Drill Hall Market Sounding - Community User Group Interest

About the project

The City completed work with RSM Canada to identify and assess whether there is interest in the community or from businesses or developers to use the Drill Hall.

We asked community user groups to complete a survey to let us know about their interest in the Drill Hall and provide perspectives about the future use of this building.

RSM also completed a market sounding study with private developers, investors and builders to gauge their interest in the Drill Hall.

Following engagement with all groups, recommendation(s) will be made about the use(s) for the Drill Hall, balancing respect for the heritage of the building, community benefit and financial requirements.

Why did the City do this work?

On December 14, 2020, Council directed City staff to do a market sounding study with private sector developers and investors as well as community user groups to determine potential future uses for the Drill Hall.

The City is open to exploring all options for the building, including private ownership by a third-party, public-private partnerships or a lease agreement.

Drill Hall historical context 

The Drill Hall was built in 1866 for the use of Guelph’s voluntary militia units and for the Wellington County agricultural shows. It was designed by T W Cooper, a local Civil Engineer and Provincial land surveyor, and constructed with funds provided by Wellington County Council, Guelph Town Council and the Wellington County Agricultural Societies. The Drill Hall also functioned as a general community hall and was used for hosting public and private events. Over the years it was occupied for a variety of industrial uses, primarily for textile manufacturing for various end products.

About the drill hall property

Read more about the property in the documents section at the right-hand side of the page.

How to Participate

RSM Canada completed the survey for this market sounding. The survey is closed.