Construction of a $9 million public arts centre is underway in Richmond.
Shovels went into the ground on Monday morning at the corner of No. 3 Road and Capstan Way.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Coun. Carol Day joined representatives from developer Concord Pacific for a ground-breaking ceremony for the 12,000-square-feet arts project.
As part of the final phase of the Concord Gardens development project, the arts centre will be situated on the ground floor, close to the future Capstan Canada Line station.
The facility, funded by Concord Pacific, is expected to be built within three years.
And it will provide a place for children and families to come together to learn art, according to Peter Webb, senior vice-president of development at Concord.
Webb said a non-profit operator will run the facility, but they haven’t decided who.
"We are in the final stages of coordination with the operator and will be announcing more details this spring.”
The arts centre is considered as an essential component for the local community, which will enable people who live in the neighbourhood and elsewhere in Richmond to have easy access to arts, said Brodie.
"The new facility will further strengthen our already vibrant Richmond arts community and, along with the completion of a new early childhood development hub and Canada Line Station, make Concord Gardens and Capstan Village accessible and exciting residential neighborhoods."
The developer added that their total contribution to the City of Richmond now totals more than $50 million, including the recent completion of the $13 million Ketcheson Park – located on top of a two-storey parking lot at the corner of Ketcheson Road and Hazelbridge Way.
The park has been open to the public since last September.
