Community-led meeting taking place as OSEG makes changes to Lansdowne 2.0 plan

A community meeting based on recent changes to the Lansdowne 2.0 is taking place on Oct. 11.

The meeting, ‘Let’s Talk Landsdowne!’ is free to attend and open to the public.

It’s taking place this evening at 7 p.m. at Lansdowne Park’s Horticultural Building and organizers are encouraging residents across the city to provide feedback on the latest plans for Landsdowne 2.0.

The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) has released a redo of its controversial Lansdowne 2.0 project, and the revamp comes with a higher price tag.

The cost of the project has jumped from $332 million to $419 million, due to rising inflation and interest rates.

The plan has also deleted one of three residential towers that were proposed in the earlier plan.

Additionally, the amended plan includes fewer retail spaces and no affordable housing units, with funds set to be redirected to build affordable housing elsewhere in Ottawa.

Carolyn Mackenzie, planning chair for the Glebe Community Association, said the proposal doesn’t factor in costs of underground parking underneath the proposed towers.

Mackenzie goes on to say, she’ll be questioning why costs of underground parking are not included in the report and added, she wonders why tax payers would be subsidizing parking.

“It’s going to cost $19 million and there will be debt of $1 million on that, but for some reason, it seems to be pulled out of the project,” Carolyn Mackenzie, planning chair of the Glebe Community Association on The Sam Laprade Show on Oct. 11. “The City will need to go into parking reserve to cover about $600,000 a year to cover the debt for underground parking.”

Mackenzie said the Glebe Community Association is calling for more transparency, and while the report provides more details, it has raised some flags, including an assumption that some costs will be covered by the province or federal government.

“I think we made a similar assumption in the transit budget last year, that the province would step up and plug the hole of the deficit from the year before,” she explained.

Tonight’s meeting, organized by the Glebe Community Association in partnership with community partners, will hear from Walter Robinson, former director with Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an architect who serves as planning chair for Old Ottawa South Community Association, and more. The intent of the meeting is to discuss changes to the proposal and the financial implications of that, said Mackenzie.

Ottawa’s Urban Design Review Panel, comprised of independent architects and public space landscape artists, provides the City with independent advice and has conducted a formal review of the project, she explained.

“They made clear recommendations to remove the third tower, lowering and staggering the height of those towers,” added Mackenzie. “While the goal is to attract more people to Landsdowne, they were concerned that over-developing would detract from the site.”

Mackenzie explained the city is prioritizing Landsdowne 2.0 and plans could be finalized in the next month, with the following meetings scheduled in the coming weeks:

• Financial and Corporate Services Committee – Nov. 2
• Planning and Housing Committee – Nov. 2
• Built Heritage Committee – Nov. 6
• City Council – Nov. 10

Residents can tune into tonight’s event virtually on Rogers Television via the following link: rogerstv.com/letstalklansdowne.