Ottawa Senators Kanata Arena

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

I thought they wanted a new arena.
But now they decide to renovate the one they already have.

"The Senators, by the way, are submitting their LeBreton bid by Dec. 15. A final decision by the NCC is expected late in 2016."
Why LeBreton? Why not Hurdman?

I wouldn't worry about the renovation. The plans for Lebreton Flats are still years away and they weren't going to allow CTC to crumble in the meantime. They need to keep the place attractive so that fans will still want to come all the way to Kanata.

On Hurdman, besides the issue with the old garbage dump (which is the deal killer), the area is entirely suburbanized. The purpose of the move to the centre of the city is twofold. They want a more central location to make it more accessible by transit. Hurdman is a good location for that. However, the other reason for moving, is locate the arena in an urban environment where there will be lots of activity, including restaurants and bars nearby. Melnyck is not stupid and sees the buzz that has been created around Lansdowne.

It will be very difficult to create that environment at Hurdman with the arena (used only so many times a year) being the anchor and with Hurdman cut off from downtown and other neighbourhoods by the Queensway. Lebreton will have some challenges in this regard, but the plans for the area are more extensive and hopefully innovative and it is adjacent to older neighbourhoods and downtown without a major expressway in between. This gives Lebreton a lot more potential.

[Radster]

And to add another reason where Lebreton has an advantage over Hurdman - proximity to the Outaouais fan base which will help their efforts in further converting that population (which is still very Habs-centric) to Sens supporters.

[Jim613]

The construction required the removal of 18 suites, eight rows of seats and the concourse behind them,

Haven't been to the arena yet, but did they remove the whole concourse behind the Club Bell section? If so, does that mean the 100 level concourse is now effectively 'U' shaped and that we can't walk around the entire level anymore?

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

I thought they wanted a new arena.
But now they decide to renovate the one they already have.

"The Senators, by the way, are submitting their LeBreton bid by Dec. 15. A final decision by the NCC is expected late in 2016."
Why LeBreton? Why not Hurdman?

Because the NCC currently has a competition open for the redevelopment of Lebreton Flats. Hurdman is not an available development site.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Because the NCC currently has a competition open for the redevelopment of Lebreton Flats. Hurdman is not an available development site.

Hands down the best argument!!

[eltodesukane]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Because the NCC currently has a competition open for the redevelopment of Lebreton Flats. Hurdman is not an available development site.

Too bad. Hurdman is already a major transit center, and could be so much more.

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

Too bad. Hurdman is already a major transit center, and could be so much more.

Unfortunately the same could be said for the majority of our major transit centres

[J.OT13]

Sens have plans for Canadian Tire Centre even if they move to LeBreton

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun

First posted: Friday, February 05, 2016 10:32 PM EST | Updated: Friday, February 05, 2016 10:35 PM EST


The owner of the Ottawa Senators says the organization won't abandon Kanata if the team moves downtown.

Eugene Melnyk and his group of bidders for LeBreton Flats hinted Friday at longer-term plans for the Canadian Tire Centre, if the team's home ice moves downtown.

The building would no longer be a rink, they told a Postmedia editorial board.

Melnyk said the team has a plan to repurpose the Canadian Tire Centre and build more on the 76 acres he owns around the Kanata arena.

He's promising details within the next month.

"I think it's going to be a spectacular site even post-Sens," Melnyk said.

Club president Cyril Leeder said it might convert the CTC into a smaller venue and hosting other ice sports, such as curling.

Melnyk was clear the Senators need more revenue beyond hockey, merchandise, sponsorships and food and beverage. That's why building a downtown arena and complementing it with a mixed-use community is important for the Senators.

The club is battling it out with Devcore Canderel DLS, a group that's also proposing an NHL arena for LeBreton, plus other attractions.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/02/05/...ve-to-lebreton

[rocketphish]

West-end councillors have big dreams for the Canadian Tire Centre
Could the Canadian Tire Centre become Ottawa's version of the West Edmonton Mall?

