Lansdowne Park Redevelopment Phase 1 | Completed

[rocketphish]

OSEG should get access to lifecycle money and a 10-year contract extension, committee decides

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Nov 13, 2020 • Last Updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read



Thursday’s finance and economic committee meeting on the possibility of extending a public-private partnership at Lansdowne Park and unlocking financial assistance to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group was like a referendum on the city’s deal with the company.

An amateur football organization, business groups, the live music industry and football fans lined up in the virtual meeting to support OSEG’s request for help from city hall. Even OSEG’s landscaping contractor sent a deputation to back the sports company.

On the other side of the debate were the skeptics, many of whom have consistently over the past 10 years challenged the city’s interest in relinquishing partial control of Lansdowne to the private sector.

After a nearly nine-hour meeting, the committee chaired by Mayor Jim Watson voted unanimously in favour of helping OSEG.

More than 40 public delegates signed up to speak. It felt a bit like 2012 all over again when the city signed off on the redevelopment deal with OSEG.

Eight years later, controversy lingers.

OSEG needs help to survive its Lansdowne partnership with the city, especially now under the financial crush of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s trying to find other private investors.

OSEG is projected to pay an another $40 million over the next five years in the Lansdowne partnership, bringing the owners’ total investment close to $200 million, where they thought in 2010 it would only be a $30-million investment.

The company wants access to $4.7 million in an asset maintenance fund to help mitigate its operational losses. OSEG, which alone contributes to the account, has agreed to repay the money after the pandemic.

More consequentially for the long-term, OSEG wants a 10-year extension of its partnership with the City of Ottawa from the current expiry date of 2044 to provide more opportunity for the partners to recoup some of their investment in the redevelopment. In turn, the city wouldn’t have to worry about the operating costs for an additional 10 years.

Another staff recommendation calls for an end to the “participation rent” — which compels OSEG to, in addition to $1 annual rent, pay a portion of the retail lease profit to the city after the initial 30-year financial “waterfall” scheme — if OSEG transfers the retail component.

The city also wants to form a working group to “improve the partnership” with OSEG.

The majority of public delegates spoke in favour of OSEG’s involvement at Lansdowne and the company’s contribution to Ottawa through the sports franchises and philanthropic work of its owners.

Others warned councillors about making major changes to the Lansdowne agreement without public input.

June Creelman of the Glebe Community Association said the organization supports allowing OSEG to access the $4.7-million maintenance account, but argued that recommendations to extend the city’s agreement with the company should be part of a larger consultation.

Creelman also called on councillors to hold off on a decision until, at least, after an audit on the Lansdowne waterfall scheme, which is due to be released later this month.

“What’s the rush to do this right now?” Creelman said. “Let’s take our time, get it right.”

Angella MacEwen, an economist at CUPE, warned the city about making significant long-term changes to the Lansdowne partnership in the middle of a downturn caused by the pandemic.

Coun. Shawn Menard, who represents the Lansdowne community, but isn’t a member of the committee, wanted councillors to pay attention to revenue the city might give up in the long term from the rent and profit-sharing in the retail area of the site.

OSEG co-owner Roger Greenberg, the executive chair of the company, said the partners are willing to keep spending money on the partnership despite a weak financial outlook.

“We want to keep this going,” Greenberg told the committee. “We believe in what we’re doing and we’re prepared to inject another $40 million into this partnership.”

Greenberg also defended the success of the Lansdowne redevelopment against suggestions it provided nothing to the city, pointing to the fact that the city would still be sinking millions (about $4.6 million annually, according to the finance department) into an decrepit Lansdowne property if not for the partnership with OSEG.

City manager Steve Kanellakos also defended his recommendations on helping OSEG. “We are not bailing them out,” he said. “It’s a business decision.”

Kanellakos pointed out that the city has not paid any money toward operations of the OSEG portion of Lansdowne during the partnership.

