Lansdowne decisions put hockey arena move in spotlight

The City of Ottawa is poised to approve moving the home for the Ottawa 67's to a spot overlooking the end zone of TD Place stadium at Lansdowne, on land that is now the grassy hill of a city park, and critics say it's happening without enough scrutiny.

The major Lansdowne 2.0 revamp calls for a $183-million arena built over two years, followed by new $139-million north-side stadium stands, with costs offset largely by the development of highrise residential towers.

The final go-ahead lies with this new city council, which should see updated costs and agreements soon and possibly even make decisions before the summer break.

But residents watching the file remain wary and skeptical of the concept pitched by the city's private partner, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), and endorsed one year ago by the last council under former mayor Jim Watson.

Some residents don't think the plan — stating the construction of the city-owned sports facilities at TD Place can also be "revenue neutral" — adds up given the Lansdowne partnership's first decade of financial turbulence.

At the long-sought public consultations in recent weeks, attendees asked direct questions about the financial strategy and had other nagging questions, such as whether Lansdowne remains the best place for the city's OHL-sized arena.

"All we're given right now is a take-it-or-leave-it proposal," said Glebe resident Carolyn Mackenzie, who says the city should at least explore sites along the light-rail line. "We need options."

Upgrade needed, OSEG says

Everyone agrees Lansdowne's 56-year-old facility has problems: the arena ceiling leaks, it isn't up to modern-day accessibility and entertainment standards, and arena and stadium events can't be held at the same time.

Even Watson admitted the structure should have been replaced during the first reincarnation of the Lansdowne site.

More than a decade later, that is now the plan. OSEG delivered its formal proposal to the city in the spring of 2022, arguing state-of-the-art facilities will draw events and make Lansdowne sustainable for the long haul.

The vision is for steeper stadium stands, with three residential highrise buildings of 29, 34, and 40 storeys towering above. Instead of a hockey arena below, there would be retail shops, 740 new parking spaces assigned to residential units, and possible space for a smaller entertainment venue.

The existing TD Place arena — formerly known as the Civic Centre — would be demolished and relocated to the east side of the football field.

Green roof for show, or use?

The new arena appears in drawings shown last spring as a green oval because it would have a green roof. The building itself would sit low in the ground, with the rink's surface just above the water table. That allows the main concourse-level entrance to be accessible without stairs or elevators, said the city's acting director of the Lansdowne redevelopment project, Sean Moore.

On the whole, Moore says the City of Ottawa is excited OSEG enlisted Murray Beynon of BBB Architects to complete schematic designs because he's known for projects including renovations at New York's Madison Square Garden a decade ago. The city would hold a competitive bidding process if construction goes ahead, Moore confirmed.

The new placement of the arena will require rezoning to take over the park's grass-covered berm — a controversial move for residents. The green roof is also not intended to be publicly accessible.

Coun. Shawn Menard asked staff last June to explore that, and they're still costing out the design, said Moore.

What matters, according to OSEG President and CEO Mark Goudie, is the "usable" green space. The remaining space near the Rideau Canal could be much better designed to draw people, he said.

'This is where it belongs', says OSEG head

When OSEG, which owns both the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks and the Ottawa 67's, sat down to re-imagine upgraded facilities at Lansdowne, the eastern end zone was the best and only spot for a new arena, said Goudie.

Balconies in the side of the arena building would allow football fans to watch games from the end zone. Facing Lansdowne's Great Lawn, however, is a different look.

"We tried to design it so that it was green on that side and it blended in," said Goudie.

The arena itself would be downsized to a capacity of 5,500 people from the current 9,500, Goudie said. This would hit a sweet spot in venue size for concerts especially, he explained, by holding more people than the National Arts Centre's Southam Hall, but fewer than the NHL-sized Canadian Tire Centre.

A new arena would also bring kitchen space closer to the south-side stands, he said.

For Goudie, who has been attending hockey games at Lansdowne since he was young, the arena must remain at Lansdowne. It already holds more than 100 ticketed events a year.

"This is where it belongs. This is the heartbeat of Lansdowne," said Goudie.

'The elephant in the room'

Despite all the renderings and plans, residents who've attended virtual public meetings in recent weeks often returned to more fundamental questions about Lansdowne 2.0.

Many asked for the city to explore other sites, questioned the concept's financial underpinnings, or asked why the Ottawa 67's couldn't move to wherever the Ottawa Senators build a new arena under new ownership.

For Mackenzie, transportation issues for events at Lansdowne are top of mind, and just because the arena has always been at Lansdowne does not mean it can't move.

"The elephant in the room issue is if we're going to be spending close to $200 million on this new event centre, as a city, I think we have to ask the question of where that sort of investment should properly go," she said.

"This needs a serious rethink."

Business model up for consideration

City staff are not considering other locations.

"We wouldn't be bringing forward any recommendation or options showing components off the site because that's not a direction that we've been given," said Moore, referring to the instructions staff received from the last city council.

Instead, city staff are preparing studies to pave the way for the rezoning discussion at planning committee in the fall.

Meanwhile, they have worked with Ernst and Young to update Lansdowne 2.0's price tag for an upcoming meeting of the finance committee. City staff recently concluded the sports facilities need upgrading, or the existing Lansdowne partnership will generate far less money despite having been extended an extra decade.

The existing concept was pegged at $332 million last year, with 72 per cent covered by new debt. The city intends to use a ticket surcharge, and cash flow from Lansdowne to finance that debt, but about half would come from future property taxes at the 1,200 residential units — 90 per cent of their taxes would be used for debt financing for 40 years.

Staff will likely also present options at committee that are not revenue neutral, and feature fewer units.

"Is there a new figure? Has it gone up? That's something that is part of the due diligence," said Moore.