Ottawa 67s owner Jeff Hunt and his business partners looking to rebuild Lansdowne Park with a CFL franchise are willing to keep all options open in the city's ongoing stadium debate.
That includes a plan to forego a new football facility in the Glebe and tear down the remnants of Frank Clair Stadium.
As CTV Ottawa first reported, the proposal would pour millions of dollars into upgrading the Civic Centre and attracting commercial development, but city-led stadium efforts would shift to Kanata, where Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk wants to build a soccer complex near Scotiabank Place.
Hunt and other investors in "Lansdowne Live" would gain a right of first refusal for developing the site.
Mayor Larry O'Brien is pushing the concept and has been reaching out to both sides in hopes of a stadium collaboration.
"What I'm trying to do is find out if there's a different model that will allow us to have our cake and eat it too," O'Brien said Sunday.
"Is there a way that we can put everything on the table that is tax friendly, tax neutral for citizens? I'm just exploring these options with the two different proponents."
Lansdowne Live would renovate Frank Clair Stadium for the return of CFL football, upgrade other facilities, and improve several new developments to the Glebe site.
O'Brien wants the site revitalized after 20 years of neglect, calling the area a blight and an eyesore.
Meanwhile, Melnyk hopes to secure a Major League Soccer franchise with a west-end stadium.
City council must decide on April 22 whether to back one or both of the proposals, or seek further studies.
