Lansdowne Park vote delayed to Monday

Ottawa city council spent most of a special meeting Friday listening to citizens comment on the planned $175-million Lansdowne Park redevelopment.

The project which includes a refurbished Frank Clair Stadium for a potential Canadian Football League team, along with condominiums and shops will be developed in partnership with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, and was agreed to by the city in June.

Critics of the plan say the redevelopment would negatively impact existing heritage buildings on the site, change the character of the neighbourhood and lead to greater traffic congestion in the area. Proponents say the space at Lansdowne Park is underutilized, badly in need of a makeover and that council has already delayed decisions for too long.

Due to the number ofspeakers, councillors did not get a chance to ratify a site plan presented by city staff that would move the park's heritage Horticultural Building to the northeast end of the park. Councillors are now scheduled to vote on the site plan Monday.

Friday's meeting did little to quell the anger of those who are critical of how the municipality has dealt with Lansdowne Park.

"I too have given up on democracy. Special interests rule here," Jo Wood said at the meeting.

"Instead, I am putting my time, money and efforts into the legal challenge. I hope others will do the same," Wood said, adding "at least the verdict in court will not be 15 to nine,"which isa reference to the vote that got the proposal this far.

Wood called for the new city council, set to be sworn in Dec. 1, to get a chance to vote on the project. But Coun. Rainer Bloess (Innes Ward) said it wouldn't make a difference, as the new councillors seem to be firmly behind the development.

"If you counted the new councillors coming in, the vast majority of them ran on the fact that they support this Lansdowne Live proposal," Bloess said.

"At least seven have indicated they would vote in favour."

Alternative plan not considered

On Friday morning, city planners said an alternative proposal for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park with less commercial and residential space would not be considered because it was delivered too late in the process.

John Martin and the Lansdowne Park Conservancy, along with Los Angeles-based design firm NBBJ, put forth the new proposal on Monday, saying the $100-million plan would keep the park public, build a 24,000-seat stadium and incorporate more parks and green space.

But in a letter to Martin on Thursday, the city's chief procurement officer Jeff Byrne said the city wouldn't accept the submission.

"Your submission is not timely having regard to the fact council already granted approvals pertaining to the Lansdowne partnership plan going back to June 28, 2010," wrote Byrne.

He also pointed out that the city's legal counsel had already informed the Lansdowne Park Conservancy in August that any future proposals would not be accepted.

Martin has asked for an internal review of the decision.