena due to the cost of modern ice systems and updating the old structure to comply with current building codes.
The historic building [3] has sat empty ever since.
More to come.