By: Lucy Scholey Metro Published on Mon May 02 2016

West-end Ottawa city councillors are dreaming up ways to fill Kanata’s NHL arena, now that the Ottawa Senators are likely moving to LeBreton Flats.

Last week, the National Capital Commission announced RendezVous LeBreton, which is backed by the Ottawa Senators, is the “preferred” bidder for the 22 hectares of land downtown.

That means an NHL-calibre arena, mixed housing and green space are in the cards for LeBreton Flats. It also means an aquarium, car museum and media centre are out – as per DCDLS Group’s competing bid.

But maybe an aquarium could go in the Canadian Tire Centre, which is the Ottawa Senators’ current home, said Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley. Or a planetarium, a bio-dome or all of the above.

“We’ve been talking about some sort of theme park like (Canada’s) Wonderland or maybe a mixed theme park-retail like in West Edmonton Mall,” he said.

The news is bittersweet for business owners in Kanata, he said, but the Senators’ move could spur something that financially boosts surrounding restaurants and shops beyond NHL games and concerts.

And, as an aside, a downtown arena could speed up the need for light rail transit in the west end, he said. Currently, the plan is to extend the line to Bayshore by 2023. Hubley has asked staff to study the possibility of bringing light rail to Kanata by 2031.

Because the Ottawa Senators own the Canadian Tire Centre property, the future of the arena lies with them. And the team is looking at another five to 10 years before they move out.

Whatever goes in that space, Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson wants something more than another subdivision.

“Let’s have something great go there. Just as we’re having something great go downtown,” she said.

Meanwhile, most city councillors seem warm to the RendezVous LeBreton proposal.

Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said it was her preferred bid from the get-go.

“To have a hockey team located in the downtown, especially situated on light rail, I always thought it was preferable to being out as far as they are today.”

The National Capital Commission will start negotiations with RendezVous LeBreton. The plan will not be final until next year.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/...nhl-arena.html

[eltodesukane]

"maybe an aquarium could go in the Canadian Tire Centre"
-- Rarely can an existing building be properly converted to some specialized purpose.
The Montreal Olympic velodrome, converted into the Biodome, is a pathetic case example of a failed conversion. The Canada Science and Technology Museum on St. Laurent Blvd. is another example.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

The Montreal Olympic velodrome, converted into the Biodome, is a pathetic case example of a failed conversion.

I'm not a fan of the Kanata aquarium idea, but what do you mean by this statement? The Biodome has been hugely successful since its conversion. It's one of the largest tourist draws in Montreal.

[acottawa]

I think that car pavilion that devcore was proposing would be a good fit for the site. It is close to the auto mall and is more centrally located for people who are into cars.

[McC]

yep, nothing pathetic about the Biodôme. The old Forum was successfully converted to multiplex cinema. School and hospital buildings have been transformed into glorious loft apartments around this town and elsewhere. Building conversions happen all the time.

[J.OT13]

Third major project planned for Ottawa by Melnyk.

Won't necessarily be on the Corel Centre lands, but this seems to be the best spot for the article.

OBJ EXCLUSIVE: Eugene Melnyk eyeing plans for pharmaceutical plant in Ottawa, source says

OBJ StaffPublished on May 18, 2016

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is actively exploring not just his plans for LeBreton Flats and options for repurposing the Canadian Tire Centre site in Kanata, but also a third prospective development project in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Business Journal has learned that Mr. Melnyk and his adviser, Ken Villazor, chartered a helicopter this past weekend to conduct an in-depth aerial survey of not only LeBreton Flats, where the consortium that Melnyk leads is negotiating a new development with the National Capital Commission, but the Canadian Tire Centre location in Kanata.

In addition, a source says Mr. Melnyk is scouting locations for the possible development of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility ranging from 125,000 to 200,000 square feet.

Melnyk made his fortune in the pharmaceutical industry, founding companies including Biovail.