As part of the redevelopment, the city paid $210 million to revamp the stadium/arena complex and create the urban park, which includes the Aberdeen Pavilion and the relocated Horticulture Building. The city borrowed $127.6 million to pay for the stadium underground parking and borrowed $26.4 million for the urban park.

With a council endorsement on Nov. 25, the city will begin the work of figuring out how Lansdowne should evolve.

Watson doesn’t think the city is necessarily in for another acrimonious battle over the future of Lansdowne.

“We can’t keep fighting old battles,” Watson said in a press conference after the meeting. “We have to move forward.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ear-contract-extension-committee-decides

[rocketphish]

A Lansdowne 2.0 plan is expected in a few months. Here are the hot-button issues
A working group will soon be struck to figure out what needs to change at the historic city-owned land. They would report back by the end of June 2021.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Nov 14, 2020 • Last Updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read



The next transformation of Lansdowne Park could have a rough plan on the table in seven months.

A working group, along with a sponsors group of city councillors, will soon be struck to figure out what needs to change at the historic city-owned land. They would report back by the end of next June after public consultation.

With council on Nov. 25 likely endorsing recommendations by the finance and economic development committees to extend the Lansdowne partnership with OSEG by 10 years and give the company access to $4.7 million in repair funds, attention will quickly turn to the next iteration of Lansdowne.

Here’s what the landscape looks like as the city takes a closer look at the partnership arrangement.

There’s no indication that OSEG plans to drop the “S” in its name. After all, it’s sports that got the redevelopment deal rolling in the first place.

No one knows what the interest will be in Ottawa’s spectator sports if they return during the pandemic. There could also be a long-term impact on franchises and their bottom lines.

While the 2012 Lansdowne agreement requires OSEG to run the football and hockey teams for eight years, the company indicated it has no intention of pulling away from those franchises.

“I think sports is going to play a bigger role long-term here at Lansdowne than it has so far,” OSEG CEO Mark Goudie said during a press conference, pointing to new sports franchise tenants in professional soccer, basketball and rugby.

OSEG, which owns the Ottawa RedBlacks and Ottawa 67’s, has actually expanded its sports empire during the pandemic.

The company took an 18-per-cent stake in the new Ottawa professional baseball team scheduled to make its season debut in the Frontier League next spring, playing at the municipal stadium on Coventry Road. The majority owner of the ball team is Sam Katz of Winnipeg.

“It’s survived pandemics, it’s survived world wars and we’ll get back to playing sports. People love the live drama of sports,” Goudie said. “It just might take us some time.”

On one side of the football field, a modern, airy south-side stands.

On the other, an aging behemoth that doubles as an arena roof.

The north-side stands and arena are functionally out of date, though city manager Steve Kanellakos said he hasn’t seen anything to suggest the complex is structurally unsound.

Still, the working group will need to consider the future of the 1967 complex and how the structure can better contribute to the success of OSEG and improve the city-owned stadium.

Of course, revamping the structure, which could include building a whole new one, could displace the sports teams, requiring a backup plan for temporarily hosting home games.

Perhaps ironically, given the controversy that came with privatizing a portion of the land, the 2012 redevelopment plan might have resulted in an undeveloped site.

“I think one of the things we need to do is, how do we accommodate more people living on the site, which would then help some of the retail businesses to have more (walking) traffic from high-rises,” Mayor Jim Watson said in a press conference.

The city would need to consider where it can shoehorn more homes. The north-side stands and arena complex might provide one of the only options for adding major residential intensification at Lansdowne.

Additionally, the city can’t just drop “affordable housing” into a report on Lansdowne and not follow through with idea.

Coun. Catherine McKenney, council’s liaison for housing and homelessness, caught on to the language in the report and pressed the issue during the committee meeting.

While more development will likely happen at Lansdowne, there probably won’t be cranes in the urban park. Watson said the park is “vitally important” to Lansdowne.

“My goal is very much to protect the green space,” Watson said.

