Lansdowne Park Redevelopment Phase 1 | Completed

[McC]

does the artist think it's going to front onto Bank St?

[ThePlanner]

How can it back onto Holmwood when I was under the impression that rowhouses would front onto Holmwood? Now residents of Holmwood will face a big blank wall.

[AuxTown]

Man, Glebites need to organize before they get the nicest looking movie theatre in the city! Can't have that happen. But I thought Lansdowne was going to be all big box stores and look like the Kanata Centrum? Looks more like a high-quality urban development if you ask me....completely appropriate for this site.

I really hope this fronts onto Bank Street as the rendering cleary shows. It should not "back onto" anything but should be integrated into the retail component of the plan and have stores surrounding it.

from the OBJ

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

I really hope this fronts onto Bank Street as the rendering cleary shows.

How do you know it's Bank Street?

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

How do you know it's Bank Street?

I shouldn't have said clearly. It just looks busy. If that's Holmewood prepare for some angry Glebites.

[S-Man]

It's still very difficult to imagine people and nightlife - year round - at Lansdowne. For so long it's been what it is today...tumbleweeds most if not all of the year.

[m0nkyman]

If it backs on holmwood it might front on one of the interior lanes. Renderings are notorious for having totally unrealistic surroundings...

[McC]

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

If it backs on holmwood it might front on one of the interior lanes. Renderings are notorious for having totally unrealistic surroundings...

yeah, that was kinda what I was alluding to.

[S-Man]

Where are the towering redwood trees I'm used to seeing in these renderings?

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

No Arts Centre Planned for New Lansdowne Development

George Gordon-CFRA
Monday, May 30, 2011

The dream to have an arts centre in the new Lansdowne Development has apparently died, which means the Ottawa Art Gallery is still looking for a new home.

The plan to include it in the redevelopment was supposed to be presented at the city finance and economic development committee June 7th.

However, City Manager Kent Kirkpatrick has told the Gallery Board of Directors the proposal is off the table but that there are other options.

One would be to build a new gallery beside the current site.

The Ottawa Art Gallery Board is looking for 30,000 square feet, and had already been disappointed when plans to be part of a new concert hall fell through

I wonder why?

[JFFournier]

More about that in the Citizen:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Arts+Lansdowne+Park+dropped/4860366/story.html

A proposal to make the redeveloped Lansdowne site an arts hub as well as a sports destination is dead in the water, as officials quietly dropped plans to relocate the Ottawa Art Gallery to the site.

The proposal, which would have solved the gallery's longstanding need for more space and a higher profile, was to have been presented to the city's finance and economic development committee on June 7, says Claudia Chowaniec, a member of the gallery's board.

Instead, city manager Kent Kirkpatrick told the gallery's board of directors earlier this month that the proposal was off the table, while assuring them other options, including a new building adjacent to the gallery's current digs at Arts Court, were being pursued.

"We're disappointed because we thought that, after a lot of effort and talk with the city, there was a clear next step," Chowaniec says.

While the gallery is open to other options, Lawson Hunter, chairman of the gallery's board, adds, "I just hope it doesn't slow this all down." The gallery has been appealing for a better venue for at least 10 years, he points out.

The gallery is bursting at the seams in its present location near the Rideau Centre, where it is crammed into a rabbit-warren that houses more than 20 other arts groups, including Opera Lyra, Odyssey Theatre, and the Canadian Film Institute.

"We currently have the smallest municipal gallery in Canada, and that includes places like Prince Albert, Sask., and Brandon, Man." says Chowaniec, noting that the gallery has about 11,000 square feet of space, while the average city gallery in Canada occupies about 45,000 square feet. The gallery has asked the city for 30,000 square feet of usable space.

The gallery's size "is really an embarrassment," Hunter adds.

For the past few years, city staff have been working on a $40-million plan not only to solve the gallery's space problem, but also to give Arts Court a facelift; last fall, when plans for a new concert hall were axed, the $12-million fund for the hall was instead earmarked for the culturalcentre revamp.

