[J.OT13]

I genuinely believe that Lansdowne will be worse off with the plan that has been approved than if we left is as is. The big mistake was putting all our eggs in the "let's do what OSEG wants, but value engineer it to death" basket instead of looking at alternatives, like renovating the existing Civic Centre and adding housing and a hotel some other way (add on top of existing commercial buildings, build on one or both sides of the Civic Centre, build a tower a the end zone instead of a new arena).

 

[jay2028]

I genuinely believe that Lansdowne will be worse off with the plan that has been approved than if we left is as is. The big mistake was putting all our eggs in the "let's do what OSEG wants, but value engineer it to death" basket instead of looking at alternatives, like renovating the existing Civic Centre and adding housing and a hotel some other way (add on top of existing commercial buildings, build on one or both sides of the Civic Centre, build a tower a the end zone instead of a new arena).

If we had left it and done nothing it we would over time have lost teams and events.

 

[J.OT13]

If we had left it and done nothing it we would over time have lost teams and events.

We will anyway. Charge won't play at Lansdowne. events that require 8k to 10k seats will look elsewhere. Events that picked Lansdowne over Kanata for the location over the capacity will no longer have that choice.

 

[originalmuffins]

While i take issues with it and yes it should be better.With that said if the city had said no we could be looking at a long period of years where nothing is done and just rots away.

I absolutely agree. I do think 2.0 is necessary, but this current rendition is so mediocre that it begs the question, Why dumb it down like this, why lose all those things that would have been perfect for this area?!

 

[originalmuffins]

We will anyway. Charge won't play at Lansdowne. events that require 8k to 10k seats will look elsewhere. Events that picked Lansdowne over Kanata for the location over the capacity will no longer have that choice.

Yup, even the smaller arena is again.. WHY?! And I genuinely think your suggestion to build housing on top of the current retail is a great idea, it should have been part of the plan. Add the towers with mixed use, add in housing above the current retail, and modify the plan to be something better. I just don't get it.

This saddens me. I just wish our new mayor goes and says... we will go back to the original plan. Getting Sutcliffe has been the worst thing to happen to Ottawa. Say what you want about Watson (not his biggest fan), but Sutcliffe is the worst.

 

[postingaboutottawa]

We will anyway. Charge won't play at Lansdowne. events that require 8k to 10k seats will look elsewhere. Events that picked Lansdowne over Kanata for the location over the capacity will no longer have that choice.

The charge would have left anyway 8500 vs 6000 can only make up for the outdated facilities for so long. Their lease was 3 years and they are staying as is for two of those. They can split their time until lebreton opens. What would have happened if structural rehabilitation demanded months of closures and there was no alternate facility?

 

[jay2028]

Yup, even the smaller arena is again.. WHY?! And I genuinely think your suggestion to build housing on top of the current retail is a great idea, it should have been part of the plan. Add the towers with mixed use, add in housing above the current retail, and modify the plan to be something better. I just don't get it.

This saddens me. I just wish our new mayor goes and says... we will go back to the original plan. Getting Sutcliffe has been the worst thing to happen to Ottawa. Say what you want about Watson (not his biggest fan), but Sutcliffe is the worst.

Is the best no but there are worse .

 

[originalmuffins]

Is the best no but there are worse .

Sutcliffe is definitely the worst. We have been regressing in terms of city development and propelling us further. We are at an important time and approaching a 2 million metro area population; Ottawa isn't small anymore.

 

[jay2028]

Sutcliffe is definitely the worst. We have been regressing in terms of city development and propelling us further. We are at an important time and approaching a 2 million metro area population; Ottawa isn't small anymore.

There is one guy running for mayor that wants to make it near impossible to build so yes it can be worse..

 

[J.OT13]

The charge would have left anyway 8500 vs 6000 can only make up for the outdated facilities for so long. Their lease was 3 years and they are staying as is for two of those. They can split their time until lebreton opens. What would have happened if structural rehabilitation demanded months of closures and there was no alternate facility?

We may have had to shut down the Civic Centre for a few years as they did in Hamilton when they renovated the Copps Coliseum and it would have been a challenge to relocate teams. A combination of the Palladium, Nepean Sportsplex and Slush Puppie could have been used. It would likely have been cheaper (we'll never know for sure) and would have saved the investments made with 1.0 (the berm, the art, the retail at the front of the Civic Centre, the trees). Short term pain for long term gain.

I think that the current plan was an effort to throw together the cheapest viable product based on some very creative math, and that might end up haunting us in a few decades, as did the decision not to fully renovate the Civic Centre the first time around.

 

[postingaboutottawa]

We may have had to shut down the Civic Centre for a few years as they did in Hamilton when they renovated the Copps Coliseum and it would have been a challenge to relocate teams. A combination of the Palladium, Nepean Sportsplex and Slush Puppie could have been used. It would likely have been cheaper (we'll never know for sure) and would have saved the investments made with 1.0 (the berm, the art, the retail at the front of the Civic Centre, the trees). Short term pain for long term gain.

I think that the current plan was an effort to throw together the cheapest viable product based on some very creative math, and that might end up haunting us in a few decades, as did the decision not to fully renovate the Civic Centre the first time around.

And if we did that and after years of playing in Gatineau or in a Junior A arena the charge bolted for Lebreton because they don't have a long term lease (best case), or (worst case) if the foreign management with no investment in the facilities got cold feet and moved the team to another market the city would be left holding the bag a still missing a modern live event venue in the ~5-6000 range. CHL and PWHL can't be compared since the latter do not have local ownership and are far from saturation across suitable markets.

I am not thrilled with the way things turned out but rehabbing the Civic Centre to please the Charge I have never been convinced of as a realistic plan.

 

[J.OT13]

And if we did that and after years of playing in Gatineau or in a Junior A arena the charge bolted for Lebreton because they don't have a long term lease (best case), or (worst case) if the foreign management with no investment in the facilities got cold feet and moved the team to another market the city would be left holding the bag a still missing a modern live event venue in the ~5-6000 range. CHL and PWHL can't be compared since the latter do not have local ownership and are far from saturation across suitable markets.

I am not thrilled with the way things turned out but rehabbing the Civic Centre to please the Charge I have never been convinced of as a realistic plan.

To be clear, I would have preferred rehabbing the Civic Centre, but not for the Charge per se. For me it's about preserving more of the 1.0 investments. Preserving more of the Great Lawn. It's about preserving a building that has been witness to major events in history, a building that is an example of one of Canada's most renowned architect's early works.