Published on September 29, 2012 5:08 PM by dbo.

The final report on the Lansdowne Project was tabled to city councillors this week with a final (no, we mean it this time) council vote on proceeding occurring on October 10th. Here are the topics in the headlines to review as the date approaches.

• The proposed Rideau Canal footbridge’s cost and timing may delay it though it is needed and provides an example for alternative transportation methods.
• Residents want the remediation methods for the berm partially constructed of contaminated soil reviewed.
• Before the final recommendation delivered, the issues were reviewed.
• The recommendation from city staff was the plan and agreement was ready to proceed.
• Doubts were raised about the agreement when there was a lack of revelation of all tenant names. The feeling is the exact configuration of retailers must be known by all, rather than take the developers word on faith they will be unique. Such approval will also be needed as retailers move and close in the future to maintain the “uniqueness”.
• Concerns over the projected rise of naming rights from $15 million to $50 million in the final report were raised. The raise by the consultants is due to the rights being for the whole entertainment and commercial development, which should see the traffic to merit these type of naming rights over 30 years.
• The project is already $12 million over budget, due to legal and inflationary costs, not to any mismanagement or conscious under-budgeting. Further cost overruns on the stadium, arena and parking garage will be absorbed by OSEG in exchange for increased equity in the project. The good news is the stadium is projected to be ready for events in the summer of 2014.
• Transportation will have to adjust to the needs seen when the park opens.
• Plans for the Lansdowne office building were revealed by Minto.
• Jeff Hunt looks forward to the time in about another month when the franchise can drop the conditional modifier. Herb Zurkowsky seems to pin the delay on the whole Ottawa/CFL incompetence thing.

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Lansdowne: Countdown to Groundbreaking was published on September 29, 2012 5:08 PM by dbo.

347 words.

This article is categorized under Stadiums and tagged with franchises, lansdowne-park and ottawa.

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