The final report from the task force looking at sites for a proposed new multiplex in Cambridge may help bolster the arguments of people who have been loudly opposed to building the facility on Conestoga College property.

The task force started with a list of 34 properties, which was then pared down to six finalists.

Each finalist was then rated based on its impact on the community as a whole, the cost to acquire the property if necessary and build at the site, its ease of access, the amount of room left over for potential future expansions, and how soon the property could be readied for construction.

Based on those criteria, two properties finished in a tie for the top spot – the current site of the Grand River Flea Market on Hespeler Road, and a vacant lot at the corner of Pinebush Road and Franklin Boulevard.

Finishing just behind them were the current home of the Cambridge Sports Park – which was later removed from consideration because it was found that to build there would mean cancelling the lease of its current operator – and 112 Pinebush Road, which sits to the west of Franklin.

There was a steep drop-off between the scores of those properties and the two that brought up the rear of the list: the north corner of the intersection of Franklin at Savage Drive, and the Conestoga College-owned property on Fountain Street South.

The report prepared for the task force by Deloitte cautions that the ranking would have been significantly different had cost, timing and highway access been considered more important than intensification and revitalization goals.

It also warns that central sites will likely be more expensive to develop.

“While a more central location may advance broader city-building objectives, equally important questions of risk, liability and project financing will also need to be addressed,” it reads.

Last year, city councillors approved in principle the Conestoga College site as their preferred location for the multiplex, citing relatively low costs to build it and the ability for construction to start right away.

A group of residents, led by members of the city’s minor sports community, argued for other sites in more central locations to be considered.

Councillors will discuss the report Monday night, and its findings are expected to be presented to the public in January.

At this point, no meeting has been scheduled for making a final decision on the site.

No budget has been finalized either, although estimates vary from $63 million for a facility with two ice rinks to $82 million for a facility with four.