Denley: Cut the red tape and get Lansdowne 2.0 done

Article content

Critics of the latest phase of the Lansdowne Park redevelopment would have us believe that the city is in a rush to replace the deteriorating soccer stands and dilapidated Civic Center.

If this is a rush, then a sloth is hyperactive. In 2021, the city asked its Lansdowne partner, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), to develop a track and grandstand plan. The following year, OSEG quickly came back with a plan for new stands, a new track, a new commercial, and a pair of apartment towers to help pay for it. Last fall, the council approved the concept, with some amendments. This week the contracting method is expected to be approved.

Article content

Article content

All of this has taken just three years and there is still no detailed plan for the new buildings, much less a contract to carry out the works. Final approval from the city council will not occur until the plans and price are firm. That could come as “early” as the end of next year, if all goes well.

The new hockey rink, or event center as they like to call it, is not scheduled to open until 2027. The new soccer stands won’t be ready until mid-2029. The apartment towers will be built in the early 2030s. Some rush.

That leisurely pace could have been even worse if not for some new legislation promised by the provincial government. It will limit the right of third parties to appeal development decisions to the Ontario Land Court. This looks certain to end an appeal by the Glebe Community Association, which is concerned about the loss of green space that will result from replacing the hockey rink with a free-standing building. Now, the Civic Center is hidden under the north side bleachers, something that must have seemed like a good idea when the track was built in 1967.

The community association’s appeal had little chance of success, but it could have added years of delay to an already slow process.

Article content

His colleague Mohammed Adam argued in a recent column that the city has always lacked imagination and ambition when it comes to Lansdowne. Okay, but that ship sailed 15 years ago when the city approved the redevelopment that now occupies the Lansdowne site.

It’s a little late to talk about the merits of an international design competition. The opportunity to design half a football stadium and a small hockey rink would not attract the best architectural minds in the world. The city is fortunate to have Brisbin Brook Beynon, a competent and experienced local firm, who will design the two buildings.

The city is acting as it should: replacing obsolete public sports facilities with modern structures. Anyone who thinks they’re racing to get there should take a look at the staff report supporting this week’s council decision.

He densely constructed document It seems that the city’s bureaucracy moves at a pace that only city bureaucrats would consider fast. He spent a lot of time contemplating different procurement models, with the help, of course, of outside consultants. In the end, staff recommends that buildings be designed by the architect chosen by OSEG, followed by bids from construction companies. Staff prefer this approach because they are more familiar with it, according to the report. That statement makes the process seem like a waste of time.

Article content

However, lack of familiarity has not stopped staff from dedicating time to a “social procurement framework”. Despite admitting that neither they nor the construction industry know much about it, the intention is to make the reconstruction of Lansdowne a pilot project for social development. As such, it will require an evaluation of such relevant elements as racial and gender equity, inclusion, and indigenous relations.

The people working on this should be transferred to something useful right away, maybe filling potholes.

When it comes to Lansdowne, all that’s really required is an acceptable design and a price that fits the city’s budget. Let’s leave all the bureaucratic work and do it.

Randall Denley is a journalist and author from Ottawa. Contact him at [email protected]

Article content