The original plan, which dates back several years, included a new building for the gallery, to be built on the lot next to Arts Court; the plan later evolved into a proposal to locate the gallery on the revitalized Lansdowne site, in a tower building at the base of the Bank Street Bridge, while at the same time renovating Arts Court.

But the revamp has been in doubt since last fall's election campaign, when Mayor Jim Watson remarked that "we don't have enough money to fund one of the projects, let alone both."

Watson was not available for comment Sunday, but his spokesman Bruce Graham said that "the mayor has asked staff to come forward with a plan that is good for the local arts community and that is affordable for taxpayers," adding that recommendations "will be brought to council in the coming weeks."

Staff are expected to go back to the original plan of a new building, and have said it could be completed as early as the fall of 2014, Hunter says. While this would be cheaper than relocation to Lansdowne, money was not the only consider-ation, he says, noting that the stadium site is not as close to downtown, and would not be connected to the light-rail system.

Moreover, the city has long planned to create a culture hub near the city centre, a goal that the Arts Court location serves better.

Home to two permanent collections, the gallery struggles to cope with the five rooms it has at Arts Court: "We have a very valuable collection and no place to show it," Hunter says. The gallery's Firestone Collection, largely made up of Group of Seven works, is worth about $17 million; it includes more than 1,500 pieces of art, of which only about 50 can be exhibited at a time, according to Chowaniec.

Adding to the collection is problematic, "because we really don't have any space left: You go down in the vaults and look it's just jam-packed down there," Hunter says.

The gallery doesn't need just any space, he notes: It needs a space that is highly visible and distinctive, so that it is in itself a destination: "It would have a bookstore, a cafeteria; it would be a place where people would want to go."

Paradoxically, the local arts community suffers from being located in the nation's capital, where people can access world-class institutions like the National Gallery of Canada, so that the city is less motivated to showcase art, Hunter says. "But a national gallery does not specialize or cater to local artists, past or present . In order to have a vibrant visual arts community, we need to have a gallery that is the anchor for our current artists and also a place where artists who are associated with Ottawa are more likely to have their works shown."

[kevinbottawa]

Good news for the Lansdowne project!

Lansdowne OMB Appeals Dismissed

Jon Willing - June 15th, 2011

In a written decision released today, the Ontario Municipal Board has dismissed the zoning appeal for the Lansdowne Park redevelopment.

Here is the the decision portion of the 20-page document:

**********

"Decision and Order

The Board has carefully considered all evidence and argument in coming to this
reserved decision. The City of Ottawa is normally a legislative body acting in the first
instance to deal with concerns raised in the planning process. The Board is required
under section 2.1 of the Planning Act to have regard for the decision of City Council and
under section 2.2 the materials before council. The City is normally in the position of dealing with the Planning Act requirements over the lands of a third party. In this case
the City is legislating zoning over City owned lands that the City wishes to revitalize.
The City should not be in position where it is appearing to benefit itself as a result of a
legislative process. The Board has carefully reviewed the cases of the City and the
Appellants to perform a watchdog role in the public interest. The Board has had
assistance from the appellants and their counsel in performing vital roles as expected
under the Statutory Powers Procedure Act, the Planning Act and the Rules of the
Ontario Municipal Board. However the remaining Appellants have not been successful
in persuading the Board that their Appeals should be allowed so as to repeal the By-
law. The effect of By-law 2010-329 is to rejuvenate a blighted area of the City and to
restore it to its past grandeur. A gated community as it is now will be opened to the
Community nearby and the Community at large. The planning concepts well known
across the Province of sustainability are hard at work in this case. The goal is to live,
work and play in close proximity in a complimentary manner. Throughout the process
there have been modifications so that the proposal will fit in terms of compatibility and
design. The amendments sought in this hearing and granted are but a part of the
continuing planning process. For all the reasons given in this decision, the Appeals of
the Appellants Caule, Church and Rive are dismissed.

