Goudie: Crucial next steps for Lansdowne focus on modernization and housing

The rejuvenated Lansdowne is again ‘Ottawa’s gathering place.’ It would be irresponsible to let its city-owned facilities deteriorate to nothing more than a lockbox of stored memories.

Published Jul 31, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read

Mark Goudie, CEO of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), is enthusiastic about a proposal for Lansdowne that would see the arena and other areas overhauled and modernized. Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia

If you ask anyone who has grown up or lived for some time in Ottawa, you’ll find that Lansdowne has been an important part of our psyche and a place where we have come together to be thrilled, cheer, boo, cry, grow, play and connect with one another for more than 175 years.

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I am proud of the role that everyone associated with a rejuvenated Lansdowne, on the banks of the UNESCO World Heritage Rideau Canal and in the heart of our beautiful city, has played in once again making it “Ottawa’s gathering place.” We have turned a dilapidated old site which had an arena and a partially condemned stadium in the middle of a sea of asphalt (without a single blade of grass) into one that now attracts more than four million people annually.

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We come to cheer on the Redblacks, 67’s, Atlético and BlackJacks. We come to take in concerts, theatre and comedy shows. We come to visit the Christmas markets, farmers’ markets, weddings, proms and other programming in the city’s Aberdeen Pavilion, Horticulture Building or on the Great Lawn (with many blades of grass). We come to taste, shop and spend time in the restaurants and shops with family and friends in a safe and welcoming place.

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Lansdowne has become a place of belonging for neighbours, tourists and residents from across the region, bringing a vibrancy to our downtown core.

And because we come from far and wide, to do so much, Lansdowne now employs more than 4,000 full- and part-time friends and neighbours and contributes between $270 million and $530 million a year to the local economy. The site has become an anchor for substantive economic and tourism opportunities for Ottawa, injecting a vibe around which the city has been growing.

This year, there has been a lot of buzz about the City of Ottawa’s plan to modernize the charming, historic, nostalgic — but leaky and crumbling — 1967-built centennial Civic Centre arena and north stadium stands complex. The plan has been dubbed Lansdowne 2.0 and it includes a new, smaller 5,500-seat event centre; new and smaller north stadium stands; and an expanded retail podium with more experiential and destination-based entertainment options. The site will be more welcoming for visitors, more importantly for those with accessibility challenges, and more environmentally responsible than the city’s current old, energy-intensive facilities.

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More housing on offer

On top of this new public infrastructure, the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal before city council includes the addition of much-needed residential opportunities.

Ottawa’s housing supply is not keeping up with population growth and the new residential buildings currently proposed to include 1,200 rental and condominium units will offer much-needed housing stock. The City of Ottawa has committed to building 151,000 new homes by 2031. Lansdowne is an optimal location in the heart of the city to add density and variety to support the widely recognized and accepted concepts of the built environment and 15-minute neighbourhoods.

It is important to note the city is the driver of this plan. The city will negotiate the sale of the air rights for the residential complex, select the builder and fully develop the residential plan, including affordable housing. The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) will work with whoever is selected to ensure proper integration of the residential facilities with the retail podium.

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This has not been a rushed process and is most certainly not final. The vision for Lansdowne 2.0 began back in early 2020. With studies and public consultations now underway, Lansdowne has become the most extensively consultative project the city has ever undertaken. The expectations are that this next phase of the project will be completed in the next couple of months with the studies and consultations back before city council in the fall.

Ottawa is a G7 capital city and home to more than one million people. Growth and prosperity are what allow us to support our social infrastructure and fund some of the priorities that large cities, including ours, will face over these coming decades. One of the biggest risks to growth and prosperity is the ability to retain and attract labour and world-class talent. That requires more places and things to do that enrich their lives. Places like Lansdowne.

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Lansdowne belongs to all of us. It is an important neighbourhood, regional and tourist destination. It would be irresponsible to let these city-owned facilities deteriorate to nothing more than crumbling facilities and a lockbox of stowed-away memories.

The Ottawa region overwhelmingly supports a modernized Lansdowne with amenities that can bring more inclusive and accessible experiences to Ottawa. In the fall, we will need that silent majority to voice its support to ensure that our leaders know that there is city-wide approval for investments in city-building, in placemaking, and in ensuring that Ottawa’s number one experiential destination continues to be the place to make memories for families and friends for the next 60 years and beyond.

Mark Goudie is a lifelong Ottawa resident and the President and CEO of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG).