How To Make Failed Lansdowne Work

Published 09/15/2023 · Updated 09/15/2023

Like most Ottawans, your agent doesn’t go to Lansdowne.

Why? Because I don’t care. What’s there to draw me there?

Nothing.

Restaurants? In Ottawa, they’re a dime a dozen. You can’t throw a brick without hitting a restaurant.

Retail? You can’t throw a brick without hitting a Shoppers Drug Mart. What’s special about Lansdowne. Furthermore, Ottawans can park for free at innumerable big and small malls and get very similar businesses (if not the same) nearby with free parking. At Lansdowne you either pay for parking or struggle to find a spot on the street with a limited time. Parking commissioners hover around waiting to give you a ticket if you stay too long.

City Believed To Be Planning Vital Lansdowne Meeting

So go to the movies? Who needs a VIP movie theatre? This is Ottawa, not New York. Isn’t easier to go to Kanata Centrum with free unlimited parking and 24 screens right there? Furthermore, the walk from the car to the theatre is blessedly short in winter. Or stream at home. Or play video games. Or explore the internet. Or read a book on your tablet at a ridiculously low price. Live theatre? Not at Lansdowne and it is supplied very well elsewhere. Amusement park? Nope. Water slide? Nope.

As well, shopping is ridiculously convenient online. No rain, no snow, no cold, the occasional tornado. A few clicks on your computer and a day or two later your purchase lands on the front porch. Dining out? Skip the dishes. Lansdowne went up just as retail went down. Bad luck.

The world is changing. Lansdowne is not. It is yesterday’s mall in a bad location. And one other thing. Before Lansdowne 1.0, the governance process leading to the new mall alienated the neighbourhood … big time. A mall like Lansdowne needs walk-up because mass transit, cars and parking don’t work. But when you alienate the Glebe, there goes your walkup. Your customers don’t like you. Nice. Lansdowne doesn’t work? No kidding.

Traffic. Bank Street is a mess and the city and the National Capital Commission find new ways to hinder cars. Buses are caught in that traffic. Mass transit? Nowhere to be found and it doesn’t work in Ottawa anyway.

And one other thing. The economy has problems and is about to have more. We have a labour shortage (thus all that immigration). Inflation doesn’t help retail. Restaurants can’t get help. The drug store can’t get help. And prices keep going up. Ah, to be in retail or the service industries.

A very bright and influential person in our community who is hyper-familiar with Lansdowne was angry with me this week (God knows why he was talking with lil ole me at all). I’ve known him for many years and I take his counsel seriously. “You’re negative about everything.” Then he caught himself, realized what he’d said, and waffled. “But that’s your appeal.”

Faint praise. Kind of funny.

Well your agent is negative a lot. There’s lots to be negative about. It’s hard to be positive and, frankly, it’s not news when things are working. God bless light rail. It’s bad for thousands of people but in my business, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. News, news, news. Thank you, City of Ottawa from myself and I’m sure I speak for the whole media industry in that regard.

So now your agent will find something positive to say about Lansdowne … just to prove I’m not completely negative.

Lansdowne is busy on Redblack game days. There I said it.

But that’s not my appeal. So back to negative where I’m much more comfortable. The Canadian Football League is always troubled. Football in Ottawa has a long history of failing. And with time, that’s likely to occur again. The people who run Lansdowne and the football team know the history and they are big boys and girls. They knew what they were getting into. And frankly, as a former big CFL fan (go Bombers go), I’ve tuned in for a few minutes this year and was rather disappointed with the product. It doesn’t look as good as it once did (but then I’m negative. Free advice to the CFL. Get more Canadians on the field. USports is producing wonderful athletes and there are many Canadians in the NCAA. Canadians like to watch Canadians. Call me a maverick. The best athlete in the world, Canadian and decathlete Damian Warner, trained at the University of Western Ontario. Take it from there).

Hockey? Well the 67’s are a good family deal but the Gatineau Olympics are much more fun … at least until they moved their arena to a worse location. Do we need a another arena? There’s a big one in Kanata that sits empty a lot. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. You’re a big sports fan. Did you consider that?

So the Redblacks are unique. They have a big niche. People like them … at least for awhile.

And that’s what brings us back to Lansdowne. What brings people downtown with paid or lousy parking? Unique. Niches. People go to the Mayfair and ByTowne theatres because they offer something unique. Small numbers of rabid movie bugs go there because they offer something they want. Same with the National Arts Centre and the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

People go to the Bytowne because they like it … a lot. Lousy parking, kind of crappy rapid transit and a gruesome neighbourhood but people go … because the product appeals. Ottawa is a smart town. Smart people like the smart movies at the Bytowne.

So my very simple advice for the people at Lansdowne and the City of Ottawa (partners in name only) is make Lansdowne unique. Give the people something they want or need. Make the drive and the lousy parking worth the fight. The ByTowne does it. So can you (oops, positive again).

What is that niche? Don’t know. What are its many niches? Beats me.

Does Lansdowne 2.0 satisfy any new niches? Not really. It puts more people on the site and perhaps the Shoppers will sell more bread and milk. But dollars to donuts when the residents need a real whack of groceries at Lansdowne, they’re driving to the Superstore or Costco.

Star-Studded Group Demands Open Lansdowne Process

Tempting as it is to take bulldozers and a dozen wrecking-balls to Lansdowne, that won’t happen. We’re stuck with it. The best bet in the first place was to make Lansdowne a beautiful park or sell it off. A lot less headaches for the city and taxpayers.

Until that happens a century from now, we’re stuck with Lansdowne, for better and most likely worse.

So we must make the best of it.

The answer? Not Lansdowne 2.0. We’ve seen Lansdowne doesn’t work and Lansdowne 2.0 is more of doesn’t work.

Here is the answer.

Make Lansdowne unique. Make it a place to go more often than just game nights. Make it a place where people want to go … not a place where nobody cares about it. Make it a destination rather than an after-thought, if that.

Make it unique.

How? Smarter people than me will have to figure that out.

But more of failure just brings you more failure.

Unique. Think unique.

Ken Gray

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Tags: Lansdowne Ottawa Ottawa Redblacks unique

Lorne Cutler says:
09/15/2023 at 11:01 AM
Cafe Aroma is a relatively new coffee shop chain in Toronto. In addition to coffee, they offer a healthy Mediterranean food menu. They opened in 2007 in Toronto and now have 35 locations so clearly they have done well. They were part of the first batch of retail stores in Lansdowne. A unique chain with a full food menu, but since coffee shops are typically reliant on the local neighbourhood, they required the support of the surrounding communities to survive. They closed prior to COVID due to lack of business. As Bulldog has pointed out, if you alienate your local neighbours, don’t expect the neighbours to come to Lansdowne to support the businesses there. If most of the restaurants didn’t have such expansive patios, they probably would be out of business as well. One point the Bulldog didn’t mention, don’t design your shopping complex such that half of it is a dark wind tunnel and expect many people to visit.
Bruce says:
09/15/2023 at 11:36 AM
In the not too distant past, one of the attractions to Landsdowne was a farmers market. Expand this to local crafts, entertainment by buskers and you may have a start. People will go to where their friends and neighbours go BUT ONLY if it is friendly and worthwhile. No expensive parking and NO wind tunnels.