LeBreton Flats 2.0 (RendezVous LeBreton) | Cancelled

[Temperance]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Wow, I wasn't expecting Rendezvous to win. While their bid was nice, it still amounts to little more than an arena and a lot of condos. The other proposal was a little out there, but it had some cool features.

Agreed. This is a bit better than the original NCC vision for Lebreton Flats but not much.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

NCC: Hey, so if you could just make the same as Lansdowne, but bigger, that'd be great.

Rendezvous: Sure thing, boss!

Ottawa: Yawn, sure fine, whatever.

Couldn't disagree more. The RV plan is excellent. Everyone I've talked to is really excited.

[Marshsparrow]

2050 and it will still be nothing more than a dirt pile

[McC]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

2050 and it will still be nothing more than a dirt pile

that is also always a strong possibility.

[daud]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

NCC: Hey, so if you could just make the same as Lansdowne, but bigger, that'd be great.

Rendezvous: Sure thing, boss!

Ottawa: Yawn, sure fine, whatever.

I listened to the whole presentation. they considered Devcore's the bolder one for sure but were worried about long term viability. They went with the safe bet (calling the arena as "sufficient" for national attraction) and they went with the one with the strongest urban design features. That LRT splitting the Devcore proposal they felt created 2 separate sites.

Its interesting because the positive comments in this thread were echoed by the NCC and the shortcomings of each were also echoed by the NCC. They clearly stated both were great and both were capable of winning. They picked Rendez-Vous for urban design and security of being able to bring in the crowds in the near term.

On many levels, they made a wise choice.

[Temperance]

On the bright side this is good news for the Ottawa Senators.

[Capital Shaun]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

2050 and it will still be nothing more than a dirt pile

Even if this project moves forward, it'll take years, if not decades, for all those residential towers to get built.

[passwordisnt123]

Reason prevaled today.

The Rendezvous bid was clearly the stronger bid from a market-based perspective, from an urban design perspective (burying the Confederation Line tracks instead of chopping up the neighbourhood) and from a conceptual perspective (almost no question marks associated with the Rendezvous bid whereas the Devcore bid was riddled with question marks, the biggest two alone being the car museum and the stadium with no anchor tenant).

All of the attractions in the Devcore bid would have been geared towards daytime activities and probably would have closed at 5:30 pm on weekdays and on Sundays just further exacerbating the problem with central Ottawa. The Rendezvous bid also comes out on top in this measure too at least so far as I'm concerned.

This is a good day for Ottawa. As one of the panelists mentioned, any city in Canada would be proud to have a development like this in their downtowns.

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by daud

I listened to the whole presentation. they considered Devcore's the bolder one for sure but were worried about long term viability. They went with the safe bet (calling the arena as "sufficient" for national attraction) and they went with the one with the strongest urban design features. That LRT splitting the Devcore proposal they felt created 2 separate sites.

Its interesting because the positive comments in this thread were echoed by the NCC and the shortcomings of each were also echoed by the NCC. They clearly stated both were great and both were capable of winning. They picked Rendez-Vous for urban design and security of being able to bring in the crowds in the near term.

On many levels, they made a wise choice.

Everything you're saying is correct. This is the wise choice. I do look forward to going to a Sens game in the near future without sitting in traffic.

Its also the practical choice, the safe bet, the least to make waves, and kinda boring. Hope you like Milestones, Kelsey's, and Jack Astors for your non-hockey entertainment, because that's all we're gonna get here!

Also, my last bone to pick is the architecture. It's yawn-tastic and a group of square glass towers lacks imagination. Can we not get some interesting architecture going on here? (And I'm not talking variegated, primary colour pops of spandrel panels...)

[movebyleap]

And it's a WIN for Condoland!

Sigh.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

Everything you're saying is correct. This is the wise choice. I do look forward to going to a Sens game in the near future without sitting in traffic.

Its also the practical choice, the safe bet, the least to make waves, and kinda boring. Hope you like Milestones, Kelsey's, and Jack Astors for your non-hockey entertainment, because that's all we're gonna get here!

Also, my last bone to pick is the architecture. It's yawn-tastic and a group of square glass towers lacks imagination. Can we not get some interesting architecture going on here? (And I'm not talking variegated, primary colour pops of spandrel panels...)

I think you're absolutely right about the type of tenant that will be part of this. But that would have been the case with either bid (somehow the detractors seem to forget the 2500 condo units included in the Devcore proposal). Not sure it is avoidable in a mega project.

As for the architecture, I wouldn't get too worked up about renderings. Those are likely to change 15 or 20 times before this is all built. What I like about the bid is that its buildings are oriented towards walkways along the canal, and that the street grid is maintained and enhanced with plazas. That ensures that it will be full of people day and night. The same can't be said about a nature walk and museum row.

[McC]

Originally Posted by movebyleap

And it's a WIN for Condoland!

RV was the consortium that had CCOC involved, so there will be a mix of market and subsidized rental housing, too.

[McC]

Originally Posted by phil235

What I like about the bid is that its buildings are oriented towards walkways along the canal, and that the street grid is maintained and enhanced with plazas. That ensures that it will be full of people day and night.

all this, and the subway, which Mark Kristmanson seems to have highlighted as a clincher in his remarks afterwards.

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

Everything you're saying is correct. This is the wise choice. I do look forward to going to a Sens game in the near future without sitting in traffic.

