The Ottawa Senators and National Capital Commission are expected to make an announcement on Thursday regarding an “overarching land agreement on LeBreton Flats,” according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and his RendezVous LeBreton group have been working to secure a piece of land just west of downtown Ottawa for the last several years. In 2016, Melnyk moved one step closer to securing the land after the NCC accepted a recommendation to negotiate with his group.
The deal isn’t expected to be fully finalized on Thursday, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, but the meeting of the NCC board of directors is a major step in the talks.
Once a land agreement is in place, the RendezVous group is expected to have six to 12 months to get financing organized for the $3-billion development, according to Garrioch.
After federal approval is done, the project will then be continued through the city of Ottawa municipal planning process.
Spanning 21 hectares, RendezVous’s proposal would house an 18,000-seat arena with views towards Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River.
A new cultural and social meeting place that can hold up to 28,000 people along with a community rink that holds two NHL-size rinks are some of the other highlights.
The Senators have been actively looking into alternate options to their current situation at the Canadian Tire Centre, which is located in nearby Kanata, Ont.
Ottawa has struggled to bring in fans for the past few years and reduced the size of its seating capacity by 1,500 at the start of this season.
“I’m not sure downtown is necessary,” Melnyk told reporters in December. “All those Kanata people, are they going to come downtown? Are you just moving an arena closer to (civil service) people who can’t get tickets?
“We have options for us, that’s the main thing. A lot of options.”
Almost 8,000 Canadians had submitted comments on the proposal in early 2016.
LeBreton Flats came under the NCC’s control in the early 1960s.
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