The Board accepts the submissions of the remaining nine appellants through their
legal counsel and Counsel with the City, together with supportive evidence of planner
Smit that those appeals should be allowed in part. By-law 2010-329 is amended by the
Board so as to give effect to the settlements set out in Exhibits 28, 29 and 30 which are
appended as Attachments 1, 2 and 3. The Board considers such to be in the public
interest and based upon good planning grounds so as to make the Proposal fit with the
surrounding community. Those nine appeals are otherwise dismissed.

The Board finds that the Amended Zoning By-law 2010-329 is in conformity with the
Ottawa Official Plan and consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement. The Amended
By-law 2010-329 inclusive of technical amendments suggested by the Board as to form
is appended as Attachment 4 (Exhibit 54)."

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

This Citizen report gives more insight--both in the OMB decision and the legal arguments that will be made during the FOL court
Lots of points of discussion in this article if any of us care to discuss it.

OMB supports Lansdowne redevelopment; remaining challenge to be heard in court next week'
By Joanne Chianello and David Reevely, The Ottawa CitizenJune 15, 2011 8:47 PM

One more obstacle in the way of redeveloping Lansdowne Park was knocked down Wednesday when the Ontario Municipal Board dismissed the appeals of a number of people fighting the project.

The final hurdle in the push to move forward with the Lansdowne proposal — a partnership between the city and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group — is a court challenge scheduled to begin next Tuesday.

There were originally 14 parties appealing the rezoning of the Lansdowne project, which involves refurbishing Frank Clair Stadium and bringing a CFL team to Ottawa, building 280 residential units in addition to 340,000 square feet of retail and other commercial space, and creating an urban park on the east side of the site alongside the Rideau Canal.

Two of the original appellants withdrew. And in April, the OMB was able to mediate a settlement between the city and nine of the appellants. The concessions included giving $300,000 to the Glebe Business Improvement Area and $30,000 to community groups to help them through a disrupting construction session when the Lansdowne project gets under way. The city and OSEG will split the costs equally. The city also agreed to eliminate nine-storey residential buildings that were to be built behind townhouses facing Holmwood Avenue, and to cap a condo tower at the intersection of Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue at 12 storeys instead of 14.

But three appellants — Frank Johnson, John Rive and Catherine Caule — were unswayed and decided to push ahead with their appeals against rezoning. The appellants argued, among other things, that there was too much retail space planned for the site, that the redevelopment required an amendment to the city’s official plan to be able to move ahead — and not simply a rezoning bylaw — and that the Lansdowne redevelopment would have adverse health effects on the surrounding residential neighbourhood from light, noise and air pollution.

After listening to their arguments during a two-week hearing in May, the OMB decided against the appellants, stating in its decision that the rezoning will “rejuvenate a blighted area of the city” and will “restore it to its past grandeur. A gated community as it is now will be opened to the community nearby and the community at large.”

The board was unequivocal in its support for the project, stating that Lansdowne will become a place “to live, work and play …” The OMB added that “throughout the process there have been modifications so that the proposal will fit in terms of compatibility and design.”

Now that the city and OSEG have come out on the winning side of the OMB appeals, they face one more roadblock: the imminent court challenge by the Friends of Lansdowne.

Earlier this week, the Friends of Lansdowne filed their major court document outlining the case they’ll present in a challenge to be heard next week. On Wednesday, the city filed its 157-page reply.

As is usual in court fights, the city rejects absolutely the Friends’ arguments.

Where the Friends say the city’s deal with OSEG violated the city’s purchasing bylaw because it was sole-sourced and nobody else got to compete for it, the city says that’s allowed as long as the city manager approves it.

Where the Friends say the deal gives an illegal subsidy to OSEG, the city says the contracts don’t “confer an obvious advantage” to OSEG under the law because the city and the would-be developers are partners who each give and take in the agreement.