A big reason why OSEG needs to partially restructure the Lansdowne deal is because it wants to bring in new money and it’s hard to find investors for the retail portion under the current agreement with the city.

The owners of OSEG are Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy, John Pugh and William Shenkman.

“One of the things we’re looking to try to do is to bring in potentially an institutional investor, a silent investor, if you want, and that would help bring some capitalization into the waterfall (financial scheme),” Greenberg, OSEG’s executive chairman, told the finance committee on Thursday.

OSEG would retain the management of the retail buildings and continue to report to the city, Greenberg said.

The city has the right to approve any additional partner in OSEG.

Greenberg said the retail portion of Lansdowne has performed well with relatively low vacancy rates. OSEG’s financial difficulties largely stem from the operations at the stadium, he said.

OSEG’s ownership went through a couple changes this year. One of the founding partners, Jeff Hunt, unloaded his stake to the other partners. OSEG also bought down Pugh’s partnership interest.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ew-months-here-are-the-hot-button-issues

[rocketphish]

AG finds Lansdowne Park 'waterfall' needs better scrutiny
The audit warns that the city needs to have close oversight of the financial framework to make sure OSEG can continue meeting its contractural obligations.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Nov 25, 2020 • Last Updated 43 minutes ago • 3 minute read

The auditor general’s office found lapses in the city’s oversight of the Lansdowne Park “waterfall” financial scheme on Tuesday before council considers extending the deal with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group by 10 years.

Council was originally scheduled to consider the contract extension Wednesday, but Mayor Jim Watson has proposed pushing the decision to Dec. 9, giving councillors more time to reflect on the proposal and the audit on the financial scheme.

If there’s one thing everyone at city hall seems be in agreement with when it comes to Lansdowne, it’s that the waterfall is soaked with complexity. Auditor general Ken Hughes even brought in external auditors to help pick through the financial arrangement.

The waterfall describes the cashflow priorities in the Lansdowne partnership. Money pours into the waterfall and accounts fill up across six levels. One level can’t receive a contribution until the previous level receives the required contribution.

The audit warns that the city needs to have close oversight of the financial framework to make sure OSEG can continue meeting its contractural obligations.

Auditors found a few anomalies in how the waterfall funds were being calculated.

OSEG’s additional equity was overstated by $6.5 million in the scheme, which on paper could bring an additional $14 million to the company over the agreement since there’s eight per cent interest earned on the equity, auditors discovered.

Auditors, which tied the discrepancy to the accounting of a loan related to repairing the steel in TD Place arena, concluded “there is currently no cash outflow consequence to this error”, but leaving the mistake today could create a barrier to correcting it in the future.

The audit also found that the interest on OSEG’s minimum equity for 2012 and 2013 were overstated by a total of $944,022.

Hughes characterized the anomalies as differences in interpretation of the Lansdowne agreement.

“We are not saying that OSEG is not performing to the contract,” Hughes said, noting that auditors looked into the numbers at a greater depth than what others have done. “We are saying we disagree with some of the accounting done on the waterfall.”

City finance managers defended their oversight of the Lansdowne agreement, pointing out that the city hired Ernst & Young for its own study on the numbers covering the years between 2012 and 2017, and the firm already made findings.

On the other hand, Hughes was quick to point out that Ernst & Young didn’t do a full-blown audit.

City management agreed with all 11 recommendations that were in the audit by Hughes’s team. They largely relate to closer monitoring and better verifications of the financial data.

The city isn’t projected to make any money on the 30-year agreement. OSEG has been paying millions more than originally thought when it signed the Lansdowne deal with the city in 2012, which is why it wants a longer contract term in an attempt to recoup some of its investment, which is closing in on $200 million.

The company is projected to receive a return of $216.5 million over the 30-year agreement. A 10-year extension pushes OSEG’s expected return to $468.4 million over 40 years.

OSEG also wants access to $4.7 million in an account reserved for asset maintenance, which is the first priority level of the waterfall. OSEG wants the money to help offset operational losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current expiry date for the Lansdowne agreement is Dec. 31, 2044.

