Councillor Gower is providing significant information on the Lansdowne Park redevelopment proposal from the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) and he would like to hear from you at the link he provides below. He also shares information on issues residents have been asking about, along with a synopsis of community notes about the Halloween Food Challenge in support of the Stittsville Food Bank; the 2024 Equity Budget Consultation; and, an upcoming Wildlife Speaker Series on Bats. If you need assistance with a municipal issue, residents are encouraged to contact the Councillor at the contact information below.
Lansdowne Park redevelopment
On Thursday, November 2, a special council committee will meet to discuss the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal. There’s a lot of interest in this file and I expect the meeting will last all day and quite possibly spill into Friday.
The City of Ottawa has received a proposal from the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) to strengthen the partnership and redevelop Lansdowne to make the site financially stable for the long term. For more information about the new proposal, please visit Lansdowne 2.0 | Engage Ottawa.
Lansdowne Park, including the football stadium and Civic Centre arena, are publicly-owned assets. The current Civic Centre arena and the stadium above it are functionally obsolete. They requires significant maintenance each year to keep them structurally safe, and as they get older the cost for the City will be in the millions of dollars each year. The arena and stands do not meet accessibility requirements, and their 1960s design does not meet requirements for modern sports and concert events.
The Lansdowne 2.0 proposal proposes to demolish the existing north stadium stands and arena, and build a new arena/event centre and north stadium stands. This new public infrastructure will make the venues accessible and sustainable. A new retail podium and additional residential units are also included within the proposal.
The City would invest $419-million in the assets, costing the city an estimated $5 million annually in net debt repayment. The City would retain ownership of the buildings – they are not being sold off to OSEG or developers.
Since the launch of the Lansdowne 2.0 Project, City Staff have worked to ensure a robust public engagement process has taken place. This has included four public information sessions, multiple surveys, weekly coffee chats, pop-up events, and more. The results of the City’s engagement can be found in the final As We Heard It report on the project website.
Based on what I’ve read so far, the new proposal is a vast financial improvement for the City over the original Lansdowne redevelopment. It’s also a significant investment for the City so I’m taking time to meet with stakeholders and community groups to make sure the financial risk is reasonable. Whatever decision we make needs to be well-reasoned and must be based on long-term considerations for the municipality.
You can share your questions and feedback with me at glen.gower@ottawa.ca
You’ve been asking…
Shea Road construction: The work on Shea Road should be complete by Monday, October 30. As long as the weather co-operates, crews are on track to finish re-paving in the next few days.
Huntmar & Maple Grove: Work is progressing well, with the final layer of asphalt expected to be completed in November. After that comes line painting and installation of the new traffic signals. Depending on the weather, some of the finishing landscaping touches may have to be completed next spring, but so far it’s looking good for most of the major work to be done before winter.
Crossing Bridge Park: The contract has been awarded for the replacement of the play structure, and work will start in Spring 2024. We’ll share a detailed construction schedule over the winter.
Mental health resources: A resident contacted us recently to ask if there are any neighbourhood support groups to help adults experiencing grief and loss. The feeling of losing a loved one can be overwhelmingly difficult. Going through this stressful situation alone can be even harder to sustain. If you happen to be in this position, and would like to connect with others in the community, please get in touch with us.
More community notes:
- CARDELREC–Goulbourn is participating in a Halloween Food Challenge with other Recreation facilities across the city. They’re collecting non-perishable items for the Stittsville Food Bank. From now until the end of October, residents are encouraged to bring in a non-perishable food item to donate to the food bank. Drop-off is in front of our ward office.
- 2024 Equity Budget Consultation. Ottawa’s Black, Indigenous and racialized communities are invited to join Councillor Rawlson King, in his capacity as Council Liaison for Antiracism and Ethnocultural Relations, and City staff for a hybrid equity budget consultation on Wednesday, November 1 at 6:30 pm. Attend in person at the Ottawa Black Business Alliance, HUB 235 at 235 Montreal Road. Doors open at 6 pm. Appetizers and light refreshments will be available. Advance registration is required. Please register to attend in person by emailing RideauRockcliffeWard@Ottawa.ca or calling 613-580-2483. The consultation will also be virtual. Please register to receive the Zoom meeting link: bit.ly/2024EquityBudgetConsult.
- OCTOBER 26: Wildlife Speaker Series: Bats 101: The Wildlife Speaker Series is bringing bats into the spotlight, to help demystify these creatures of the night! 7:30pm on Zoom. Click here for details…
Get in touch!
If we can help in any way, please email me at glen.gower@ottawa.ca or leave a voicemail at 613-580-2476. Please call 3-1-1 if you require immediate assistance. – Councillor Glen Gower