Ottawa residents could soon find out if the city will be home to a new sports stadium, and where it would be built. But in the meantime, many are wondering if process and money could kill two existing bids to build a stadium before plans ever get off the ground.

A city planning committee is now looking at 23 possible locations for a new stadium in Ottawa and is examining recommendations from a report commissioned by city staff.

Although the study concludes Bayview Yards near Lebreton Flats is the best spot for a new sports stadium, no one has put forward a proposal to build there.

A number of councillors say the city is wasting time looking at various sites and must focus its efforts on two proposals already before council.

"We're looking at a whole lot of different sites, when really, you need someone to build this. The city hasn't got the money to build it, so if it has to go in a different location, we simply won't get any," said Coun. Marianne Wilkinson.

One of the proposals already on the table is spearheaded by Ottawa 67's owner Jeff Hunt, who is looking to bring CFL football back to Lansdowne Park with his Lansdowne Live plan.

"We're going to continue to move forward and hopefully those other options will be eliminated one by one and they'll get to Lansdowne and that will be the logical choice," Hunt told CTV Ottawa on Tuesday.

The other bid to build a new stadium is backed by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, who wants to bring Major League Soccer to the capital by building a soccer stadium near Scotiabank Place in Kanata.

Lansdowne Park was ranked sixth in the study, while the Scotiabank location was listed seventh.

Now, the city's manager says taxpayers must decide between building a new stadium or moving forward with a plan to revitalize public transit in the capital.

"If the federal and provincial governments were to accept and say, 'Yes, we agree some of the funds can go into that kind of an investment,' it's the same funding that would otherwise be available for other infrastructure investments," said city manager Kent Kirkpatrick.

"When you have a stadium competing against public transit, competing against water and sewer projects, we need to know where the public stands," added Coun. Peter Hume.

City council is expected to make a final decision on a stadium site in late April. In the meantime, city staff plans to meet with both Hunt and Melnyk before the stadium debate kicks off on March 10.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem