Lansdowne Park redevelopment
Encyclopedia
The Lansdowne Park redevelopment is a public-private partnership redevelopment of the Lansdowne Park
fairgrounds in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. In September 2007, cracks were discovered in Frank Clair Stadium
, and a portion of the south-side stands were demolished due to safety concerns. The City of Ottawa subsequently initiated an international design competition to redevelop Lansdowne Park
. However, it suspended the competition when a group of Ottawa businessmen known as the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), who had been awarded a Canadian Football League franchise on the condition of securing a home venue in Ottawa, proposed a public-private partnership with the City to rebuild the stadium and redevelop the grounds with residential and commercial uses to finance the reconstruction and annual upkeep of the site. Ottawa City Council decided to enter into a partnership with the OSEG group and cancelled its competitive process.
The redevelopment plan split into two components after the City rejected the portion of the OSEG proposal regarding the lands bordering the Rideau Canal
. OSEG was assigned the precinct around the Stadium and along Bank Street, while a design competition was held for an 'urban park' to be located along the Canal. The OSEG plan envisions two towers along Bank Street, a new set of grandstands at the football stadium and a new residential and commercial precinct to the north of the Stadium.
The redevelopment plan has been opposed by some Ottawa residents, particularly those near the Lansdowne site. Heritage activists have objected to a plan to move a heritage building on the site. A court challenge was held in Ontario Superior Court, contending that the City has illegally proceeded with the sole-source project. Opponents have proposed opening up the redevelopment to a public tender. Other alternatives proposed including building a football stadium in another location and organizing the park reconstruction as a solely public process. An appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board and the Ontario Superior Court challenge were both rejected. An appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal was launched in September 2011 and has yet to be heard. The City of Ottawa projects a start to construction in 2012, with completion in 2015.
. This was partly due to the condition of the lower south grandstand of the stadium, which had structural problems. Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien
suggested that local developers be invited to submit proposals to redevelop the area. Ottawa councillors Peter Hume and Clive Doucet opposed the idea and proposed a design competition for the site, which Council approved, entitled "Design Lansdowne". By January 2008, a web site was set up for public consultation. The goal of the public consultation would be a report by the City which would detail what the future Lansdowne Park was to contain. A request for proposals would then be made for bidding by outside developers, whom would construct the project, under a "right to develop" contract. The Ottawa Regional Society of Architects criticized the plan, suggesting it was not a true design competition. In the City process, developers would hire architects to build to their specifications, while a 'true' design competition would see design firms and architects create designs first, which would then be judged by a jury to determine the best solution. The City would then put out tenders for construction.
Public consultations for the first stage were concluded by May 2008. City of Ottawa staff then began developing a report for Council. Before completing the Request for Proposal, the Design Lansdowne process was suspended in June 2008 while studies were done whether the Stadium and arena were worth saving. It was determined that the Civic Centre and the main grandstands of Frank Clair Stadium were sound, but the lower south-side grandstand of the stadium, built in 1960, would have to be replaced. The City proceeded to demolish the condemned lower grandstand, using a controlled implosion, in July 2008.
, owner of the Ottawa 67's
, Minto chairman Roger Greenberg, Bill Shenkman and John Ruddy were awarded a conditional Canadian Football League
(CFL) expansion franchise contingent on securing a suitable stadium and needed Frank Clair Stadium to be renovated. In the fall of 2007, the OSEG group had announced that it would seek the CFL franchise, and intended to play in an upgraded Frank Clair Stadium, with private boxes and other amenities. The stadium plan sketched out the use of a residential and commercial component to pay for the upgrades.
Supporters of the design consultation process, notably Glebe Community Association president Bob Brocklebank, were concerned that this would overturn the work done so far on developing a plan for the park, urged the city to continue with the consultation process. However, in May 2008, the City decided to suspend the design consultation to determine the OSEG's needs for the facility. The suspension upset the Glebe Association and Glebe councillor Clive Doucet, and prompted Mayor O'Brien to muse whether a "whether or not the city wants or needs a sports stadium on the prime real estate site at all." Results of a survey of Ottawans showed strong support for a public redevelopment of the Park not tied to a professional sports franchise, although a majority of respondents were in favour of retention of the stadium.
The determination process became more complicated when, in September 2008, the Ottawa Senators
organization (Senators Sports & Entertainment (SSE)) approached the city about building a soccer-specific stadium
on city-owned land in Kanata, near Scotiabank Place
. The land, being used as a snow dump, would house a 20,000 seat stadium, with 30,000 for concerts, and utilize the parking spaces of Scotiabank Place. The stadium was to house a Major League Soccer
professional franchise which the Senators group was bidding for.
