The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) revealed in a press conference on April 27 its plan to further redevelop Lansdowne Park.
Lansdowne 2.0, which is estimated at $330 million, includes a modern, standalone event centre, new north-side stadium stands, additional retail space, as well as new residential units to own or rent, including affordable housing.
"The Ottawa Civic Centre is one of the oldest municipal arenas of its type in Canada," said Mark Goudie, president and chief executive officer of OSEG. "It''s charming, holds 55 years worth of memories and has served Ottawa well. But its useful life is over and it, along with the north stadium stands, needs to be replaced."
The new proposed arena would seat 5,500 people. The north side stands will feature 11,200 seats with capacity for 12,000 people. The residential part of the plan will create 1,200 units.
In July of 2021, a report by the City of Ottawa asked OSEG and City officials to explore the possibility of demolishing and replacing the north-side stands at TD Place and the existing arena. The report also called for more housing to improve the long-term viability of Lansdowne.
The event centre, the first phase of the project, will begin in November of this year, with a targeted completion for sometime in September of 2024. The second phase of the project, the north stadium stands, the retail component and parking, is scheduled to begin in December of 2024 with a completion target of some time in May of 2027. The third part of Lansdowne 2.0, the residential portion, will begin construction some time in 2024, and will be done at some point in 2029.
“Ottawa deserves modern venues with modern amenities," Goudie continued. "The arena has always been the heartbeat of Lansdowne, and upgrading it to a mid-size event centre will make it possible for us to retain and attract events that will allow us to continue to make memories for generations to come.”
The City of Ottawa's finance and economic development committee will consider the proposal on May 6.
To view the proposal, visit Evolution of Lansdowne – TD Place / Lansdowne Live.
