Too much focus on arena in RendezVous LeBreton bid, public said

The public liked that the RendezVous LeBretonGroup's proposal for LeBreton Flats providedamplegreen spaceand would move the Ottawa Senators downtown, but manywere critical of the arena being the only focal point and did not want to see a skyline of highrises.

Those are some highlights about feedback on the highest-ranking bid,according to areport from the National Capital Commission that sums up nearly 8,000 surveys received between Jan. 26 and Feb. 8.

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The questionnaireasked people to describewhat they liked about each bid, and how each bid could be improved.

NCC CEO Mark Kristmanson said a team, led by Environics,analyzed the public'sresponses and produced a reportin time for the first meeting of the five-person evaluation committee.

"We discussedit thoroughly at each stage, so the public feedback affected everything all the way through," said Kristmanson."It didn't need to have its own score. It affected every score."

So what did the people have to say?

'Too much focus on the arena'

The debate that was happening in the city in January over whether the hockey franchise would move downtown and who would own an arena made its way into many of the responses about the Rendez-VousLeBretonbid.

People felt the team's move downtown would make LeBretonvibrant and be its economic driver. Theyliked the green roof onthe major event centre,the boardwalk to the Ottawa River, the affordable housing, and the fact the light rail track would be below-grade.

Butthe words "high rises,""real estate" and "condos" came up often and in a negative way. The report saidthat a "higher proportion" ofcomments werecritical of the hockey team being the focal point of the RendezVous LeBreton bid. People felt LeBreton Flats"requires anattraction that isappealing to a broader cross-section of the public than hockey fans."

Some of the anonymous comments from the report:

• "I have been a fan of the Senators for a long time and for two decades havebeen wishing the arena was downtown near public transit and not inKanata.I like the idea of the Senators playing downtown and think therooftop forest along with the inlet will be nice."
• "The elevation change in the construction on the south side of the aqueductwhich allows the LRT to be below grade is perfect and allows the entiredevelopment to flow freely, creates one continuous development with easypedestrian and bicycle access everywhere."
• "This bid simply looks horrifying, the renderings look like the (worst)parts of Toronto condo, high risehell. Ultimately, the bid comes off likean attempt to build an arena and condos, with no vision for whatdowntown Ottawa could become."
• "I am a resident of LeBreton Flats and I'm afraid that this whole thing would end up as another Lansdowne. It's been far too long for this to happen so I really hope that this is it. That there will be follow-through and concrete actions to be made."

Automotive museummajor downside toDCDLS bid

As for the bid that ranked second, some people lauded its ambition in trying to create a destination based on multiple attractions, while others felt the designresembledmore of a theme park, suited to tourists.

Perhaps the strongest point of the Devcore Canderel and DLS proposal, people felt,was the amount of space alloted for publicuse, whether it was the linear park andurban beach, or the amenities such as the grocery store, library and YMCA.

People seemed to like the idea of an aquarium atLeBreton Flats, butthey were adamant that the "automotive experience"did not fit with the rail history of the area and its transit-oriented future. They also wanted more affordable housing.

• "It's spectacular. Captures the imagination. Will turn Ottawa into avibrant capital city, and a major international tourist destination. i.e. Nolonger "Ottawa, the city that fun forgot". Great design features, and thereis something there for everyone. Not simply focused on a hockey arena andcondos."
• "I love the fact that they're creating a space for people, not cars. Protectedbike lanes, public spaces and walking paths are all essential for creating amore human city. I like the emphasis on giving this space to the public,with a variety of museums and centres of activity."
• "The museums are tacky and not ideal for residents' everyday use. Kind of tourist trap feeling."
• "The car museum has no place or relevance in Ottawa, ditch it."