City mulls fewer stores in Lansdowne project

There could be less shopping at Lansdowne Park than previously planned, following weeks of public consultations ona proposal to redevelop the area.

Municipalstaff are studyingwhat it wouldcostto makemajorchanges to the latest version ofa plan for the parkbrought forward by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. Thepossible changesincludecutting the amount of retail space and redeveloping thecity-owned parkwithout a private partner.

The current planenvisions building stores, restaurants, condos and townhouses at the park on Bank Street, just north of the Rideau Canal, as a public-private partnership between the group and the city. Public consultations on that plan ended Sunday.

But councillors had already directed staff to consider other options last Tuesday.

College Ward Coun. Rick Chiarelli downplayed the significance of that request, however.

"It's not a Plan B per se," he said. "It's staff going to cost out different options."

Councillors directed city staff to estimate:

• The subsidy that the city is effectively providing to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group by borrowing the $117 million itself to pay for renovations to Frank Clair stadium and its parkade, instead of the developer getting a loan at a higher interest rate.
• What it would cost the city to take on the project without a private partner.
• How much the project would cost without a retail component.
• What would happen if conditions approved by council in April relating to trade shows, housing and commercial development on the site were imposed.
• What it would cost to demolish and remove the existing paved parking and turn it into parkland.

Changes would cost taxpayers

Alta Vista Coun. Peter Hume said some proposed changes, such as a reduction in retail space and the removal of restaurants from the Aberdeen pavilion, could cost $3 million to $5 million annually in lost tax revenue.

"I think what we should be doing is saying we're prepared to put our own money, our own skin in the game," he added, "preserve the land for larger community purpose, really do it right, and be able to move forward that way."

But Chiarelli said most of the changes that council asked staff to consider aren't realistic.

"Basically they want all the benefits but virtually eliminating any chance of revenue," he said. "So that's not going to happen."

He added that he is open to changes that won't affect the cost to taxpayers, such as starting with less retail space but buildingaplannedhotel sooner.

He added that he could "live with" holding a design competition for the open space at the park, an idea that has also been floated, but only if the winner also has the money to build his or her vision.

"The taxpayers do not have the hundreds of millions of dollars to put the next Eiffel Tower at Lansdowne Park."

Meanwhile, Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans said the proponents of the proposal are listening to public feedback.

"I believe they're prepared to make significant changes," she said. "I think they realize that not everything they've proposed is acceptable to the residents of Ottawa."