On October 17, 2008, the OSEG group publicly announced their Lansdowne Live! plan to revitalize Lansdowne Park by redeveloping the entire site in a public-private partnership with the City. The Lansdowne Live proposal envisioned rebuilding Frank Clair Stadium
to support not only Canadian Football, but also professional soccer. The remaining south side stands would be torn down and new stands built, while the north side stands would be renovated. Early versions of the plan included practice baseball fields, soccer pitches, a Koi pond
, a walk through aquarium
in Aberdeen Pavilion and an outdoor amphitheatre
. The plan eventually focused on enhancing the park portion of the site renovating the Civic Centre
and adding a commercial element that would help fund the stadium renovations. Exhibition space would be moved off the site to a new facility. Whether the Farmer's Market would remain at the site was unclear.
Opponents of the OSEG proposal, notably Clive Doucet
, councillor for the surrounding district, were concerned that alternative proposals were not being accepted via a design competition. Doucet attempted to get Council's support to restart the Design Lansdowne process, but was unsuccessful. Opponents were concerned about a lack of parking, public transportation access and the cost to the City. The OSEG proposal would require the city to spend $129.3 million to renovate the stadium and for its share of the parking. OSEG would commit $117.3 million for the construction of retail and residential condominiums on the site. OSEG would own the new commercial development and operate the stadium, with a portion of the revenues directed back to the city. The new retail and residential would be subject to property taxes.
During the early months of 2009, the City of Ottawa considered both proposals. The staff of the City of Ottawa presented a report to Council on the merits of the Soccer Stadium and Lansdowne proposals. The City held public hearings based on the report, which questioned the necessity of the spending, but gave a slight edge to the Lansdowne proposal. Councillors attempted to find out whether the SSE group would support sharing their stadium with a planned CFL franchise, but the SSE group rejected the possibility. Lansdowne Live proponents made it clear that an MLS team, or another pro soccer team, such as one in the United Soccer League
(USL) could play at Frank Clair Stadium.
On April 22, 2009, City Council voted to go ahead and work with the Lansdowne group instead of the Kanata group. City Council voted to enter into sole source negotiations with the Lansdowne Live group by a vote of 14–9. Council imposed conditions on the negotiations, including preserving the farmer's market, turning a substantial portion of the site into greenspace and public use areas, no big-box stores and city approval for any buildings.
After public information sessions and two days of hearings at Ottawa City Hall, the Lansdowne Live proposal was approved in principle by Ottawa City Council on November 16, 2009 by a vote of 15-9, with several conditions. Approval was contingent on transportation and retail studies as well as a plan for the relocation of the exhibition facilities. Design of the park portion of the site would be subject to a design competition. A design review board would be created, headed by urban designer George Dark, to oversee the design elements of the site.
In February 2010, the City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission
and Parks Canada
made a call for proposals for the urban park design. The proposal received 21 expressions of interest from architectural firms for the development, including several from the United States and one from England. Five of the firms were selected to develop design proposals.
The five plans for the 'urban park' were unveiled on May 21, 2010. Plans included several controversial elements such as re-routing some water from the Canal into the site, a proposal that would be in conflict with the Canal's UN heritage designation. All included extensive greenspace and some included public space around the Aberdeen Pavilion for gatherings. Costs ranged from $32.8 million to $88 million. The jury deliberated until June 8 before choosing the "Win-Place-Show" proposal developed by Vancouver landscape architects Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg. The Win-Place-Show proposal created extensive greenspace and preserved Sylvia Holden Park. The proposal did not include the moving of the Horticulture Building to the east of the Aberdeen Pavilion. It included a modification of the canal frontage and a bridge over the canal that were considered unlikely to be built.
On May 27, OSEG revealed an updated design for the OSEG section of the redevelopment. The plan included new south side stands, wrapped in a wooden outer shell. A new translucent roof would be built over the north and south seating. Botanical gardens would connect the back of the south stands with the pathways along the canal. A new facade for the hockey arena would include retail. New town houses would be built along the northern edge of the site on Holmwood Avenue, with pathways and courtyards that connect into the Lansdowne site. Two residential towers would be built on the Bank Street frontage, expected to be 12 to 14 storeys, sitting atop a podium. The plan included an esplanade of terraced trees and gardens running the length of Bank Street, with retail space. The plan plans to move the Horticulture Building to the east of the Aberdeen Pavilion, to house either the farmer's market or a Parks Canada interpretation centre of the Rideau Canal.
On June 28, 2010, after reviewing several studies on the proposal, City of Ottawa Council voted to proceed with sole source negotiations with OSEG. The next step would be to develop a plan that merged the urban park with the OSEG residential and commercial plans. The urban park plan did not include moving the Horticulture Building, and saved some space for the farmer's market beside the Aberdeen Pavilion, that the OSEG plan would build as retail. The plan would be ready in the fall of 2010. The Council voted to preserve the sector known as "Lansdowne Community Park", east of O'Connor and south of Fifth Avenue.
In September 2010, Council voted to rezone the lands of Lansdowne Park for the OSEG redevelopment. The move, approved at committee by the tie-breaking vote of mayor O'Brien, included the lands of Sylvia Holden Park along Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue. The City considers the park to be part of Lansdowne and not a park in its own right. The decommissioning of a park in Ottawa requires a 2/3 Council vote in favour. The park is to be redeveloped with four-storey condominiums along Holmwood and a tower at Bank Street. The Holden park land includes green space along Holmwood and landscaping along Bank Street.
On September 28, the OSEG group announced the addition of the Ottawa Fury
to the partnership. The Fury plan to bid for a professional franchise in a future North American Soccer League (NASL). The Fury hope to get the franchise and start play in 2013.
On September 29, the City posted the site control plan for the merged OSEG and urban park plans on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan web site. The plan proposes to move the Horticultural Building east of the Aberdeen Pavilion. The Ottawa Farmer's Market would be relocated to a 'Aberdeen Square' public square north of the Aberdeen Pavilion.
The City held a public meeting on its site control plan on October 14. Later in October, the municipal election was held and Lansdowne Park was one of the issues, both locally in Capital Ward and across the city in the vote for mayor. Opponent Clive Doucet was defeated for mayor, while former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, who promised to continue the redevelopment process, was elected to become the new Ottawa mayor.
The site plan was approved at Ottawa City Council on November 22, 2010. Final Council approval is expected in summer 2011. According to Ottawa councillor Jan Harder
, the site plan itself is not contestable. There are however 14 cases before the Ontario Municipal Board
that will come before the courts in April 2011. According to OSEG principal John Pugh, the stadium is expected to be ready for June 2013.
By April 2011, more objections had accumulated to the plan to be heard at a Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the plan. The city reached a mediated settlement with most of the objectors. The revised plan would remove mid-rise buildings from Holmwood Avenue, reduce the heights of over buildings on the site, provide some park space on Holmwood and add some traffic restrictions. Several objectors were left and the OMB hearing proceeded. On June 15, 2011, the OMB decision was published, in favour of the city.
After approval by Council of the updated plan in August 2011, the City posted a request for developers to handle the development of 280 residential units and the office building. The request deadline concludes on November 15, 2011. The City has awarded two contracts, totalling $700,000, for engineering services to move the Horticulture Building.
On June 21, 2010 the LPC submitted its competitive bid to the Ottawa City Council. Council voted to continue with the OSEG plan. On September 14, 2010, LPC presented a preview of the revised proposal to the planning and environment committee of Ottawa City Council. The group presented two options for Lansdowne, a $98 million proposal that builds solar roofing on the south-side stands, installs an Olympic-size pool and constructs a concert shell in new greenspace and a $47 million proposal to simply demolish the south-side stands and convert the space to greenspace. The proposals were developed with international design firm NBBJ.
Both proposals retain the hockey arena, Aberdeen, Coliseum and Horticulture buildings in place. The second alternative would see an RFP for a stadium-tied development on the vacant City lot at Bayview and Scott Street ( adjacent to the Ottawa River near LeBreton Flats). According to the LPC, the Bayview site is the logical long term strategic choice and was the number one stadium location by the City of Ottawa Stadium Location Study. Both of the Conservancy options are planned to be revenue positive for the city and have zero taxpayer cost. Despite the claims by Conservancy proponents, the Ottawa City Council planning and environment committee was not interested in the plans. The Conservancy's competitive bid was submitted to the City's Procurement Department directly on November 15, 2010 for consideration by Ottawa City Council. Both the outgoing and incoming councillors for the neighbouring Capital Ward have indicated that they want the City to consider the proposal. The LPC argues that the City must, according to procurement rules, study any competing proposal for a sole-source bid for City business.
The City rejected the Lansdowne Park Conservancy's submissions twice. In a November 18, 2010 letter to the LPC: "Your submission is not timely having regard to the fact Council already granted approvals pertaining to the Lansdowne Partnership Plan going back to June 28, 2010." The letter also pointed out that the city's legal counsel had already informed the LPC in August that any future proposals would not be accepted. The original Conservancy bid predated that decision on June 21, 2010, 7 days prior.However under Procurement law the City was obliged to have a public Request for Proposals or RFP on the developer unsolicited proposal.By-Law 50 and the Ottawa Option PolicyOttawa Option Policy component of Section 25 By-Law 50 The LPC's goal is to allow a competitive process.
Most opposition comes from residents and businesses of the Glebe neighbourhood, but not exclusively. City Council members from surrounding wards also have voted against the OSEG plan. A survey of businesses in the Glebe area showed that they were concerned about the amount of retail development and the possible negative affects on their businesses.
