Lansdowne 2.0 is headed to Ottawa city council for a final vote after the finance and corporate services committee voted in favour of the nearly $419-million development Thursday.
The vote was 8-3 and came at the end of a marathon, multi-day meeting that saw dozens of people weigh in.
Lansdowne’s redevelopment would increase accessibility on the grounds, redevelop the hockey arena and event centre and the north-side stands, as well as add new residential space.
Supporters have said these are necessary renovations that would keep the Glebe site viable for major sports and entertainment events.
Critics, meanwhile, have been concerned — among other things — with the financing model and extended partnership with Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), the owners of the Ottawa Redblacks and the Ottawa 67s.
But one of the biggest worries has been whether those two sports teams would remain at Lansdowne past their commitment to stay until 2032.
“The Ottawa Redblacks quite practically can’t play anywhere else,” said Roger Greenberg, OSEG’s executive chairman and managing partner.
“The Ottawa 67’s have been here since 1967,” he added. “And I’m happy to say that, if it makes council feel more comfortable that we add another 10 years to the commitment we have right now, I’m happy to give that commitment.”
Greenberg later told CBC News that commitment applies to both teams.
Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard put forward a motion that requires OSEG to keep both the Ottawa Redblacks and the Ottawa 67’s at Lansdowne until at least 2042. (Francis Ferland/CBC)
His statement went hand-in-hand with a motion brought forward by Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard, a fierce critic of the project.
Menard’s motion originally required OSEG to commit to keeping both teams at Lansdowne until the end of the new partnership agreement in 2075. It was later amended to 2042 to reflect Greenberg’s statement and was carried.
Another motion Menard tabled, which was also carried, increased the share of air rights profits that would go toward affordable housing — from the previously approved $9.75 million amount to $22.75 million.
Tax will help cover debt
The debt the Lansdowne 2.0 project would incur, plus interest, totals $694 million, which the city will service by paying $17.4 million annually.
A portion of that payment will come from raising the municipal accommodation tax (MAT) on hotels from five per cent to six.
From that, $2 million annually would be put towards the debt.
That tax is “among the most certain of the various revenue sources” that will help reduce the cost to taxpayers of repaying the Lansdowne 2.0 debt, said Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper.
But Leiper was concerned the amount would be devalued in the decades to come.
He introduced a motion that would see that fixed $2 million changed to 40 per cent of the MAT increase’s revenue, meaning that number grow would in the future with growth and inflation.
“Ten years from now that extra point could mean $10 million more,” he said. “That should result, year over year, in significantly more money.”
In the end, Leiper, Menard and Coun. Rawlson King voted against the proposal.
Councillors Matt Luloff, Laura Dudas, Catherine Kitts, Cathy Curry, Glen Gower, Tim Tierney, David Brown and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe voted in favour, while Coun. Riley Brockington missed the vote due to a health issue.
Last chance to weigh in
Day two of the debate on Lansdowne 2.0 was also the public’s last chance to weigh in on the proposal for the site.
Delegates expressed mixed opinions, with some supporters pointing to the benefits of a new event venue and detractors saying there are other city facilities that could benefit more from far less investment.
Marcia Morris, a founding member of the Ottawa Sport Council, said the city has missed out on events because of the lack of investment in other existing facilities.
“I was part of the bid committee for the 2021 Canada Summer Games that we lost to Niagara, and we lost [to] them because of the Nepean Sportsplex,” Morris said of the facility that no longer meets World Aquatics standards.
She proposed that the city only carry out necessary renovations at Lansdowne and fund the revitalization of other city facilities to make sport more accessible for everyone.
Ali Shafaee, vice-president of Live Nation — which will oversee 100 concerts in the city this year — gave his support, saying Ottawa is “lacking a mid-size event centre.”
“We tend to skip over Ottawa,” he said. “We’ll do Toronto and we’ll do Montreal, we’ll skip the corridor. And a lot of that is based on the facilities we have available to us.”
The Lansdowne 2.0 plan will now go to full city council for a final vote next week.