Tonight at midnight, the window for public consultation on the LeBreton Flats redevelopment will close.
It will then be up to the folks at the National Capital Commission to take a detailed look at each of the proposals, along with the feedback from the public, and decide which bid they’ll go forward with. It’s not going to be an easy decision as each of these groups has put together a unique vision for this important piece of land.
With the consultation window closing, I reached out to representatives of both the LeBreton Re-Imagined and Illumination LeBreton proposals to give of them an opportunity to speak about their proposals in a little more detail. On Saturday, I had a chance to speak directly to Cyril Leeder and some thoughts on that conversation are at the bottom of this post. I also sent a series of questions to the DCDLS group and what follows are their response to those questions.
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Q- These proposals are both filled with great ideas. I had the chance to make it out to the two-day public consultation at the War Museum and was almost overwhelmed with the number of details in both bids. A challenge- in three sentences or less, can you summarize your proposal?
A- This is an opportunity to do something big for Canada’s Capital, while at the same time creating a truly vibrant urban community for Ottawa residents. Our proposal has something for all Canadians, including, museums, entertainment and sports venues, magnificent green spaces, community facilities, seniors and student residences, modern urban housing and made-in-Canada retail outlets. LeBreton Re-Imagined delivers on the stated goals and criteria put forward by the federal government through the National Capital Commission (NCC), with a truly visionary proposal.
Q- A proposal this detailed obviously doesn’t come together over night. Tell us a bit about the process, from the early stages through to last week’s consultations. High-level of course, don’t want you to have to re-live the whole thing.
A- The process started about 18 months ago. Jean-Pierre Poulin, President of Devcore had the original vision. Once selected as part of the RFQ process, partners and tenants started to come on board. Jean-Pierre’s energy and excitement for the possibilities at LeBreton became infectious and as a result attracted a wide-range of partnerships, everything from renowned architects, to local community organizations, to leading attractions like Ripley’s, iFLY and the Air Pavilion, the Science and Innovation Pavilion and Planetarium, Spin Skatepark, the World Automotive Experience; all eager to explore what can be done and make it happen. Jean-Pierre brought in Jonathan Wener from Canderel, a Canadian real-estate development company that has built landmark projects in Ottawa and throughout Canada over the course of the past 40-years.
Through relationships, Bill Sinclair from Ottawa was then introduced to the opportunity. As a resident and business leader, Bill was captivated by the potential, both in terms of the investment and to finally do something with the property that had been neglected for almost 50-years. Bill brought in the Mierins family of Ottawa, Andre Desmarais, who was born in Ottawa, (the Desmarais family have a strong connection to the community and through the University of Ottawa, over three generations) and Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque Du Soleil. Each of these partners brought investment and Canadian-led, world-class expertise. This formed the partnership that is now Devcore-Canderel-DLS Group.
Q- Financing is going to be a huge part of this and is obviously a focus for the NCC and for citizens in general. The other group has talked about taking advantage of existing Government Incentive Programs. What can you tell us about your plans to finance this proposal?
A- We expect to make use of whatever existing programs are available. However, we are not looking for a hand-out. The partnerships we have brought along with our proposal have developed very detailed business cases that are self-financing.
Q- One of the most interesting things about the DCDLS bid is the impressive number of attractions included. But I’ve seen some suggest that perhaps there’s too much in there. That a city the size of Ottawa may struggle to support all those big ideas. Can you talk a bit about the work that goes into planning for the inclusion of those attractions and how your group was able to determine the feasibility of some of the ideas?
A- This is much bigger than Ottawa. We have the opportunity to build an International signature destination that can attract millions of tourists and visitors each year – a world-class public gathering place that enhances the attractiveness of Canada’s Capital. Our proposal has something for all Canadians, not just hockey fans: museums, entertainment and sports venues, magnificent green space, community facilities, seniors and student residences, modern urban housing and made-in-Canada retail outlets. As for feasibility, we have very robust studies that were presented to the NCC, but are confidential at this point.
Q- This particular website is a home for passionate Sens fans. And many of us are coming at this from the perspective of hockey fans. Let’s say your bid is successful. What can you tell us about your plans to get the Senators downtown?
A- Everyone in our partnership believes that the Senators should be playing downtown, at a new arena. Should we be successful at the end of this process, we welcome discussions with the current ownership of the Senators to find mutual agreement that would get the Team playing downtown at a new arena at the earliest possible time. We believe this is also what the fans want.
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Prior to puck drop on Saturday night, Team President Cyril Leeder was kind enough to take 15 minutes to walk me through the model they had set up at the Canadian Tire Centre.
I had a chance to see the display during the Public Consultations at the end of January but it was helpful to have someone actually explain some of the elements that make the Illumination LeBreton bid unique. Things like the green space strategically placed throughout the site, the massive public square right outside the rink, and the unique architectural layout around the aqueduct that really does have the potential to be a pretty cool area.
It was also interesting to talk to Cyril about exactly what it would mean for the team to move downtown. I think at this point most fans agree that it’s the right move for the organization but to hear the team’s President talk about- the improved game day experience, the atmosphere in the building, the ability to sell tickets- you could tell just how important this is for the Ottawa Senators organization.
Which is why when I asked the “What happens if you don’t win?” question, I sensed a moment of hesitation. He talked about the possibility of renovations in Kanata as well as their internal discussions about owning the building but there was almost a hint of uncertainty. Internally, I’m sure the Senators have an idea of what their “Plan B” is if they aren’t successful in their bid to redevelop LeBreton Flats but it’s obviously that- a back up plan. They have put a ton of work into this process and they expect to win.
Regardless of who wins the bid, it’s going to be a fascinating time for the Ottawa Senators organization.
Thanks to both the DCDLS and RendezVous LeBreton for taking the time to provide some additional insight on their vision for LeBreton Flats. Remember today is the last day to have voice heard through the public consultations. The online questionnaire is available here.
Game Day post coming in a little bit.
