The Lansdowne Development Saga

(Proposed game rendition of Frank Clair)

On Tuesday June 29th Ottawa city council voted 15-9 in favour of redeveloping Lansdowne Park with the bid proposed by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). The OSEG is the consortium business group that has the CFL rights to Ottawa's next team. The new Lansdowne Park plan includes renovations to Frank Clair Stadium (where the new CFL Ottawa team will play), the building of 350,000 square feet of commercial retail space at the site (i.e. a new mall), 250 housing units, and the development of an urban park on Lansdowne's front lawn.

Many Ottawa citizens are upset with the outcome of city council. In particular, a protest group self proclaimed as "Friends of Lansdowne Park" (FLP) are the primary instigators in the fight against Lansdowne re-development. In the council decision it is outlined that the city of Ottawa (aka Ottawa taxpayers) will be paying $173 million towards the LP redevelopment, with OSEG forking out $117 million for their bit. The protesters have fought hard, even launching an application for appeal to Ontario's supreme court this past November to get the bid overturned. In February  FLP got a small victory, in that the Ontario courts ruled the city and OSEG had to open up their financial books to FLP so they could see where money was being allocated. Project redevelopment is still slated to occur soon barring more legal set backs.

The $173 taxpayer allocation breakdown looks like this:

• $124 million for the stadium renovation and parking
• $35 million for the urban park (including $5 million for moving the Horticulture building)
• $8.5 million for the new trade show and exhibition hall at Albion Road
• $3.8 million to relocate the sports Dome
• $1.2 million for life cycle renewal. 

The main thing the breakdown doesn't include is interest on the $173 million! That interest could be HUGE considering City council expects to be paying this over the course of 30 years. 

(Proposed inside of Frank Clair)

Another reason of FLP's fight comes down to business ethics. OSEG was the only bid that the city council of Ottawa had to choose from. Some see this as unfair, as you would like to see more bids and more competition to get the financial costs down and quality of bids improve. I feel this is completely fair as other companies were given ample notice to bid on the LP redevelopment, they just chose not to.

Many Ottawa residents feel the new redevelopments will cause an eye sore right along the Rideau canal. The proposed architect renditions say otherwise however. The new Frank Clair Stadium will be designed with a wood focus. All the exterior designs show elegant wood styles covering the stadium, creating a nice picture for any person strolling along the Rideau canal trails.

 

 

(Proposed Frank Clair renos at night by the Rideau Canal)

 

 

I feel the city of Ottawa and OSEG are heading in the right direction. They know what the public wants and are willing to give it to them! I truly hope they start the renovations soon however, as if the aim is to get the CFL franchise in Ottawa back up and running by 2013 they need to start NOW!

Next Sunday I will be posting an article on potential coaching staff for the new Ottawa team, stay tuned!

3rd Time's a Charm

Jeff Hunt (Head of the development group for the new Ottawa franchise- 2nd left) with Mark Cohon (CFL Commissioner- middle) and the rest of the development group.

On March 28, 2008 Ottawa was given the go ahead for their third professional CFL franchise. The move was greeted with high phrase but cautious optimism. On one hand, the rambunctious fans of Ottawa were getting a new CFL team! However, on the other hand hesitation was apparent as CFL had lived and died twice already in the nation's capital! What would make this third time any different?! Well there are many things that make this third attempt stand out in my mind: 1) The new owners led by Jeff Hunt, 2) The renovations of Lansdowne Park, and 3) The newly structure expansion draft.

Jeff Hunt is a self made millionaire and huge CFL fan. This bodes well from an ownership perspective, as to be truly successful in any sports league you need a passionate owner that is willing to open his pocketbook (or business "knowledge-book") and help the team in any way shape or form. Hunt has already proven to be highly successful in the sports leagues. In 1998 he bought the Ottawa 67s (an Ontario Hockey League team), the impact was felt instantly. Seemingly over night the attendance to the 67s near quadruple, and Hunt spent an average $25,000 on marketing for the first couple of weeks to promote the team (a significant number considering the 67s budget for promotion marketing was $25000/year in 1997). This shows that Hunt knows how to run a successful sports franchise and is willing to do what it takes for it be a winner!

There is much debate in the social media world on whether or not Frank Clair stadium should be renovated. Some feel a complete change of scenery could go along way in getting this franchise off the ground. Call me old fashion but I'd rather see Frank Clair and Lansdowne Park be adjusted to fit the needs of the fans. I remember being at a game at Frank Clair in 2004, Montreal Alouettes vs the Ottawa Renegades. The atmosphere for that game was phenomenal, and the crowd I felt truly energized the Renegades to a massive upset 43-38! When building a new stadium it's sometimes hard to capture the old building's atmosphere again. Fans may have been loyal specifically to the old stadium itself!

Finally, the expansion draft plans for the new Ottawa team are much better than the 2002. The expansion draft is set for sometime in December of 2012, rules and regulations can be read here Ottawa CFL Expansion Draft- Rules and regulations. In addition to the expansion draft the new Ottawa franchise will get the top pick of the 2013 CFL draft! This will allow the 3rd Ottawa to hit the ground running with a truly competitive team!


Though the team is 2 years away from "being", I'm really excited for the CFL! More details will come in coming blog posts on Lansdowne Park development issues (as there are still many kinks becoming worked out with the city and development group), potential draft prospects, branding, and more!