Lansdowne Park redevelopment
in Ottawa, CanadaCategory: Attraction
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900 Exhibition Way, Ottawa, ON • K1S 5J3, Canada Print route »
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The Lansdowne Park redevelopment is a public-private partnership redevelopment of the Lansdowne Park fairgrounds in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In September 2007, cracks were discovered in Frank Clair Stadium, and a portion of the south-side stands were demolished due to safety concerns. The City of Ottawa subsequently initiated an international design competition to redevelop Lansdowne Park. However, it suspended the competition when a group of Ottawa businessmen known as the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), who had been awarded a Canadian Football League franchise on the condition of securing a home venue in Ottawa, proposed a public-private partnership with the City to rebuild the stadium and redevelop the grounds with residential and commercial uses to finance the reconstruction and annual upkeep of the site. Ottawa City Council decided to enter into a partnership with the OSEG group and cancelled its competitive process.The redevelopment plan split into two components after the City rejected the portion of the OSEG proposal regarding the lands bordering the Rideau Canal. OSEG was assigned the precinct around the Stadium and along Bank Street, while a design competition was held for an 'urban park' to be located along the Canal. The OSEG plan envisions two towers along Bank Street, a new set of grandstands at the football stadium and a new residential and commercial precinct to the north of the Stadium.
The redevelopment plan was opposed by some Ottawa residents, particularly those near the Lansdowne site. Heritage activists objected to a plan to move a heritage building on the site. A court challenge was held in Ontario Superior Court, contending that the City illegally proceeded with the sole-source project. Opponents proposed opening up the redevelopment to a public tender. Other alternatives proposed including building a football stadium in another location and organizing the park reconstruction as a solely public process. An appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board and the Ontario Superior Court challenge were both rejected. An appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal was launched in September 2011 and dismissed in April 2012. The City of Ottawa started construction in 2012, with completion scheduled for 2015.
