By Lindsay George
Lansdowne Park could be a thing of the past.
A document inviting detailed redevelopment proposals will go to committee at the end of the month. If approved the document will be given to council for consideration.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says the city is proposing a partnership with a private business, where the city would provide the land but the company shoulders the cost of redevelopment.
“Lansdowne loses almost $2 million a year,” says Watson. “What we’re trying to do is turn off that massive loss for the taxpayers and reinvigorate the site.”
Out of more than 40 companies that expressed interest in the project, three have been shortlisted by the city, says Watson.
“We wanted to make sure that someone had an idea and they also had the financial resources to back it up,” he says.
Council has invited Canadian Gateway Development Corp., PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and Canderel Management and Development Services Inc. to submit proposals.
“The reason we’ve gone this route is because we have roughly a (21.6 hectare) site at Lansdowne with a lot of buildings that are a bit of a hodgepodge,” says Watson. “A number of them are in not-great shape and we don’t have the money to go and do a proper redevelopment.”
Although it’s unknown what the official proposals will include, Watson says all three firms have presented similar general concepts revolving around entertainment, commercial, residential and green-space components.
Ted Cook, a vice president of PCL Constructors Canada Inc., says they are viewing the project as “developing a community rather than a single use sort of thing.”
Cook’s company estimates its project — which includes a residential component — will cost up to $300 million and take 10 years to complete.
He says he anticipates the Civic Centre will remain almost intact but admits this may be difficult to do.
“The difficulty is to what extent do you retain the existing facilities there and how do you properly use them?” says Cook. “Some want things retained and others want things taken away.”
On Jan. 14, a city committee postponed redevelopment discussions for two weeks to allow for community input. But the community hasn’t formed formal opinions about the project yet.
“It’s not something we’ve been discussing around the table here,” says Cheryl Ledgerwood of the Glebe Centre, located across the street from Lansdowne Park. “Sometimes we wait and see what concrete suggestions come before we take the time and effort to respond in some sort of formal way.”
Groups who use Lansdowne’s facilities also say they aren’t concerned.
Doug Drain, marketing director for the Ottawa ’67s, says the team has five years left in their contract with Lansdowne.
“At the rate that most cities move I don’t think that any finalized decisions or anything will happen within the next five years,” says Drain.