The trip was planned, in part, to help Mr. Melnyk understand the amount and type of growth that has occurred around the 76-acre Canadian Tire Centre site. That is a sign that Mr. Melnyk is already seriously considering how the Kanata property will be redeveloped once the Senators move downtown, which the current plans say could happen as early as 2021.

The three projects add up to a significant amount of real estate activity for Mr. Melnyk. In total, the Senators will participate in a total of 129 acres across two major hubs that will shape both the western expansion of the downtown core and the economic future of Kanata.

The pharmaceutical project is in its early stages but suggests that Mr. Melnyk is not only interested in renewing his own investment in the industry but also working to make Ottawa a player in a sector where it has not had much activity in the past.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/2016-05-18/a...-source-says/1

[rocketphish]

Sens announce new renovations to Canadian Tire Centre

OBJ Staff
Published on July 13, 2016

The Ottawa Senators are planning more renovations to the Canadian Tire Centre despite long-term plans to build a new arena for the team in LeBreton Flats.

"We’re still committed to the long term to being downtown, but that’s going to take some time and we need to continue to invest in the building here and do initiatives and activities for our fans," Senators president Cyril Leeder told reporters at a news conference earlier this week.

"It helps us stay current with trends in the league and in sports entertainment and will be a bit of a testing ground for our new arena as well."

Mr. Leeder announced a plan to renovate a section of the 200-level to create what it calls "Molson Canadian Fan Deck," a new section that will include a bar area, suites and seats.

He told reporters the new section will build on the success the team saw with its members-only section Club Bell, which it launched last fall. The 20,000-square-foot premium seating area at the west end of the arena’s 100 level featured new seating options and a kitchen for the exclusive use of the club’s 472 members and was part of a $15-million overhaul of Canadian Tire Centre.

The new section will be open to the general public. Anyone attending a game will be allowed in the bar area and tickets will be sold as usual, though Mr. Leeder said around half of the season tickets in the section had already been sold.

Mr. Leeder declined to provide the dollar value for the cost of the renovation.

"It’s a big project," he says. "It’s a significant addition to the building."

The organization also announced this week that it has extended its partnership with Molson Coors Canada, which goes back to the team’s first season in 1992-93, through the 2020-21 season.

"It’s a really important partnership and we don’t think we have one that’s more important that we’ve had over the past 25 years," Mr. Leeder says.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/Sports-and-e...-Tire-Centre/1

[1overcosc]

Smart move. It will probably take until 2018 for the agreements on LeBreton to be finalized... then there's decontamination work that has to finish before construction can start. We're probably looking at 2023 for the arena at the earliest. Possibly even later if the arena isn't part if the first phase.

[J.OT13]

Also a great way to test the market before designing the new building.

[zzptichka]

I still find it mind-blowing that you can't walk from CTC to Tanger Outlets mall because there are no sidewalks on these bridges.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

I still find it mind-blowing that you can't walk from CTC to Tanger Outlets mall because there are no sidewalks on these bridges.

It's somewhat understandable considering everything north of the 417 was farm fields when the arena and bridges were built, but the Tanger development (and all other recent residential and commercial) should have included at least a new pedestrian bridge to reach the south end, if not a rebuild of the two existing overpasses.

This is a problem elsewhere in Ottawa as well; Blair Road going over the 174 has no sidewalks. Reasoning was likely the pedestrian bridge to the station, but I see people walking across anyway, sometimes using mobility devices. Other overpasses have sidewalks, but they are very narrow.

Time to take more space away from cars.

Glad LeBreton will be built with pedestrians and cyclists in mind, with little car infrastructure. That said, we need an east-west covered path to connect Bayview and Pimisi stations with the arena and greatly improve connectivity to Zibi. I really wish they would have constructed buildings with frontage to Booth between Wellington and the River; the barren LeBreton Flats Park, the war Museum and a bunch of huge monuments don't offer a great pedestrian experience, especially in winter.

[OTSkyline]

Why would you want to? That part of town is stereotypical suburb, car-oriented developments. Roads roads and more roads, no sidewalks, empty fields, long distances between destinations - it's made for cars and cars only.