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A 9,000-square-foot, high-end, licensed “food hall,” bolstered by a stage for live music, is to open Dec. 7 in the Sun Life Financial Centre on Queen Street, where Hy’s Steakhouse had been.

The hybrid development, which is to be called Queen St. Fare and which will be steps away from the LRT Parliament station that is to open next year, will be a unique addition to downtown Ottawa and an attraction that could help spark the area’s after-hours revitalization, its proponents say.

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“This is an entirely new vibe for Ottawa,” said Sean O’Sullivan, vice-president and general manager for Bentall Kennedy, which manages the building.

“If we are going to change the way people view Ottawa’s downtown, we need to be bold. With Queen St. Fare, we’re making a significant investment not only in our building, but in the downtown core and Ottawa’s food and entertainment scene,” O’Sullivan said this week.

Photo by Errol McGihon / Postmedia

The project will take up more than 9,000 square feet — 1,500 more square feet than the Hy’s space — and have a licensed capacity for 390 people. While details have yet to be finalized, it could be open as early as 7 a.m. for coffee and breakfast, offer lunches and dinners for downtown workers, and then morph into a cocktail space, still served by its food vendors, into the night. It could also offer music-themed brunches on weekends.