OSEG has said it’s under financial pressure during the pandemic since, with sports not happening at TD Place, revenues have dropped off. The company, however, flagged fiscal concerns before the pandemic.

If council agrees to help OSEG, a new round of consultations would be launched in the coming months as the city and OSEG consider other ways to restructure the contract and plot the future of Lansdowne.

City chief financial officer Wendy Stephanson said there’s a “very large team across the city” that manages the oversight of various aspects of the Lansdowne agreement.

“Yes, it’s complicated, but we have processes in place to deal with that,” Stephanson said.

The complexity of the Lansdowne deal wasn’t lost on councillors.

Quipped Kavanagh, “I’ll never think about waterfalls the same way again.”

Coun. Shawn Menard, who represents the Lansdowne area and has been highly skeptical of the public-private partnership, said the city should pause before considering an additional 10 years on the contract since auditors have identified deficiencies in the oversight of the waterfall scheme.

[email protected]
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https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ag-finds-lansdowne-park-waterfall-needs-better-scrutiny

[eltodesukane]

This "waterfall" concept remind me of "trickle-down economics": give all the money to the richest guy on top, and some will surely trickle-down to your level.

[rocketphish]

Call OSEG's pitch on Lansdowne Park what it is – a bailout, pure and simple
'It has been increasingly evident that financially, the whole proposition has not been a success that it was supposed to be.'

Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Dec 03, 2020 • Last Updated 10 minutes ago • 3 minute read



There is a strange feeling of déjà vu about the current discussion on yet another Lansdowne Park transformation – or shall we say, re-revitalization.

Only six years into a 30-year partnership, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group is back asking the city to rewrite the deal because, in truth, the current plan has failed to deliver. Many watching the unfolding second act of the Lansdowne saga would be right to say “we told you so.” But that’s cold comfort.

Coun. Diane Deans, who from the very beginning opposed the OSEG plan, says what’s happening now confirms her earlier doubts. “It has been increasingly evident that financially, the whole proposition has not been a success that it was supposed to be,” she says. Indeed.

Lansdowne is bleeding money and OSEG wants to dip into a reserve fund to tide it over for now, and have the partnership extended by another 10 years to 2054 – from 2044. If approved by Ottawa Council next week, that will help OSEG make $468 million over the 40-year life of the new agreement. And taxpayers, you ask? The $62 million the city was supposed to get under the existing 30-year agreement has already evaporated, and taxpayers aren’t likely to get anything at the end of it all.

On the table as well are discussions on rent concessions and the possibility of opening up the site for more housing. In what’s supposed to be a public-private partnership, OSEG seems to be doing all the asking and the city all the giving.

OSEG says the big problem it faces is that the pandemic has wreaked havoc on its business, a business that relies heavily on human traffic – either for the retail section, football and hockey attendance or big musical and other entertainment events. That’s very true. Businesses, large and small across the country, have been decimated by COVID-19, and some have folded. OSEG has everyone’s sympathy on that score.

But the reality is that OSEG was in financial trouble before COVID-19 struck. It lost $14 million in 2016, nearly $8 million in 2017, and was already talking about a strategic review back in 2019. The pandemic has played a part no doubt, but the real problem with Lansdowne is a failure of vision. There was a chance to do something different there, but the city abandoned an international design competition and sole-sourced the redevelopment to OSEG after it won a CFL franchise.

Lansdowne, we were told, would offer a unique visitor experience, but in truth, what was built was no more than a glorified mall. “Lansdowne will become a true gathering place as was its original purpose back in the 1800s,” Jim Watson said back in 2012. It hasn’t.

Council bought into an oversold plan with rosy projections that have fallen short. OSEG itself says one in three Ottawans has never visited Lansdowne. That’s because a mall has only so much appeal.