And where the Friends say the city arranged the whole thing in bad faith by hiding and misrepresenting details from the public and even councillors, the city asserts that to scrap the deal, the court would have to find that a majority of councillors had acted in bad faith when they voted for the project — and they didn’t.

The city’s factum does, however, concede that city manager Kent Kirkpatrick gave council incorrect information at a pivotal Lansdowne meeting. He confused figures in the complex “waterfall” that describes how the revenues from the redeveloped Lansdowne are supposed to be divided — in a way that overestimated the city’s contribution to the project by $62 million, according to the Friends of Lansdowne. The wrong information led to a mis-statement of the return the city could expect to get in exchange for that contribution.

The error was, the city’s factum says, “an honest mistake” that was spotted thanks to the court case, but not evidence of trickery on Kirkpatrick’s part to make the deal look better for taxpayers than it actually is.

The city’s factum argues that the Lansdowne plans were thoroughly thrashed out in public, and in the big picture, the city’s lawyers argue, the courts should defer to elected officials when they make policy and political decisions.

“The merits of a policy decision, and whether there was ‘sufficient’ evidence of harm to support the decision, are simply beyond judicial review,” the factum states. “Questions of the wisdom of the policy adopted by council are not to be decided by the court on an application to quash a bylaw for illegality.”

The case is to be heard at the Elgin Street courthouse starting Tuesday. It is expected to last three days.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

It also appears that OSEG has landed a minor pro soccer team , as they promised.

Ottawa lands North American Soccer League franchise 0


By Don Brennan,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 7:29:48 EDT PM

Pro soccer is coming to Lansdowne Park.

Ottawa has landed an expansion franchise in the fledgling North American Soccer League, a source confirmed to the Sun Wednesday night.

Details will be revealed during a news conference Monday at the Civic Centre.

The team will be owned and operated by Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and will begin play when the Lansdowne revitalization project is completed, which is also when Ottawa's new Canadian Football League team will take the field.

The realistic expectation for the stadium redevelopment to be finished is now 2014.

OSEG frontman Jeff Hunt was unavailable for comment.

The NASL, which is part of CONCACAF, is a Tier II circuit. Essentially, it is to Major League Soccer what the American Hockey League is to the NHL. The discrepancy in talent is minimal, however.

After a 17-year run from 1968-84 in a different form, the NASL was founded in 2009 and began play last April.

It is currently an eight-team loop featuring the Montreal Impact, FC Edmonton, Carolina RailHawks, NSC Minnesota Stars, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Puerto Rico Islanders, FC Tampa Bay and Atlanta Silverbacks. Their schedule has 28 games, with each team playing 14 at home and 14 on the road.

Baltimore and San Antoinio are to join the league in 2012.

[email protected]

[Davis137]

Lets "Git er done"!

[matty14]

So what are everybody's thoughts on the court proceedings thus far?

I think the judge seems to be getting closer and closer to deciding something along the lines of "this isn't a perfectly ethical deal, but it's not illegal so I can't rule".

This is looking like it's the City's/OSEG's case to lose.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Judge questions lack of expert evidence on alleged Lansdowne subsidies

Well Matty14 and others, things got really complicated on Day 3.

The FOL lawyer presented a flurry of legal arguments as to why the financial arrangements between the City and OSEG are illegal.

However, the judge said the issue is too complicated and that he does not think that he has the business knowledge to deal with the figures. He may not be able to rule on them.

He suggested that he has a couple of options, He could order a separate trial to deal with these issues. Imagine that would probably take months and delay Lansdowne again. It would add huge expense for everyone For FOL that could be a problem, as they would probably need to raise $200,000 all over again.

Another option is that the judge could hire an expert CA to guide him through his decision. No mention as to how long that would take . No mention as to who pays for the considerable fee such an expert CA would charge.

No sitting on Friday. I think that the lawyer for the City steps up to the plate on Monday. Perhaps he/she will dissuade the judge from calling for a trial or an expert, but just refuse to rule on the FOL claims.

