City of Ottawa holding more public consultation on Lansdowne 2.0

A rendering of the proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Park, including new north side stands, a new event centre, and three residential towers. The project is projected to cost $330 million. (Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group/Handout)

The city of Ottawa says it is hosting more public consultation about the revitalization project at Lansdowne Park, dubbed Lansdowne 2.0.

The $330-million dollar proposal would tear down and rebuild the north side stands at TD Place Stadium, tear down and rebuild the aging Civic Centre arena, and build three towers with 1,200 condo and rental units, 10 per cent of which would be classified as affordable housing.

The plan has faced pushback from some members of the community and the local councillor, Shawn Menard, has called for greater public consultation.

According to a memo to city council, sent Monday, said there has been extensive consultation with the public, and more will be offered.

"City of Ottawa staff have launched the project website, hosted three public information sessions on April 27, May 17, and July 13, 2023, have been holding a series of coffee chats, have met with the Ambassadors Working Group, and have released various public surveys," wrote Don Herweyer, interim general manager of planning, real estate, and economic development. "Staff are also currently hosting a series of pop-up events on site to encourage resident participation and engagement, and to gather additional feedback. The Director holds weekly meetings with the Ward Councillor, transportation specific workshops, and engages with key stakeholders on a regular basis."

Herweyer said staff have also received thousands of survey responses, hundreds of public comments and notes of feedback and have had several hundred public information session participants. The Lansdowne 2.0 page on Engage Ottawa has had more than 13,500 unique visits, he said.

Residents will get another chance for public consultation on Lansdowne 2.0 in September.

"This public session has been scheduled for September 6th at the request of the Ward Councillor and to allow for additional time for consideration by the community," Herweyer said. "The session will be a similar format to the July 13th session."

Residents can register via Zoom at this link.

Herweyer also said some timelines for committees and council to discuss the project have changed to allow for greater public input, with a report expected to come before council Oct. 25.

Several studies of the project are being undertaken, including a design brief, a heritage impact assessment, wind and shadow studies, and a study into transportation impact and demand management.

"The completion of these studies will be used to outline and refine options that will be brought forward in the report to Committee and Council this fall and understanding that these options could include recommendations to change the initial Lansdowne 2.0 concept plan," Herweyer said.

A financial report published this spring suggested the city might never recoup its investment in the public-private partnership with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) until the second phase moves ahead.

A financial forecast provided by OSEG shows overall revenue could be more than $200 million less than its original projection one year ago. Over the 40-year partnership arrangement, it is a significant drop from the more the half-billion dollars expected.

The Lansdowne 2.0 project, if approved, would be built in three phases, with completion of all three estimated for 2029.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Tyler Fleming.