I’ve been to Lansdowne a few times with family and friends, and for a couple of the defunct Ottawa Fury game days. But nothing really captures the imagination, and after you’ve been there once or twice, there’s little to make you go back. Beyond game days, Lansdowne has no pull. There’s no animation and practically nothing for families, especially those with children. The so-called urban park is nothing to write home about.

In its haste to rid itself of a decaying site, Ottawa council handed over the site to OSEG, glossing over legitimate concerns about the feasibility of the redevelopment plan. Who knows what Lansdowne would be today if successive councils had shown the courage and imagination to see through a design competition?

Now we are faced with a situation where staff say the city must bow to OSEG or the group will simply walk. “This is not a bailout,” city manager Steve Kanellakos says with a straight face. Of course, it is. The problem, however, is that Lansdowne may have become too big to fail. This ask won’t be the last. And taxpayers will keep bailing it out.

Ottawa journalist Mohammed Adam is a writer and commentator. Reach him at: [email protected]

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-call-osegs-pitch-on-lansdowne-what-it-is-bailout

[J.OT13]

Adam has a point. No doubt the new Lansdowne is a huge improvement over the vast parking lot of yesteryear, but it's nothing special. No effort was made to connect with the canal (that's millions of potential customers through boaters and skaters completely ignored), the $70+ million winning design for the park was reduced to a $30 million ho-hum patch of grass with little more than your typical suburban park, and the promised unique retail mix ended up being no different than a denser version of a big-box mall.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Adam has a point. No doubt the new Lansdowne is a huge improvement over the vast parking lot of yesteryear, but it's nothing special. No effort was made to connect with the canal (that's millions of potential customers through boaters and skaters completely ignored), the $70+ million winning design for the park was reduced to a $30 million ho-hum patch of grass with little more than your typical suburban park, and the promised unique retail mix ended up being no different than a denser version of a big-box mall.

I agree that we have paid the price for cheaping out on the park design. On the other point, I'm not so sure. I've been to countless events at Lansdowne since the redevelopment, ranging from sports tournaments to festivals to shows and concerts. Every one of them was unique in this region. Adam seems to only look at things from the point of view of one demographic, the family (and for the record, my family has found lots of things to do there). The numbers and full patios would suggest that it has become a gathering sport for lots of demographics.

In terms of the retail mix, I think that there is an element of Trinity sticking what they know, which was unfortunate. But there are other factors at play. The partnership agreement was extremely specific on the types of retailers they could lease to, even down to the percentages of each type that would be permitted. To me the retail environment at Lansdowne is largely a product of the City being overly prescriptive in the agreement. If we really want to see what it can become, we should first untie OSEG's hands.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by phil235

Adam seems to only look at things from the point of view of one demographic, the family (and for the record, my family has found lots of things to do there). The numbers and full patios would suggest that it has become a gathering sport for lots of demographics.

Agreed. As a young 20-something I spent a countless number of nights and evenings at Lansdowne, from going to the movies, barhopping, watching sports, and meeting up with friends. For a younger demographic it was a pretty fun spot, but I understand if a family with kids doesn't find it as appealing. Ottawa's younger population sorely needs a place like Lansdowne.

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Agreed. As a young 20-something I spent a countless number of nights and evenings at Lansdowne, from going to the movies, barhopping, watching sports, and meeting up with friends. For a younger demographic it was a pretty fun spot, but I understand if a family with kids doesn't find it as appealing. Ottawa's younger population sorely needs a place like Lansdowne.

I'm a family man and Lansdowne Park is probably my kids' favourite place in the city. Playground, gelato, Sunset Grill, climbing the hill to look inside the stadium. The retail mix could be better for families I guess, but I don't know what they could add to make it any more appealing to families.