Glebe resident Ian Lee, who runs the MBA program at Carleton University
's Sprott School of Business, has been an outspoken critic of the cost of the project. The plan approved by Ottawa says rebuilding Frank Clair Stadium, constructing underground parking, developing an urban park and relocating trade show space will cost $172.8 million, a number disputed by Lee, "Capital projects have a very bad habit of having major costs overruns." He predicts, the total cost will be "north of $300 million." The City had its auditor-general review the business plan who concluded that the plans' financial assumptions "are reasonable and present a realistic expectation for the future." However, Lee contends that the auditor-general should have remained neutral and uninvolved, and subsequently he filed a complaint with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
The Association agreed to the mediated settlement with the city in April 2011.
Heritage advocates planned to fight on and planned to appeal to the Ontario government to stop the move of the Horticultural Building. On November 4, 2010, the City's Built Heritage Advisory Committee, a group of Ottawa citizens appointed by City Council to advise it on heritage matters, met and discussed the Heritage Impact Study of the Partnership Plan. The committee disliked the move of the Horticultural Building and recommended unanimously against the move.
A court challenge was launched by Gary Sealey, Doug Ward, and the "Friends of Lansdowne" in September 2010, seeking to overturn the partnership plan on the grounds that city rules were not followed in the sole-source process. According to the City of Ottawa, the legality of the process was reviewed by third-party lawyers before the June 28 Council meeting. The group hired Steven Shrybman, a partner at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP. Doug Ward described the hiring of Shrybman: "That's why there has been a large fundraising campaign ... because we wanted to get the best. And we have the best." In motions to the court, the group has requested copies of all City files related to the case and that in the event that the suit loses, the group will not have to pay the City and OSEG's legal costs. The challenge went to trial on June 21, 2011. The judge rendered a verdict rejecting the challenge on all counts on July 28, 2011. The group announced on August 17, 2011, that they would file an appeal to the court "that the Superior Court allowed Ottawa's City Council far too much latitude in regard to restrictions set out in provincial law concerning competitive procurement, the use of tax dollars to assist commercial entities and the requirement that it put the public interest first."
Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located along Bank Street and is adjacent to the Rideau Canal, in central Ottawa...
fairgrounds in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In September 2007, cracks were discovered in Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal.-Tenants:...
, and a portion of the south-side stands were demolished due to safety concerns. The City of Ottawa subsequently initiated an international design competition to redevelop Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located along Bank Street and is adjacent to the Rideau Canal, in central Ottawa...
. However, it suspended the competition when a group of Ottawa businessmen known as the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), who had been awarded a Canadian Football League franchise on the condition of securing a home venue in Ottawa, proposed a public-private partnership with the City to rebuild the stadium and redevelop the grounds with residential and commercial uses to finance the reconstruction and annual upkeep of the site. Ottawa City Council decided to enter into a partnership with the OSEG group and cancelled its competitive process.
The redevelopment plan split into two components after the City rejected the portion of the OSEG proposal regarding the lands bordering the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
. OSEG was assigned the precinct around the Stadium and along Bank Street, while a design competition was held for an 'urban park' to be located along the Canal. The OSEG plan envisions two towers along Bank Street, a new set of grandstands at the football stadium and a new residential and commercial precinct to the north of the Stadium.
The redevelopment plan has been opposed by some Ottawa residents, particularly those near the Lansdowne site. Heritage activists have objected to a plan to move a heritage building on the site. A court challenge was held in Ontario Superior Court, contending that the City has illegally proceeded with the sole-source project. Opponents have proposed opening up the redevelopment to a public tender. Other alternatives proposed including building a football stadium in another location and organizing the park reconstruction as a solely public process. An appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board and the Ontario Superior Court challenge were both rejected. An appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal was launched in September 2011 and has yet to be heard. The City of Ottawa projects a start to construction in 2012, with completion in 2015.
Park review
In October 2007, the City decided to initiate a redevelopment of Lansdowne ParkLansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located along Bank Street and is adjacent to the Rideau Canal, in central Ottawa...
. This was partly due to the condition of the lower south grandstand of the stadium, which had structural problems. Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien
Larry O'Brien
Lawrence Francis "Larry" O'Brien, Jr. was one of the United States Democratic Party's leading electoral strategists when, for more than two decades, he helped reshape American politics...
suggested that local developers be invited to submit proposals to redevelop the area. Ottawa councillors Peter Hume and Clive Doucet opposed the idea and proposed a design competition for the site, which Council approved, entitled "Design Lansdowne". By January 2008, a web site was set up for public consultation. The goal of the public consultation would be a report by the City which would detail what the future Lansdowne Park was to contain. A request for proposals would then be made for bidding by outside developers, whom would construct the project, under a "right to develop" contract. The Ottawa Regional Society of Architects criticized the plan, suggesting it was not a true design competition. In the City process, developers would hire architects to build to their specifications, while a 'true' design competition would see design firms and architects create designs first, which would then be judged by a jury to determine the best solution. The City would then put out tenders for construction.
