Alternate Lansdowne Park plan unveiled

An Ottawa group unveiled a competing plan to redevelop Lansdowne Park Wednesday morning saying it would cost one third of the city's current plan.

The Lansdowne Park Conservancy, along with Los Angeles-based design firm NBBJ, said their plan for Lansdowne off Bank Street just north of the Rideau Canal would cost $100 million. The group said it would be beautiful, full of water elements and public spaces for music and sport.

"The over-arching goal is to restore the Lansdowne Park to its former beauty and glory and enhance all the park elements," said NBBJ's Jan Szupinski.

"Bring the buildings up. Restore them. Enhance them. Create a more pedestrian environment in the park."

The NBBJ design would include a heated Olympic-sized swimming pool, an 11,000-seat stadium that can be expanded to 24,000 seats by adding more stands.The plans also include a concert shell, fountains and green space for recreation. Szupinski said the plans were inspired by New York's Central Park.

NBBJ's bid has been given to the city's chief procurement officer, but it may be too late. Ottawa city council is set to take its next major step toward approving the current plan Nov. 19.

The existing plan calls for the city, in partnership with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, to upgrade and renovate the park's hockey arena and Frank Clair Stadium to bring a Canadian Football League franchise back to the city. The rest of the 16-hectare property would include restaurants, shops and condo buildings.

Szupinski said other Ottawa locations would be better for a professional sports stadium due to parking and access to public transit.

Bid good for taxpayers: area councillor

"We do not want to be known as the generation that let a beautiful site slip through our fingers let's preserve this place," said the Conservancy's John Martin, whose group has been against the sole-source redevelopment plan from the beginning.

Outgoing area councillor Clive Doucet said the plan's most important feature is that it would keep the park public.

"They bring to Lansdowne Park what should be there, it would retain a 100 per cent in public ownership," Doucet said.

Capital Ward councillor-elect David Chernushenko said taking time to review a competing bid would benefit the taxpayer.

"We are about to sign our way into big costs for a long period of time for city taxpayers, said Chernushenko.

"To halt the process now and take some time to look if there are other options would actually cost city taxpayers far less."

NBBJ has international experience designing hospitals, university campuses and sports stadiums like the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China which is under construction. The company also presented a second option, billed at $48 million, that included a smaller stadium to allow for more green space.