Council Meeting to Discuss Stadium Proposals

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

On Monday April 6 at 1:30pm, there will be a Joint Meeting of the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee and the Planning and Environment Committee. The following report by city staff will be tabled at the meeting:

Assessment of Stadium Proposals: Lansdowne Live and Senators Sports & Entertainment (Kanata).

According to Rob Tremblay, the committee coordinator, the report will also be available that day on ottawa.ca.

So it begins...

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

Ottawa Citizen is ramping up it's coverage on the stadium debate:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/fp/stadium+matters/1463102/story.html

Stadium coverage in the Ottawa Citizen:

Saturday: Planning and design specialist Maria Cook writes on what each of the competing proposals would do for Ottawa's urban fabric.
Sunday: The tale of the tape -- a full graphical guide to the projects.
Monday: City hall reporter Patrick Dare explains how each project group makes its play for city support and your tax dollars.
Tuesday: A full account of the city report on the proposals from city hall.

[ChrisB]

George Dark, a Toronto urban designer who created a downtown plan for Ottawa, argues in favour of Kanata."Stadiums can be anywhere," he says. "A stadium does not need a canal to function. A stadium does not need to have a premium site in the city.
"In Kanata you're not taking an existing public asset. It could start to be a critical mass of venues and events in that location. They could share parking, transit would get better, jobs and services would come. It would fulfil the original mandate of putting the Palladium in the countryside.

I have thought all along that this s the argument that SSE has to make. Put the Stadium into Kanata, let us build up housing, offices and business around that and do Lansdowne PROPERLY.

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

I have thought all along that this s the argument that SSE has to make. Put the Stadium into Kanata, let us build up housing, offices and business around that and do Lansdowne PROPERLY.

I agree that this is a key argument SSE have to make. Obviously council are very concerned with having to do something with Lansdowne, even if they decide against any stadium, and they need to be shown that there are other options.

The other key argument in my mind is the fact that the SSE plan uses funding from multiple levels of government, rather than the city borrowing to fund it themselves. Do you want your kids to still be paying for the stadium in 2039, when it will probably need a major overhaul that will also have to be paid for?

Those are the two arguments that are hard to refute in my mind, whether you want soccer or the CFL. Those are the arguments that we will need to get across to councilors like Bob Monette, who had a letter published in the Citizen today. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/empty+stadiums/1463157/story.html

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

Today's piece from the Citizen, comparing the two proposals:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Tale+tape/1465898/story.html

[ChrisB]

... and more from the very prolific Maria Cook on her blog:

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/designingottawa/default.aspx

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

... and more from the very prolific Maria Cook on her blog:

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/designingottawa/default.aspx

I like the approach that Matt Rossetti describes for the Kanata Stadium in this link, although I am skeptical that the end results would be quite as he described. Certainly his early sketches, although very impressive, do not give the impression of "using older materials like brick and stone, looking at being able to grow ivy and winter creepers up the building so it has that feel to it that's it's been there quite a while."

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

I always though that Erick McEvoy was on the right track for Lansdowne, with his vision of a mini-canal lined with townhouses, shops and cafes. The gems of that site are the canal and the Aberdeen Pavilion, and any design must have those two at the centre.

Here are his drawings from Maria Cook's blog:


http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss195/mariacookottawa/LansdownePerspective-1.jpg

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss195/mariacookottawa/LansdownePerspective-2.jpg

[AlanDavidson]

... and more from the very prolific Maria Cook on her blog:

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/designingottawa/default.aspx
Yes Maria Cook in the Citizen seems to be very prolific on the stadium subject, but I don't see the relevance of this or some earlier ones to the Ottawa decisions. I wonder if she talks to Richard Starnes......

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

Patrick Dare in the Citizen today:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Entertainment/What+stake+taxpayers+stadium+debate/1467611/story.html

Just a summary of the situation, no new information until later today.

[ortawa]

From the sun...hardly the most reliable source. But, if Rick Chiarelli's comments about Lansdowne at the bottom are the case, then Kanata Stadium already seems to have little chance of being approved.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/04/06/9019046-sun.html

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

From the sun...hardly the most reliable source. But, if Rick Chiarelli's comments about Lansdowne at the bottom are the case, then Kanata Stadium already seems to have little chance of being approved.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/04/06/9019046-sun.html

His last comment "We may or may not have a decision to make about a stadium" is clearly wrong. Even if they reject both proposals, or send them both back in the hope of getting a better offer, they still need to decide whether to tear down Frank Clair stadium or rebuild it.

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

Discussion of city staff’s report on the stadium proposals starts at 1:30pm. You can get a link to an audio feed of that meeting from the city of Ottawa web site:

http://www.ottawa.ca/index_en.html

[ortawa]

Lansdowne scored over 80%, Kanata has scored over 70% on the city criteria

[ChrisB]

Bullet recommendations:

1. That council accept the staff report
2. That council direct staff to approach the federal/provincial government and determine if there are any sources of funding that would not be available to the light rail plan
3. That in the event that this is a no, that Council decide if they want to take money away from transportation for a stadium.
4. If they are willing to do this, or are willing to put out $100 Million+ on their own, they direct staff to work with the proponents to find out their "best and final offer"
5. If they are not, then they direct staff to inform the proponents that both have been rejected.

My money is on 5.

basically, if there is no federal/provincial money, neither stadium gets built. That is what staff is recommending.

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

They talked about the costs of the proposals, but did I miss where they talked about the benefits, the income to the city from each proposal?

[ChrisB]

I did not hear anything about benefits, beyond stating that both proposals are qualitatively excellent.

[Ottawa MLS Fan]

I did not hear anything about benefits, beyond stating that both proposals are qualitatively excellent.

But isn't it pointless to say an option would cost $7M a year, if that same option will bring in $9M a year?

[Blurrie]

I liked this part....


It says that the revenues expected from their plan were too optimistic.

"Business plan revenues deemed to weigh in favour of proponent instead of the stadium as per industry norm," says the report.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/04/06/9026691.html

[ChrisB]

But isn't it pointless to say an option would cost $7M a year, if that same option will bring in $9M a year?

I don' see how it would bring in $9 Million a year. SSE wants a long term lease at $9 Million total. Plus property taxes? I think they are stating $9 Million once everything is built up. But that is a long time from now, if ever (see: Palladium)