LeBreton Flats has often been described as a rare opportunity to build something from scratch on prime real estate close to the centre of the nation’s capital.
But what if the Ottawa Senators and city of Ottawa wanted to get even closer to the core – right in the heart of downtown Ottawa?
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe mentioned the idea in passing to reporters at city hall on Wednesday. In a lengthy interview with Sportsnet, Sutcliffe elaborated on the seeds of a plan that could put a new NHL arena in downtown Ottawa, using one or more of the building sites currently up for sale by the federal government. It’s a way to reinvigorate a downtown core that has been sagging since the pandemic as well as provide an exit strategy for the feds as they look to sell off several buildings that government employees aren’t fully using in our remote-work society.
“The way I’m looking at it is that we’ve got one shot at doing this right for the next 50 years,” Sutcliffe says. “And we should be thinking, where’s the absolute best place to put the arena, rather than what’s the default option. Because we’ve been talking about it for a long time.
“We’re facing some challenges in Ottawa with fewer people coming downtown to work and the federal government is about to get rid of a bunch of buildings . . . and separate from the conversation about the Senators, we’ve been having these conversations about how we get more people downtown.”
Here’s a look at some of the buildings the government has made available.
Interestingly, three of the government buildings up for sale comprise an entire downtown block, from Bank Street to O’Connor, west to east, and Laurier Ave to Gloucester St., north to south.
That is plenty of space to build a new arena, as well as some complementary residential/retail sites. The Parliament buildings are just four blocks north of Laurier. Welcome to the centre of town.
While Sutcliffe says he doesn’t have a particular site in mind, he agrees the block with the two L'Esplanade-Laurier towers and the L’Esplanade Commercial building between Bank and O’Connor would be an excellent location.
Another site often talked about for the Senators arena is the Department of National Defence headquarters on Colonel By Drive, right next to Ottawa’s convention building, the Shaw Centre.
At the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, held in Ottawa, the Shaw Centre was the hub for Fan Fair festivities, a lengthy 30-kilometre drive away from the Canadian Tire Centre arena. If the new arena was built at DND or at the current L’Esplanade-Laurier site, the Shaw Centre would be a short jaunt away.
Picture being able to walk to Elgin Street or the Byward Market for dinner or drinks before or after the game. Or, opting to work downtown on a game day before walking to the arena.
Sutcliffe cautions this is all very preliminary. The current Senators board of directors has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission (NCC) as a first step to securing a lease agreement to build at LeBreton Flats, west of the Parliament Buildings.
So, LeBreton Flats certainly remains an option. So is the Bayview Yards area, further west than LeBreton. Plus other sites. The team could even opt to remain in Kanata, but the CTC is 27 years old and there has never been more or better options for the Senators to shift their locale.
Michael Andlauer, the Toronto businessman who just bought the Senators franchise pending NHL approval, is said to be more interested in the hockey team than in real estate. Fair enough.
That bodes well for the franchise and its fans.
Yet, Andlauer has included a lot of Ottawa area business people as minority owners of the Senators, people who can help facilitate a new arena and other amenities, if Andlauer agrees the team should leave Kanata. The mayor, by the way, wants to see a new “economic driver” for Kanata, if the Senators do move closer to Ottawa.
While Sutcliffe has reached out to Andlauer to congratulate him on becoming the new Senators owner, he won’t be having more detailed conversations until Andlauer officially gets the team.
“I want to get a sense of what Michael thinks about everything and if he has something specific in mind,” Sutcliffe says. “Depending on what he’s thinking, then I’ll start to have some conversations with the federal government.”
The NCC has also sent out signals that it is open for business with Andlauer and a new rink, but the agency would certainly have a Plan B for that LeBreton tract if the Senators opt for something else.
An exit strategy for the feds
Considering the federal government wants to get rid of these buildings anyway, what better way to transition than by pumping up the downtown area the feds are abandoning?
Surely, there could be an agreement with the city and Senators that sees the federal government contribute its share of a new arena via existing bricks and mortar at these prime sites rather than future public taxes. This seems an ideal exit strategy in the wake of the federal government shutting these buildings down.
“When a major employer in some community decides to close the factory, there’s usually an economic strategy that follows,” Sutcliffe says. “The federal government remains a major employer in Ottawa, the largest employer, but some of what’s happening is having an impact on downtown Ottawa.
“So, the fact that employees are coming downtown less often and they’re looking to get rid of a whole bunch of buildings, that has a huge impact. If that’s the case, should there be an economic development strategy that they support for downtown Ottawa?
“This could be part of it – here’s some land we don’t need anymore, but this is going to help you support and sustain downtown Ottawa at a time when we’re doing less in downtown Ottawa. I think that’s a reasonable thing for them to do.”
Over the past seven years, the Senators arena saga has taken many twists and turns. And there will be more to come.
Add this latest wrinkle from the mayor’s office: A big, bold rink smack in the middle of downtown Ottawa.
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