Lansdowne Park remains a potential crown jewel of Canada’s capital if planned right locally. This past year, the GCA Parks Committee engaged in the GCA’s effort to advocate that the Lansdowne 2.0 plan not go forward until parkland deficit issues were addressed, participating in October’s Let’s Talk Lansdowne, and preparing a brief in aid of the GCA’s appeal of the plan. In light of other significant city priorities, we shared our financial concerns with the plan as well. For example:
The Lansdowne 2.0 report stated that in 2020 Morrison Hershfield developed a $25 million, 40-year capital repair and replacement plan for the North Side Stands and Civic Centre to maintain the integrated stands and arena in safe, operating condition, and which even included demolition costs after the 40th year (2054). Thus, the mayor and the rest of City Council’s choice for the taxpayer regarding Lansdowne 2.0 was $419.1 million versus $25 million, and, accordingly, to preserve existing parkspace and resident-to-parkland ratios as is.
As it stands, Lansdowne 2.0 removes existing park space at Lansdowne and calls for 770 new residential units beyond the hopes of anyone looking for affordable housing in our city. It does not adequately address city standards for new park space in proposing these additional residential units. Furthermore, while the new revised plan creates .26 hectares of new public space, this is more than negatively offset by the removal of .46 hectares of the existing grassy hill and bern currently overlooking the stadium field and greenspace to the east.
Indeed, this truly unique, beautiful greenspace feature of Lansdowne Park – the sloping, grassy hill from which to enjoy a game or event in the stadium with friends and family on one side, and a vista of the park’s other existing greenspace on the other, is being shifted east, reduced in size by 50,000 square feet, and replaced by a three-storey arena with no green roof. All to replace a 10,585 seat arena that seats double what the new one would and which we are told by experts could remain as is at a comparably minimal cost in taxpayers dollars and lost greenspace or replaced downtown on Lebreton Flats.
Link to GCA Parks Committee Brief prepared for Lansdowne 2.0 Appeal