Council approves next phase of Lansdowne redevelopment plans
Posted Jun 8, 2022 07:40:00 PM.
Ottawa city councillors approved the next phase of the Lansdowne 2.0 revitalization plan in principle in a 17 to 7 vote on June 8.
The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group presented its $332 million proposal to redevelop the Lansdowne area in April, a plan that includes a new event centre and north side stands as well as 1,200 residential units.
“The north side stands are quickly coming past their prime as is the Civic Centre,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “I was at the Civic Centre last night, and guess what, the roof was leaking.”
The only money council approved during its lengthy debate on the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal was $8 million to move the plan forward, engage in public consultations and pay staffing for the next phase of the project.
Several motions related to the Lansdowne plans were also approved, including examining traffic impacts and approaches for the affordable housing component of the proposal, along with having the City of Ottawa's auditor general provide a report on the site.
However, a motion to double the proposal's goal of having 10 per cent of units be designated for affordable housing was unsuccessful.
Capital Coun. Shawn Menard was one of the councillors who opposed the plan, primarily for lack of public consultation.
Menard presented a motion to hold off on voting until the next term of council and after public consultation, but it was rejected.
“It's wrong what's going on here and I think we know it's wrong,” he said.
The next phase of the plan will go before this newly elected council, and Stephen Willis, the City's general manager of planning, infrastructure and economic development said the new council members won't be obliged to move forward with the plan.
