Lansdowne Park 2.0: Mayor Sutcliffe and new council facing hard decisions

Why doesn’t the proposal show the full height of the proposed buildings? Or tell us that the three towers need to be 46, 40 and 34 storeys for the financing strategy to work? illustration: OSEG Lansdowne 2.0 Proposal to City Council

By Carolyn Mackenzie

Meaningful consultations are needed to get citizen and taxpayer input into this massive development. Just eight years after the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park was completed, the city is being asked to renegotiate the deal struck with OSEG and to spend another $332 million of taxpayer dollars. OSEG claims that it is not in its financial interest to continue to operate under the 2012 agreement – it wants a new deal.

But is the proposed deal in the public interest?

Lansdowne 2.0 would be one of the largest projects considered in this council’s term, second only to investments in LRT. The city would spend roughly $150 million on a new arena/performance venue, removing existing green space from the urban park roughly the size of a football field. Once the new arena is built, most of the remaining budget would be spent tearing down the north side stands, as well as the Civic Centre arena and surrounding retail space where we invested tens of millions of dollars just a few years ago.

Then comes the rebuilding of the north side stands. The concept includes building additional retail and adding three very tall towers nearest the Aberdeen Pavilion and overlooking the football field, along with some improvements to the urban park. When imagining the towers (46, 40 and 34 storeys high respectively), think of the 46-storey tower recently built at the end of Dow’s Lake.

OSEG claims that this could be a real opportunity to reset and put Lansdowne Park on the solid footing it deserves, in order to serve the greater Ottawa community.

But do we have a clear enough understanding of Lansdowne’s track record to date – what has been working and what has not, both financially and in terms of benefits to the public/taxpayers? Is the proposal for Lansdowne 2.0 transparent and clear so that residents can provide informed feedback? Do the cost estimates still hold, when construction inflation is estimated at 6 per cent this year, or will this cost taxpayers more than the initial $332 million estimate? Do Mayor Sutcliffe and council have all the facts to make an informed decision on this huge project? The city now says that it was obvious when the decision to move forward with Lansdowne 10 years ago was taken that the north side stands and Civic Centre would need to be replaced quickly. But if city councillors were clearly apprised of that then, would they really have approved the significant investments made to upgrade facilities so close to the end of their useful life? Did they have all the facts?

The LRT inquiry has taught us what happens when items are rushed through council with selective sharing of information, lack of community scrutiny and insufficient accountability.

There is also a wider landscape to be considered. Has enough consideration been given to how Lansdowne 2.0 fits into the larger picture, given the NCC’s proposed LeBreton Flats development? Has enough consideration been given to the impact of this project on the city’s large investment in the LRT? (Hint: Lansdowne is not on the LRT line).

Community associations in the Glebe, Old Ottawa South and Ottawa East, as well as the Federation of Citizens Associations, Synapcity and Parkways for People think the answer to these questions right now is “no.” In February, they wrote to Mayor Sutcliffe and council, united in seeking the mayor’s assurance that the city recommit to extensive and meaningful public consultations before any further decisions on this project take place. The letter laid out the specifics of key elements regarding informed and meaningful consultation, in line with the mayor’s commitment to greater transparency and to restoring public trust in decision-making (go to www.glebeca.ca to read the letter).

Lansdowne Park belongs to all of us. It has to be emphasized: this is a huge project that will commit significant taxpayer dollars. The LRT inquiry has taught us what happens when items are rushed through council with selective sharing of information, lack of community scrutiny and insufficient accountability. By embracing meaningful community consultation, this council can learn from the past and create a great future for Lansdowne Park that serves us all.

Carolyn Mackenzie is chair of the Glebe Community Association Planning Committee.