Public consultations for the first stage were concluded by May 2008. City of Ottawa staff then began developing a report for Council. Before completing the Request for Proposal, the Design Lansdowne process was suspended in June 2008 while studies were done whether the Stadium and arena were worth saving. It was determined that the Civic Centre and the main grandstands of Frank Clair Stadium were sound, but the lower south-side grandstand of the stadium, built in 1960, would have to be replaced. The City proceeded to demolish the condemned lower grandstand, using a controlled implosion, in July 2008.
Lansdowne Live/Lansdowne Partnership Plan
In March 2008, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), which includes Jeff HuntJeff Hunt
Jeff Hunt is a Canadian businessman who currently owns the Ottawa 67's hockey club of the Ontario Hockey League. He started a carpet-cleaning firm called Canway. His firm was in the Profit Magazine 100 seven times in the 1990s.-OHL Hockey:...
, owner of the Ottawa 67's
Ottawa 67's
The Ottawa 67’s are a junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario. They have played in the Ontario Hockey League since 1967, Canada's centennial year. The current coach is Chris Byrne.-History:...
, Minto chairman Roger Greenberg, Bill Shenkman and John Ruddy were awarded a conditional Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL) expansion franchise contingent on securing a suitable stadium and needed Frank Clair Stadium to be renovated. In the fall of 2007, the OSEG group had announced that it would seek the CFL franchise, and intended to play in an upgraded Frank Clair Stadium, with private boxes and other amenities. The stadium plan sketched out the use of a residential and commercial component to pay for the upgrades.
Supporters of the design consultation process, notably Glebe Community Association president Bob Brocklebank, were concerned that this would overturn the work done so far on developing a plan for the park, urged the city to continue with the consultation process. However, in May 2008, the City decided to suspend the design consultation to determine the OSEG's needs for the facility. The suspension upset the Glebe Association and Glebe councillor Clive Doucet, and prompted Mayor O'Brien to muse whether a "whether or not the city wants or needs a sports stadium on the prime real estate site at all." Results of a survey of Ottawans showed strong support for a public redevelopment of the Park not tied to a professional sports franchise, although a majority of respondents were in favour of retention of the stadium.
The determination process became more complicated when, in September 2008, the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
organization (Senators Sports & Entertainment (SSE)) approached the city about building a soccer-specific stadium
Ottawa Soccer Stadium
The Ottawa Soccer Stadium was a proposed open-air soccer facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was part of a proposal to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Ottawa by the Ottawa Senators organization.-Proposal:...
on city-owned land in Kanata, near Scotiabank Place
Scotiabank Place
Scotiabank Place is a multi-purpose arena, located in Kanata, a suburban district of Ottawa, Ontario. It is home to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. It has also hosted the Canadian University Men's Basketball Championship...
. The land, being used as a snow dump, would house a 20,000 seat stadium, with 30,000 for concerts, and utilize the parking spaces of Scotiabank Place. The stadium was to house a Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
professional franchise which the Senators group was bidding for.
On October 17, 2008, the OSEG group publicly announced their Lansdowne Live! plan to revitalize Lansdowne Park by redeveloping the entire site in a public-private partnership with the City. The Lansdowne Live proposal envisioned rebuilding Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal.-Tenants:...
to support not only Canadian Football, but also professional soccer. The remaining south side stands would be torn down and new stands built, while the north side stands would be renovated. Early versions of the plan included practice baseball fields, soccer pitches, a Koi pond
Koi pond
Koi ponds are ponds used for holding koi, usually as part of a landscape. Koi ponds can be designed specifically to promote health and growth of the Nishkigoi or Japanese Ornamental Carp....
, a walk through aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
in Aberdeen Pavilion and an outdoor amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
. The plan eventually focused on enhancing the park portion of the site renovating the Civic Centre
Ottawa Civic Centre
The Ottawa Civic Centre, also known as the J. Benson Cartage Centre for 2011–2012, is an indoor arena located in Ottawa, Ontario, seating 9,862. With temporary seating and standing room it can hold 10,585. Opened in December 1967, it is used primarily for sports, including curling, figure skating,...
and adding a commercial element that would help fund the stadium renovations. Exhibition space would be moved off the site to a new facility. Whether the Farmer's Market would remain at the site was unclear.
Opponents of the OSEG proposal, notably Clive Doucet
Clive Doucet
Clive Doucet is a Canadian writer and politician.Doucet was born in 1946 in London, England to an Acadian serviceman and an English war bride. Doucet grew up in the city of Ottawa, Ontario. He also spent some of his youth in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Doucet was raised as a Catholic,...
, councillor for the surrounding district, were concerned that alternative proposals were not being accepted via a design competition. Doucet attempted to get Council's support to restart the Design Lansdowne process, but was unsuccessful. Opponents were concerned about a lack of parking, public transportation access and the cost to the City. The OSEG proposal would require the city to spend $129.3 million to renovate the stadium and for its share of the parking. OSEG would commit $117.3 million for the construction of retail and residential condominiums on the site. OSEG would own the new commercial development and operate the stadium, with a portion of the revenues directed back to the city. The new retail and residential would be subject to property taxes.
