Proposed $330M 'Lansdowne 2.0' includes new stands, arena

The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) has unveiled its plan to tear down and replace the north side stands at TD Place Stadium and further redevelop Lansdowne Park.

The $330-million proposal would also include a new arena and three towers to provide owned, rental, and affordable housing, as well as new retail space.

“We are proposing to demolish the existing functionally obsolete North Stadium Stands and arena complex, and build a new, world-class Event Centre and North Stadium Stands,” OSEG says in its proposal. “New retail podium and additional residential units are also included within the proposal. In line with the City’s Official Plan, the residential component will bring additional density to Lansdowne, while providing a significant part of the funding envelope for Lansdowne 2.0.”

The new proposed arena would seat 5,500 people and remain the home of the Ottawa 67’s and Ottawa BlackJacks. The north side stands, once rebuild, would have 11,200 seats with capacity for 12,000 spectators. The residential towers will create 1,200 new units. Two towers would contain rental units and one would be condominiums. Ten per cent of the units would be designated affordable units.

According to the proposal, incremental taxation and air rights fees will, along with ticket fees and direct cash distributions to the City from the Lansdowne Partnership, fund the new municipal infrastructure “on a tax neutral basis” to city taxpayers.

“This is an iconic site; it’s Ottawa’s gathering place and it needs to stay that way,” OSEG president and CEO Mark Goudie said.

Mayor Jim Watson said the proposal is a logical next step.

“I think this is the natural progression of Lansdowne Park and its evolution,” Watson said. “The objective we have is to continue the momentum we created about a decade ago by bringing some life back to Lansdowne. One of the areas where I think we need to do a better job is getting more people to live on-site, so that’s one of the reasons why I support more housing on the site, including affordable housing options.”

On the cost, Watson said public infrastructure is the responsibility of the public, but he believes there is a way of building it in a revenue-neutral way.

“As we’ve done in other arrangements, we use the tax upload, air rights, ticket surcharge and so on to ensure it remains revenue-neutral for taxpayers but it gets built in a timely fashion.”

Goudie says the cost of the project can be made back through the condos, games and ticket sales.

"We can generate all of that in these 20 acres at Lansdowne. I’m really happy and really proud that we are able to put something together that you know is not going to be on the backs of taxpayers," Goudie said.

"This is an iconic site, it’s Ottawa’s gathering place and it needs to stay that way,” says Goudie. "This is the missing piece, this is the piece that didn’t get addressed back in 2014 and you know probably for good reason but its time has come.”

The project will be completed in three phases:

• Event Centre: To begin Nov. 2022 and completed Sept. 2024
• North stadium stands, retail podium, parking: To begin Dec. 2024 and completed May 2027
• Residential towers: To begin in 2024 and completed in 2029

Last July, city council confirmed that the aging north side stands and the Civic Centre would need to be replaced. Built in 1967 the structures, while sound, have experienced leaks, mould outbreaks and other issues over the last half-century.

“I think that the term the engineers used was 'functionally obsolete,'” Goudie said of the aging buildings. “This is the piece that didn’t get addressed back in 2014… but its time has come.”

The new proposal from OSEG must be reviewed by city council before the group can go ahead with construction.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Tyler Fleming