[kwoldtimer]

I went to see a movie there once - didn't like the atmosphere and haven't been back. I checked out Whole Foods - wasn't impressed and haven't been back. Had a meal at one of the places (couldn't tell you which) - it was mediocre and haven't been back. I keep meaning to go to the farmers market, but never seem to get around to it. I did go to a charity event at the Horticulture building, and that was OK. I wonder whether my experiences are atypical?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I went to see a movie there once - didn't like the atmosphere and haven't been back. I checked out Whole Foods - wasn't impressed and haven't been back. Had a meal at one of the places (couldn't tell you which) - it was mediocre and haven't been back. I keep meaning to go to the farmers market, but never seem to get around to it. I did go to a charity event at the Horticulture building, and that was OK. I wonder whether my experiences are atypical?

That's similar to my experiences. Restaurants are all (or mostly) mediocre big chains. Parking is ridiculously expensive, even though transit is not a viable option. Cinema is nothing special now that they all seem to have those Barcaloungers. Other than the sports piece and associated festivities (kudos to OSEG for that), there isn't much of a draw for me.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I went to see a movie there once - didn't like the atmosphere and haven't been back.

All movie theatres (Cineplex) are the same...what wasn't to like?

The Cineplex at Lansdowne is probably one of the better locations i've been to. It obviously lacks the local grassroots feel of a Mayfair but there's nothing it can really do about that.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Parking is ridiculously expensive, even though transit is not a viable option.

Any time I went to Lansdowne it was either by bus or walking, or the occasional Uber.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

That's similar to my experiences. Restaurants are all (or mostly) mediocre big chains. Parking is ridiculously expensive, even though transit is not a viable option. Cinema is nothing special now that they all seem to have those Barcaloungers. Other than the sports piece and associated festivities (kudos to OSEG for that), there isn't much of a draw for me.

Being about a km or so away, I'm there quite a bit, as are the majority of people in the general vicinity. I think the theatre is quite nice, especially the view from the lounge, and I particularly like the VIP theatres, but that is pretty much the only place I go other than the Mayfair. I very much like Whole Foods as an alternative to the big chains and shop there quite a bit. Sporting Life is a really nice store as well.

My take on the restaurants - I think Local and Joey are both good, as is Sen Asian. Craft has a great beer selection and good screens, but the food is mediocre. Milestones and Jack Astors are both pretty much what you'd expect from those types of places, although Jack Astor's has the unique combination of a good menu for kids and an excellent beer list for parents. The gelato place is good but crazy expensive, the chocolate place a bit less so. Sunset Grill is fine for a cheap breakfast. Crust and Crate has been consistently terrible in my experience.

The patios are really good as a general rule, and I noticed that once they closed the road through Aberdeen/Casino Lac Leamy square and put some furniture in, people are spending time in the square. And kids come from all over for the playground and skate park. Especially since COVID, it's been a really busy place.

[J.OT13]

For context, I'm a 30-something who lives in Orleans. We drive everywhere*. My fiancé and I try to go downtown once in a while to support local retailers/restaurants. We don't find that Lansdowne offers anything more than downtown.

In Orleans, we have a few go-to restaurants however, if ever we move, we won't go out of our way to return on a regular basis.

*Pre-Covid, we would balance driving and transit for our commutes (say three transit days to two driving days). Taking transit to downtown takes an hour, so it's not worth it for us off peak.

[rocketphish]

City wants OSEG to promise to keep Redblacks and 67's in action for an additional 10 years
There was an original eight-year commitment. A response is expected before council decides if the Lansdowne Park partnership deal should be extended.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Dec 03, 2020 • Last Updated 5 hours ago • 3 minute read

If council is going to extend its partnership agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the mayor wants a guarantee that the company’s football and hockey franchises will stay in business for several more years than originally promised.

A letter signed by Jim Watson and council’s sports commissioner Mathieu Fleury sent Thursday to OSEG managing partner Roger Greenberg asks that the company commit to running the teams for an additional 10 years, on top of the original eight-year commitment.

They want to hear back from Greenberg before council on Wednesday decides if the Lansdowne Park partnership agreement should be extended.