During the early months of 2009, the City of Ottawa considered both proposals. The staff of the City of Ottawa presented a report to Council on the merits of the Soccer Stadium and Lansdowne proposals. The City held public hearings based on the report, which questioned the necessity of the spending, but gave a slight edge to the Lansdowne proposal. Councillors attempted to find out whether the SSE group would support sharing their stadium with a planned CFL franchise, but the SSE group rejected the possibility. Lansdowne Live proponents made it clear that an MLS team, or another pro soccer team, such as one in the United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
(USL) could play at Frank Clair Stadium.
On April 22, 2009, City Council voted to go ahead and work with the Lansdowne group instead of the Kanata group. City Council voted to enter into sole source negotiations with the Lansdowne Live group by a vote of 14–9. Council imposed conditions on the negotiations, including preserving the farmer's market, turning a substantial portion of the site into greenspace and public use areas, no big-box stores and city approval for any buildings.
After public information sessions and two days of hearings at Ottawa City Hall, the Lansdowne Live proposal was approved in principle by Ottawa City Council on November 16, 2009 by a vote of 15-9, with several conditions. Approval was contingent on transportation and retail studies as well as a plan for the relocation of the exhibition facilities. Design of the park portion of the site would be subject to a design competition. A design review board would be created, headed by urban designer George Dark, to oversee the design elements of the site.
In February 2010, the City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission
National Capital Commission
The National Capital Commission , is a Canadian Crown corporation that administers the federally owned lands and buildings in Canada's National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec.The NCC was created in 1959, replacing the Federal District Commission , which had been...
and Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
made a call for proposals for the urban park design. The proposal received 21 expressions of interest from architectural firms for the development, including several from the United States and one from England. Five of the firms were selected to develop design proposals.
The five plans for the 'urban park' were unveiled on May 21, 2010. Plans included several controversial elements such as re-routing some water from the Canal into the site, a proposal that would be in conflict with the Canal's UN heritage designation. All included extensive greenspace and some included public space around the Aberdeen Pavilion for gatherings. Costs ranged from $32.8 million to $88 million. The jury deliberated until June 8 before choosing the "Win-Place-Show" proposal developed by Vancouver landscape architects Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg. The Win-Place-Show proposal created extensive greenspace and preserved Sylvia Holden Park. The proposal did not include the moving of the Horticulture Building to the east of the Aberdeen Pavilion. It included a modification of the canal frontage and a bridge over the canal that were considered unlikely to be built.
On May 27, OSEG revealed an updated design for the OSEG section of the redevelopment. The plan included new south side stands, wrapped in a wooden outer shell. A new translucent roof would be built over the north and south seating. Botanical gardens would connect the back of the south stands with the pathways along the canal. A new facade for the hockey arena would include retail. New town houses would be built along the northern edge of the site on Holmwood Avenue, with pathways and courtyards that connect into the Lansdowne site. Two residential towers would be built on the Bank Street frontage, expected to be 12 to 14 storeys, sitting atop a podium. The plan included an esplanade of terraced trees and gardens running the length of Bank Street, with retail space. The plan plans to move the Horticulture Building to the east of the Aberdeen Pavilion, to house either the farmer's market or a Parks Canada interpretation centre of the Rideau Canal.
On June 28, 2010, after reviewing several studies on the proposal, City of Ottawa Council voted to proceed with sole source negotiations with OSEG. The next step would be to develop a plan that merged the urban park with the OSEG residential and commercial plans. The urban park plan did not include moving the Horticulture Building, and saved some space for the farmer's market beside the Aberdeen Pavilion, that the OSEG plan would build as retail. The plan would be ready in the fall of 2010. The Council voted to preserve the sector known as "Lansdowne Community Park", east of O'Connor and south of Fifth Avenue.
In September 2010, Council voted to rezone the lands of Lansdowne Park for the OSEG redevelopment. The move, approved at committee by the tie-breaking vote of mayor O'Brien, included the lands of Sylvia Holden Park along Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue. The City considers the park to be part of Lansdowne and not a park in its own right. The decommissioning of a park in Ottawa requires a 2/3 Council vote in favour. The park is to be redeveloped with four-storey condominiums along Holmwood and a tower at Bank Street. The Holden park land includes green space along Holmwood and landscaping along Bank Street.
On September 28, the OSEG group announced the addition of the Ottawa Fury
Ottawa Fury
Ottawa Fury is a Canadian soccer team based in Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 2005, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference....
to the partnership. The Fury plan to bid for a professional franchise in a future North American Soccer League (NASL). The Fury hope to get the franchise and start play in 2013.
On September 29, the City posted the site control plan for the merged OSEG and urban park plans on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan web site. The plan proposes to move the Horticultural Building east of the Aberdeen Pavilion. The Ottawa Farmer's Market would be relocated to a 'Aberdeen Square' public square north of the Aberdeen Pavilion.