Its also the practical choice, the safe bet, the least to make waves, and kinda boring. Hope you like Milestones, Kelsey's, and Jack Astors for your non-hockey entertainment, because that's all we're gonna get here!

Also, my last bone to pick is the architecture. It's yawn-tastic and a group of square glass towers lacks imagination. Can we not get some interesting architecture going on here? (And I'm not talking variegated, primary colour pops of spandrel panels...)

The thing about these major developments is that only establishes brands can afford to either take the risk or pay the price to enter. However, the RendezVous proposal was built on more solid urban design principles, which gives it a lot more room for organic growth after the fact. Unlike the Devcore one, which essentially closed off half the site with entertainment, allowing no human development on the north end.

[FutureWickedCity]

So disappointing but predictable. NCC has a chance to do something exciting but they end up going with the most generic option. Whether this is better than nothing remains to be seen.

[McC]

I don't find RV's proposals for the aqueduct or the subway generic at all. I've never understood the black and white views some express about one or the other of the two proposals. Both have merits and problems. The panel considered them carefully, and if you haven't already, you really should read a summary of their findings. Basically they felt that DCDLS's plan was too segmented between a public top and a private bottom, with too little integration or flow between them (not least of all because of the exposed rail line), and they had big concerns about the viability and sustainability of many of the DCDLS proposal's "most exciting" features.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by McC

and they had big concerns about the viability and sustainability of many of the DCDLS proposal's "most exciting" features.

I think that was a lot of it. They sort of treated it like a student competition "hey, an aquarium would be cool" rather than a business proposal "here is our plan to build an aquarium, here is how we're going to pay for it, etc"

Overall, I think they made the most rational choice. An arena in 2021 with a clear user will do a lot to bring life to the area (and to central Ottawa in general). The housing (even if it takes a while) will help to make sure the area is lively when the arena is not in use.

Maybe some of the Devcore proposals will find there way to other sites around the region.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by FutureWickedCity

So disappointing but predictable. NCC has a chance to do something exciting but they end up going with the most generic option. Whether this is better than nothing remains to be seen.

What's exciting in DCDLS proposal? All their attractions seemed like just a product of brain storming exercise without anything to back them up. From car museum and aquarium to hockey arena. Literally everything.
Classic bait-and-switch.
Looking forward to NCC negotiations with Rendevouz. Good start but there is a lot of room for improvement.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

Everything you're saying is correct. This is the wise choice. I do look forward to going to a Sens game in the near future without sitting in traffic.

Its also the practical choice, the safe bet, the least to make waves, and kinda boring. Hope you like Milestones, Kelsey's, and Jack Astors for your non-hockey entertainment, because that's all we're gonna get here!

Also, my last bone to pick is the architecture. It's yawn-tastic and a group of square glass towers lacks imagination. Can we not get some interesting architecture going on here? (And I'm not talking variegated, primary colour pops of spandrel panels...)

I agree, the architecture on the condo side of things for the Rendezvous bid is weak and bland. But, do you remember what the architecture for the condos on the Devcore bid looked like? Yikes, it was worse. Hopefully these are the kinds of things that can be ironed out in the negotiations. The last thing we need is another Union du Canada Redevelopment.

[rocketphish]

Melnyk’s RendezVous LeBreton bid preferred choice for Flats redevelopment

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 28, 2016 | Last Updated: April 28, 2016 6:46 PM EDT

The plan from Eugene Melnyk’s RendezVous LeBreton team has emerged as the highest ranked of two competing proposals for the redevelopment of 21.6 hectares of vacant land on LeBreton Flats.

The team, led by the Senators’ owner and John Ruddy, president of Trinity developments, received the most points during an evaluation by a high-powered committee chaired by the National Capital Commission’s head of planning, Stephen Willis.

The competing proposal, from the Devore Canderel DLS Group, was rated lower but will remain in contention as a second choice.

The results were revealed during a presentation Thursday afternoon to the NCC’s board of directors.

The sprawling property just west of Ottawa’s downtown core has been largely vacant since the federal government expropriated the lands and demolished the buildings on it in the 1960s.

After half a century of tire spinning, moving ahead with its redevelopment has been a top priority of NCC chief executive Mark Kristmanson.

In 2014, the NCC invited private sector proponents to submit ideas for the development of the LeBreton land, built around an anchor use of national and international significance.

Ultimately, only two teams developed full-fledged development plans: RendezVous LeBreton and the Devcore Canderel DLS Group.

The latter has the backing of three billionaires: Power Corp. president André Desmarais, Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, and William Sinclair, co-founder and former president of JDS Uniphase.

The two teams presented their plans at an open house on Jan. 27. Both include an arena, a central library and extensive residential, commercial and retail elements.

The Devcore Canderel DLS plan is full of flash and pizzazz, featuring an aquarium, a planetarium, several museums, a skate park and a skydiving attraction.

RendezVous LeBreton’s plan focuses on a new downtown arena that would house Melnyk’s Senators and major events. It also includes a restored “heritage aqueduct” lined with shops and cafes and an Abilities Centre catering to disabled and able-bodied athletes.

The five-member evaluation committee, which included also architect A.J. Diamond, planner Mark Conway, NCC chief executive Mark Kristmanson, spent about two months rating the competing proposals on a dozen different criteria.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ncc-announces-top-choice-for-lebreton-flats-redevelopment