Lansdowne 2.0 decision pushed to Nov. 10
Posted Nov 4, 2023 10:27:53 AM.
Last Updated Nov 4, 2023 10:27:56 AM.
The Lansdowne 2.0 saga continues.
Ottawa city councillors decided to defer votes on the plan and other motions to a special council meeting on Friday, Nov. 10.
Councillors approved a motion from Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts to debate and decide on the plan and several motions at next week’s special council meeting.
The motion recommends council move into the committee of the whole to debate Lansdowne 2.0 and vote on the plan.
Almost 80 delegations were heard regarding the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan on Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3 in a joint meeting of the City of Ottawa’s finance and corporate services committee and planning and housing committee.
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) 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.
The project has come with its share of concerns from residents, and the area councillor.
A public meeting was hosted by three community associations and organized by a coalition of community groups at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building last month.
Residents were able to share their views on the latest proposal for Lansdowne 2.0 and the reception was overwhelmingly negative.
One main theme was the financial aspect, and how the first redevelopment phase of Lansdowne Park has not seen any positive cashflows.
“We’re here because the Lansdowne project originally designed by OSEG and the City of Ottawa has been a failure, an abject failure. An urban catastrophe,” said Alan Freeman, a resident of the Glebe.
That sentiment was shared by many.
“We got here because of aggressive bureaucratic compromise that chased half measures that left us with this unfinished non-park non-community, because we tried to please everyone. And there’s version of this plan that’s going to please everyone but there is a version of this plan that will please no one.” said Brandon Bay, president of the group Make Housing Affordable.