The City held a public meeting on its site control plan on October 14. Later in October, the municipal election was held and Lansdowne Park was one of the issues, both locally in Capital Ward and across the city in the vote for mayor. Opponent Clive Doucet was defeated for mayor, while former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, who promised to continue the redevelopment process, was elected to become the new Ottawa mayor.
The site plan was approved at Ottawa City Council on November 22, 2010. Final Council approval is expected in summer 2011. According to Ottawa councillor Jan Harder
Jan Harder
Jan Harder is an Ottawa City Councillor representing the ward of Barrhaven. She is the appointed chair of the Ottawa Public Library board, which sets policy and has the ultimate say in decisions affecting the library system....
, the site plan itself is not contestable. There are however 14 cases before the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
that will come before the courts in April 2011. According to OSEG principal John Pugh, the stadium is expected to be ready for June 2013.
By April 2011, more objections had accumulated to the plan to be heard at a Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the plan. The city reached a mediated settlement with most of the objectors. The revised plan would remove mid-rise buildings from Holmwood Avenue, reduce the heights of over buildings on the site, provide some park space on Holmwood and add some traffic restrictions. Several objectors were left and the OMB hearing proceeded. On June 15, 2011, the OMB decision was published, in favour of the city.
Development
After the failed legal challenge and a Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the redevelopment, construction on the stadium will not begin until 2012, with completion of the stadium in time for the 2014 season, and completion of the complete project in 2015. Final designs for the retail, parking garage, site servicing, horticulture building, stadium and urban park are expected to be issued in December 2011 or January 2012. Construction on the stadium and parking garage are to commence in June 2012. Construction on the mixed-use building will commence in January 2013. The urban park will start construction in June 2014.After approval by Council of the updated plan in August 2011, the City posted a request for developers to handle the development of 280 residential units and the office building. The request deadline concludes on November 15, 2011. The City has awarded two contracts, totalling $700,000, for engineering services to move the Horticulture Building.
Vitally Ottawa - Absolument Ottawa
In August 2009, Glebe businessman John E. Martin, made a proposal to build a new stadium and library/cultural centre on city-owned property on Bayview Avenue in Mechanicsville. At Lansdowne Park, Frank Clair Stadium North Stands would be kept and refurbished,the hockey arena retained and the South stands taken down and left down, heritage buildings would be kept in place, renovated and converted into retail and service related space and the rest of the site greened with a concert shell, horticulture area and outdoor pool. The Bayview site, contaminated from use as a rail yard, would have to be decontaminated.Lansdowne Park Conservancy
The Lansdowne Park Conservancy (LPC) proposal and competitive bid was established in March 2010 to provide an alternative option to the sole sourced OSEG plan. The goal of the LPC is to preserve Lansdowne Park as a 100% public space for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Lansdowne Park would be managed under a nonprofit management model with a volunteer board modeled after the successful Central Park Conservancy in New York. The Conservancy proposes working in partnership with the City of Ottawa. Under the proposal, the City of Ottawa retains full ownership of the land. According to LPC, the plan meets the directions of City Council of a stadium, greenspace, revenue neutrality and management structure, with the significant difference that all site revenue surplus is returned to the taxpayer and the park is kept 100% public.On June 21, 2010 the LPC submitted its competitive bid to the Ottawa City Council. Council voted to continue with the OSEG plan. On September 14, 2010, LPC presented a preview of the revised proposal to the planning and environment committee of Ottawa City Council. The group presented two options for Lansdowne, a $98 million proposal that builds solar roofing on the south-side stands, installs an Olympic-size pool and constructs a concert shell in new greenspace and a $47 million proposal to simply demolish the south-side stands and convert the space to greenspace. The proposals were developed with international design firm NBBJ.
Both proposals retain the hockey arena, Aberdeen, Coliseum and Horticulture buildings in place. The second alternative would see an RFP for a stadium-tied development on the vacant City lot at Bayview and Scott Street ( adjacent to the Ottawa River near LeBreton Flats). According to the LPC, the Bayview site is the logical long term strategic choice and was the number one stadium location by the City of Ottawa Stadium Location Study. Both of the Conservancy options are planned to be revenue positive for the city and have zero taxpayer cost. Despite the claims by Conservancy proponents, the Ottawa City Council planning and environment committee was not interested in the plans. The Conservancy's competitive bid was submitted to the City's Procurement Department directly on November 15, 2010 for consideration by Ottawa City Council. Both the outgoing and incoming councillors for the neighbouring Capital Ward have indicated that they want the City to consider the proposal. The LPC argues that the City must, according to procurement rules, study any competing proposal for a sole-source bid for City business.
