Do The Right Thing At Lansdowne: BENN

Flawed processes invariably lead to flawed outcomes. Exhibit A: Lansdowne.

With council considering the final step on Lansdowne within the next few weeks, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has presented Lansdowne as binary. Now or never. Apparently not now, but perhaps later is not an option. He calls that a deflection from the issue – as he defines it.

How about another option? How about re-starting the process by defining this as a city-building opportunity? Starting with a big picture vision of the art of the possible.

The financial stories are not worth repeating. Neither side is listening to the other, and hasn’t for more than a year now. Besides, city building opportunities are not based on accounting projections. They are based on vision.

A quick recap of the situation is necessary to understand the context of this city-building opportunity.

Back at the turn of the 20th century, Lansdowne Park was donated to the city as a public recreation area. Back then, Lansdowne Park was near the outer-built perimeter of the city. A city that was designed around the horse-drawn carriage. When the Aberdeen Pavilion (the Cattle Castle) was built, its primary purpose was as an exhibition facility. It was adapted to host the Ottawa Silver Seven and later, the first edition of the Senators professional hockey team. The football stadium was added later.

Flash forward more than a hundred years, and Lansdowne remains a reasonably long walk from downtown. But it is no longer reasonably accessible from anywhere except the adjacent neighbourhoods. Buses must share the mainly single-traffic lane with motorists and cyclists, in each direction along the north-south route Bank Street. On game days, be they for football, soccer or the occasional international sports event buses are lined up bumper-to-bumper. Pedestrians move at a much faster pace along the too-narrow sidewalks. The winding, scenic Queen Elizabeth Driveway is one lane in each direction, with essentially no left turn lanes to ease through traffic.

Bicycle access is challenging. Bank Street is one long hazard zone given the traffic congestion and on-again off-again street parking and bus stops. The multi-user path along the canal is safer for cyclists, but those darn pedestrians keep getting in the way.

There is no solution. There are too many physical constraints to expand either Bank Street or the Driveway. Very simply put, the city has outgrown Lansdowne as a site for hosting large-capacity events. Outgrown because it is no longer possible to get to or from Lansdowne in a reasonable amount of time.

Spending another $420 million to $500 million dollars to refurbish the stadium and arena won’t change the overwhelming challenges of moving more than 20,000 people to and from the site.

What to do? How about thinking outside of Lansdowne? LeBreton Flats is the proposed site for a new Ottawa Senators arena. Why not build a 20,000 seat soccer and football stadium near the new Senators facility? Add to the array a small, say 5,000 seat, baseball stadium. Ensure that there is parking for 5,000 vehicles nearby, such as on the south side of Scott Street, where the decrepit City Centre facility is.

Envision a festival and event centre. Bluesfest could use some of the facilities for their bigger name acts. Move Jazzfest from the tiny site across from city hall. Concerts of varying sizes. Trade shows that are currently hosted at the EY Centre in the near south, where everyone drives to, notwithstanding the recent introduction of a small LRT station. Conferences too large for the existing more-central conference centre.

No motor vehicles would be permitted, save for those that supply and service the facilities. Who knows, some of the people attending the events may even dare to use the LRT – to and from the east, west and south.

The critical mass of events would create a draw that would support a vibrant restaurant cluster. Ensure that there is a lot of patio space. Patios that can be used for eight or nine months of the year.

How to fund it? Start by selling the seldom used baseball stadium to property developers. The site is well-served by higher capacity roadways. There is an LRT station on the south side of the 417.

Drop the football stadium at Lansdowne – literally. Return it to its original purpose – a public recreation site.

These suggestions are not made because they represent the best possible use. No. Rather because that is what should have happened a decade or more ago, before Lansdowne 1.0. There should have been an open competition that invoked a broader vision, rather than responding to an unsolicited bid by a self-interested group OSEG. The reality is that a decade and change ago, and again now, the people who were tasked with ensuring that the best interests of the public failed to do that.

Let’s defer the Lansdowne 2.0 decision and re-start with what is in the best interests of the public.

To borrow a line from former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty … it is never too late to do the right thing.

Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.

For You:

The Office Is Dead: RICHARD FLORIDA

Lansdowne: Sketchy Bluster From Denley: GRAY

Lansdowne Bad Economics: CHERNUSHENKO

Get Out Of Lansdowne While You Still Can: GRAY

Chocolate Cake For Breakfast: PATTON

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