What do all of you think will happen now?

By Mohammed Adam
June 23, 2011 1:01 PM

OTTAWA — Confronted with arguments that the city plans an illegal subsidy for private developers hoping to renovate Lansdowne Park, the senior judge presiding over the court case on the issue questioned whether he has the expertise to deal with the issue.

Justice Charles Hackland raised the issue after the lawyer for the Friends of Lansdowne, who are seeking to halt the redevelopment plans, spoke in court about what he calls illegal subsidies, or “bonusing,” for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. The idea that the city is subsidizing the project — which would be illegal under the Municipal Act that governs cities’ behaviour — is a key element in the Friends’ case against the project.

“What expert advice should I depend on?” Hackland asked lawyer Steven Shrybman, pressing him on the complexity of evidence on that specific subject in the Friends’ written submissions. “At the end of the day, am I going to be asked to make a business judgment on this? To be honest, I lack that training.”

The court hearing now underway is a contest of lawyers, making arguments based on evidence gathered earlier from figures such as city manager Kent Kirkpatrick and affidavits from experts hired by the parties.

Hackland said he has a number of options. He said he has the power to order an issue to a full trial, where experts would testify in person, and he also has the jurisdiction to appoint an independent expert to assist him.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[Davis137]

I see. It would appear that the FOL has some fight left in them. Good for you.

[KHOOLE]

Justice Hackland said that, although his legal specialty is commercial law, he finds the Lansdowne Park Partnership so complex that, at the end of the day, he does not believe that he has the training to make a business judgment on the Lansdowne Park issue. The term that he used was the "judiciability" of the issues.
He said that he has two options in his power: one is to order a full trial and the other is to have accounting assistance.

To order a new trial will take time and be costly. The cost may not be onerous to the OSEG partners but the time required will be. However, it would not be an impossible task: the Friends will keep on raising money, the City will budget more money for their case, and CFL may have to wait a bit more. In fact, the City could start fixing up the south side of the municipal stadium right away for the Women's FIFA games coming up soon. The same goes for pro soccer. There is nothing preventing the city from doing that. It's City property and they are to put up the money to fix it up one way or the other.

A new trial would involve subpoenas, witnesses, experts, and cross-examinations. The whole shebang.

The Court could also appoint an accountant or ask for an independant forensic and investigative accounting review.The Friends of Lansdowne already have such a review as their evidence so it would be a matter of comparing one with the other.
http://www.letsgetitright.ca/legal/298-b...ates-review-lansdowne-park-business-plan

Public-private partnerships were created some 10-15 years ago to help governments, provincial or municipal, out of their financial difficulties. The idea was for private business to invest capital and expertise in return for a profitable return on their investments during a certain period of time.
What is really happening now is that it's the public sector that is putting up the capital and the private sector reaping the profits for little real investments. The sweetheart deal between the City of Quebec and Sun-Media mogul Pierre Karl Peladeau of Quebecor was such that the Charest Quebec government put everything on hold til September 2011. A civil suit similar to the Lansdowne one that's presently being heard has been filed by a former provincial minister and city manager of Quebec City against his own City. I have written a pretty long article about this.
http://khoole-khoole.blogspot.com/

Mr. Doody, the lawyer representing the City said that he does not want any delays. (OSEG does not have party status, just intervenor status). It appears that Justice Hackland has other ideas. The financial details of the LPP deal are so convoluted and all balled up in knots that he, as a specialist in commercial law, is having trouble unravelling the mess.

The saga will resume at 10AM Monday June 27 2011 Court House Room 37

[AuxTown]

Whatever the judge decides, I hope OSEG starts demolition of the South stands regardless. The plan has the approval of the OMB already, making it perfectly legal (and getting to be necessary) to get things started soon. I can't wait for this trial to be over and likely in the favour of OSEG, at which point the FOL will be SOL .