The original eight-year commitment by OSEG to keep the football and hockey teams in action has been brought up in recent weeks as the company asks for a 10-year extension to the Lansdowne partnership to provide the corporate partners more time to recoup their investments.

It’s hard to imagine a redeveloped Lansdowne without the sports component, but the agreement between the city and OSEG approved by council in 2012 stipulates that OSEG only had to run the football and hockey teams for at least the first eight years of the 30-year contract, which currently expires at the end of 2044. Lansdowne started operations in 2014.

It means OSEG, under the contract, would be required to operate the teams for a couple more years, although the company has made no signal that it has plans to fold or sell the teams.

Greenberg faced that line of questioning during a finance and economic development committee meeting last month. He said the RedBlacks and the 67s “are at the heart of the redevelopment.”

“They’re a key part of our business plan. We have absolutely no plans to move them or consider relocating,” Greenberg said during the meeting.

Watson and Fleury aren’t asking for commitments on the professional soccer, rugby and basketball franchises that play at Lansdowne because they are tenants and not owned by OSEG.

Council on Wednesday will decide if it should grant the 10-year extension to the Lansdowne partnership, bringing the expiration to the end of 2054.

OSEG is also asking for permission to use $4.7 million in an asset maintenance account to help relieve operational pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Redblacks didn’t play this year with the Canadian Football League cancelling the season. A delay to the Ontario Hockey League’s 2020-2021 season has meant the 67’s haven’t played a game this fall. The OHL cancelled the last part of the 2019-2020 regular season and playoffs earlier this year.

The city is also proposing to end the “participation rent” — which compels OSEG to, in addition to $1 annual rent, pay a portion of the retail lease profit to the city after the initial 30-year financial scheme — if OSEG transfers the retail component.

Council will also be asked to strike a working group to contemplate the future of Lansdowne and the potential for restructuring the city’s contract with OSEG.

The OSEG partners are getting close to $200 million invested in the redevelopment, more than six times what they originally thought in 2010.

In the most recent financial forecast, the company was projected to receive a return of $216.5 million over the 30-year agreement. A 10-year extension would increase OSEG’s return to $468.4 million over 40 years.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...nd-67s-in-action-for-10-additional-years

[OTownandDown]

I was at Lansdown for the farmer's market on Sunday last weekend, a nice mild sunny day. It's a few weeks before Christmas.

All the vendors were inside the cattle castle, and the large public realm had four instagram-style christmas decorations and nothing else. Is this supposed to be our main Christmas Market? Go to any european city and the christmas market is huge, dense, outdoors (in all weather) and well-received. Last year's was a fail, and this year looks also to be a fail.

I don't understand why the City maintains control over the public areas and controls the programming for the parks and squares. Yes, going shopping and/or to Joey's is a draw for some, but there could be SO much going on down at Lansdowne. And I don't think this lack of public programming is Covid-specific. Sure there's a few big events each year, but why isn't there something ALL the time?

I remember OSEG asked the City to take over programming in the public spaces, but the City maintained control.

Doesn't anyone think that if the private sector (profit driven) had control over the public realm that outdoor/public programming would be a major driver at Lansdowne, and not simply the occasional sports game and shopping at the Audi dealership?

That's not to say nobody was at Lansdowne on a beautiful Sunday. There was a huge line to get into the farmers market, and there were lots of people strolling outside (not spending money).

Lansdowne needs a better way to separate people from their money, is what I'm saying. And the City isn't really good at that.

And don't Linda from the Glebe tell me that there should be free things at Lansdowne. If you want free, go visit a park. Lansdowne is an entertainment district at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. People go there to spend money. There's just limited opportunity to do so.

[TransitZilla]

^ I thought the Christmas Market had been cancelled due to COVID.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/lansdowne-christmas-market-cancelled-in-2020-due-to-covid-19-1.5191004

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

I was at Lansdown for the farmer's market on Sunday last weekend, a nice mild sunny day. It's a few weeks before Christmas.