The City rejected the Lansdowne Park Conservancy's submissions twice. In a November 18, 2010 letter to the LPC: "Your submission is not timely having regard to the fact Council already granted approvals pertaining to the Lansdowne Partnership Plan going back to June 28, 2010." The letter also pointed out that the city's legal counsel had already informed the LPC in August that any future proposals would not be accepted. The original Conservancy bid predated that decision on June 21, 2010, 7 days prior.However under Procurement law the City was obliged to have a public Request for Proposals or RFP on the developer unsolicited proposal.By-Law 50 and the Ottawa Option PolicyOttawa Option Policy component of Section 25 By-Law 50 The LPC's goal is to allow a competitive process.
Opposition
Although opposed to the OSEG plan, most opponents are not against redevelopment of the Lansdowne Park site per se. The site is considered to be in poor condition, for the amount of asphalt, and condition of the buildings, as well as other aspects. Opposition to the OSEG plan can be summarized with the following points:- opposition to the sole-source nature of the plan
- opposition to the building of retail and commercial space controlled by a private developer on City-owned lands
- scale of the retail and residential components
- concerns about heritage aspects of the site
- cost of the project
- building on the Sylvia Holden Park lands
Most opposition comes from residents and businesses of the Glebe neighbourhood, but not exclusively. City Council members from surrounding wards also have voted against the OSEG plan. A survey of businesses in the Glebe area showed that they were concerned about the amount of retail development and the possible negative affects on their businesses.
Glebe Community Association
In October 2009, the local Glebe Community Association demanded that the City of Ottawa go back to the drawing board. An Association vote for a "fair, open and competitive approach" to developing Lansdowne Park was unanimously endorsed. A competitive process would require the city to end its consideration of the Lansdowne Live project and invite new bids to redevelop the park.Glebe resident Ian Lee, who runs the MBA program at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
's Sprott School of Business, has been an outspoken critic of the cost of the project. The plan approved by Ottawa says rebuilding Frank Clair Stadium, constructing underground parking, developing an urban park and relocating trade show space will cost $172.8 million, a number disputed by Lee, "Capital projects have a very bad habit of having major costs overruns." He predicts, the total cost will be "north of $300 million." The City had its auditor-general review the business plan who concluded that the plans' financial assumptions "are reasonable and present a realistic expectation for the future." However, Lee contends that the auditor-general should have remained neutral and uninvolved, and subsequently he filed a complaint with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
The Association agreed to the mediated settlement with the city in April 2011.
Heritage groups
Plans to move the Horticultural building were opposed by the Heritage Canada Foundation, which put Lansdowne Park on its top ten list of "endangered heritage" locations after a nomination by the Glebe Community Association. In the OSEG and urban park proposal, the Horticultural building, a building of architectural interest, would be moved a short distance east to make room for the OSEG quadrant. According to the City's solicitor, the City has the power to move the Horticulture Building without outside consent. A hearing was held to hear the debate on the moving of the building. The heritage board rejected the move of the building, although its decision is not binding on the City of Ottawa. However, due to the decision, the City has to rescind the heritage designation of the building in order to move it legally. It may then apply the heritage designation again in the future, after it has been moved.Heritage advocates planned to fight on and planned to appeal to the Ontario government to stop the move of the Horticultural Building. On November 4, 2010, the City's Built Heritage Advisory Committee, a group of Ottawa citizens appointed by City Council to advise it on heritage matters, met and discussed the Heritage Impact Study of the Partnership Plan. The committee disliked the move of the Horticultural Building and recommended unanimously against the move.
Friends of Lansdowne Park
The Friends of Lansdowne Park was launched in July 2009 to advocate against the Lansdowne Live proposal. Although the Friends did not launch a counter-proposal, the Friends advocated for a revitalization of Lansdowne Park based on principles developed through a process involving "significant and meaningful public consultation, a fair, open design competition to revitalize Lansdowne Park – like the one Council interrupted" and "a sustainable design." The group has approximately 50 volunteers, and support across Ottawa, according to Doug Ward.A court challenge was launched by Gary Sealey, Doug Ward, and the "Friends of Lansdowne" in September 2010, seeking to overturn the partnership plan on the grounds that city rules were not followed in the sole-source process. According to the City of Ottawa, the legality of the process was reviewed by third-party lawyers before the June 28 Council meeting. The group hired Steven Shrybman, a partner at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP. Doug Ward described the hiring of Shrybman: "That's why there has been a large fundraising campaign ... because we wanted to get the best. And we have the best." In motions to the court, the group has requested copies of all City files related to the case and that in the event that the suit loses, the group will not have to pay the City and OSEG's legal costs. The challenge went to trial on June 21, 2011. The judge rendered a verdict rejecting the challenge on all counts on July 28, 2011. The group announced on August 17, 2011, that they would file an appeal to the court "that the Superior Court allowed Ottawa's City Council far too much latitude in regard to restrictions set out in provincial law concerning competitive procurement, the use of tax dollars to assist commercial entities and the requirement that it put the public interest first."