Lansdowne Park Redevelopment Phase 1 | Completed

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Todays Citizen editorial--telling it like it is.

Delaying progress

Ottawa Citizen March 22, 2011 7:17 AM Comments (11)

Many large cities in this stormy economic climate would be screaming to proceed on a development as attractive as that proposed at Lansdowne. But then this is Ottawa.

Here in the national capital the civic business is politics and nowhere is it being practised with more expertise than with this project in the Glebe. The city and the surrounding neighbourhood had been dallying about redeveloping the asphalt park along Bank Street for years until a group of prominent local businessmen came along to propose a refurbished stadium, a unique shopping area, commercial-residential buildings, a park and preserved heritage structures on the site. And talking about niche shopping -organic grocer Whole Foods is locating there with more interesting businesses expected in the future.

Nature abhors a vacuum so Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group stepped into the breach to salvage a piece of civic property that was just going to waste. Those businessmen came forward with a project that should appeal to everyone: a mix of commercial, residential, sports and green space that will be an asset to the community.

Were a request for proposal held for Lansdowne, it's highly unlikely that any group could triumph over OSEG with its mix of deep pockets, a CFL franchise, a possible soccer team, expert sports management, deep community involvement and superb business acumen. The redeveloped Lansdowne will be a major economic boost to an Ottawa economy that badly needs diversification as an adjunct to its strong government base and will provide an outstanding location for a wide variety of spectacles in a sometimes entertainment-challenged community.

Opposition to the project, largely focused in the Glebe, is based on long-standing grievances with Lansdowne. Local residents resent the noise from the stadium, street parking occupied by eventgoers and the large rowdy crowds in the neighbourhood going to games and the like.

But Glebe residents bought into that situation. Events have been held at Lansdowne for more than a century so the crowds and noise predate everyone purchasing their homes in that neighbourhood. Perhaps residents have been spoiled in recent years by the quiet coming from a crumbling stadium and the demise of the Central Canada Exhibition. A park of asphalt and rotting structures is the likely result if the OSEG proposal fails. That might make some Glebe residents happy, but it's a poor use of a civic asset.

OSEG's Roger Greenberg is right when he says the current court action by the antidevelopment Friends of Lansdowne is a delaying tactic. The Friends are within their rights to battle the project, but are doing Ottawans a disservice by delaying this entertainment and economic stimulus.

With friends like those, who needs enemies?