All the vendors were inside the cattle castle, and the large public realm had four instagram-style christmas decorations and nothing else. Is this supposed to be our main Christmas Market? Go to any european city and the christmas market is huge, dense, outdoors (in all weather) and well-received. Last year's was a fail, and this year looks also to be a fail.

I don't understand why the City maintains control over the public areas and controls the programming for the parks and squares. Yes, going shopping and/or to Joey's is a draw for some, but there could be SO much going on down at Lansdowne. And I don't think this lack of public programming is Covid-specific. Sure there's a few big events each year, but why isn't there something ALL the time?

I remember OSEG asked the City to take over programming in the public spaces, but the City maintained control.

Doesn't anyone think that if the private sector (profit driven) had control over the public realm that outdoor/public programming would be a major driver at Lansdowne, and not simply the occasional sports game and shopping at the Audi dealership?

That's not to say nobody was at Lansdowne on a beautiful Sunday. There was a huge line to get into the farmers market, and there were lots of people strolling outside (not spending money).

Lansdowne needs a better way to separate people from their money, is what I'm saying. And the City isn't really good at that.

And don't Linda from the Glebe tell me that there should be free things at Lansdowne. If you want free, go visit a park. Lansdowne is an entertainment district at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. People go there to spend money. There's just limited opportunity to do so.

As bradnixon mentioned, the Christmas market is cancelled this year and they acknowledge that they're setting up the lights just for Instagram: https://www.tdplace.ca/lights-at-lansdowne/
. The farmers market is always indoors over the winter, they aren't setup for outdoor sales in the cold.

As for the city management of the site, yes I agree that it's a mess. I've dealt a little bit with both sides and neither is amazing, but the combination of the two is much worse. OSEG manages their half but operates the entire thing, so they do the maintenance on the park, Horticulture Building and Aberdeen Pavilion, and provide security and cleaning staff if you have an event there, and traffic management for road closures and parking. The city is basically left to to rent out the two buildings, the park and the square, but for any large event OSEG is involved anyways since it relies on the stadium as either the draw (football, major events) or a critical component (Escapade, Cityfolk). All of this means that if you actually want to hold anything bigger than one building, you end up dealing with both parties. OSEG, as a for-profit, is very good to work with since you know where they stand and they have some experience with events. The city staff are dysfunctional and you're never really sure what their goal is.

There was good discussion about how the site should be managed until Councillor Menard jumped in and freaked out about the whole thing, as he is prone to do.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

And don't Linda from the Glebe tell me that there should be free things at Lansdowne. If you want free, go visit a park. Lansdowne is an entertainment district at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. People go there to spend money. There's just limited opportunity to do so.

What an odd comment. A big chunk of Lansdowne is a park, and the whole thing is public property. I don’t think it’s just “Linda from the Glebe” that thinks there should be free things there. If Lansdowne wasn’t a public asset, and is a purely private sector for profit venture, what exactly was the rationale for the City putting any money into it?

[movebyleap]

Last December I took a friend who was visiting from Europe to check out the Ottawa Christmas Market. I had never been myself, and curiosity got the best of me as the "European" Christmas market had been showing up all over my social media for a few weeks. It certainly looked appealing on Instagram!!

Well....off we went and boy, was it ever an embarassing experience! On a mild Saturday afternoon there were perhaps three out of a dozen or so little huts open. I had hoped for huts and stalls with wonderful prepared foods and artisanal products. I recall one hut selling Ottawa t-shirts.

There was NOTHING to eat and nothing to purchase. There were no musicians or carols. Not even piped through Christmas tunes. No decorations, no Christmas trees. A minimal amount of lights, and a cheesy X-MAS sign (in front of which desperate Instagramers were taking photos in order to have SOMETHING to post the next day).

It was a sad sight. I would never go again nor recommend it to anyone, and defintiely not to anyone coming to town from Europe! I was so ashamed at having dragged someone from Germany to see what we had to offer!