NCC considering bids for ‘major attractions’ in new LeBreton Flats development plan
Posted Apr 7, 2022 07:11:00 PM.
The National Capital Commission (NCC) is moving forward on new plans for the development of LeBreton Flats that could include a new Ottawa Senators arena, but the board will not be releasing any details until its next meeting in June.
The NCC said Thursday that it has received multiple bids to build “major attractions” on two sites at LeBreton Flats and it will spend the next two months evaluating those proposals and negotiating with prospective developers. Once a preferred group is chosen, the NCC will announce the new development plan publicly.
This comes after the NCC hit the reset button on the LeBreton project in 2018 after the problem-plagued development group RendezVous LeBreton headed up by local developer John Ruddy and the late Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk fell into legal disputes and the board voted to terminate the partnership.
The new phase of the LeBreton project is being called the “Flats Phase” and will formally launch in June 2022, seeking a new proponent to develop up to four parcels of land on the LeBreton flats site.
An NCC press release describes the new vision for the development as “an important gateway to LeBreton Flats from Wellington Street and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway”. The successful development group will receive the land on a long term lease and will still be required to pay for the cleanup of toxic soil and construction of local infrastructure like road ways, as is the regular practice in private real estate development in Ottawa.
The process to finalize the lease for the land could take until the end of 2022. The NCC did not share any timeline for eventual ground breaking on the project.
