Lansdowne Live update from Councillor Leadman’s office
Posted: November 24th, 2009 | Author: westwellington | Filed under: News | No Comments »On November 16th 2009, City Council, on behalf of the residents of the City of Ottawa, approved the Lansdowne Partnership Plan (LPP) between the City and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). It is clear that Lansdowne has been left to deteriorate over successive Councils and is in need of rehabilitation. I am very supportive of redevelopment of the site but financial oversight is critical. Any project must be viewed past its vision into its fundamentals.
I am hoping that when this issue comes back to council in June 2010 evaluation of these fundamentals will be provided through the reports that are now set to be completed. Only then can we be better able to see if the proposal is, in fact, good for residents and the City as a whole.
The information that needs to be provided includes:
- A fair market impact study. The studies conducted to date forecasted limited impact but had the entire core of Ottawa as the impacted region. As the proposal would see the amount of commercial space in that area double, the scope is being broadened to provide a more accurate picture of the impact on local businesses.
- A firm financial model. The operating system and financial plan is currently a ‘closed system’ with little to no details. The operating system has a large impact on the potential subsidies the City will be providing OSEG and the structure in which the City will receive revenues. Additionally, the current financial plan was not audited for accuracy and will be evaluated by our Auditor-General.
- The redesign that will be initiated under George Dark will potentially impact the revenue stream and possibly add to the tax burden.
- Effects on transportation. While football games were held at Lansdowne in the past, they operated under different conditions than what is being proposed. Access to the Queen Elizabeth Driveway has not been acquired for transit use during regular games. Nor has any of the critical offsite parking locations been confirmed. Finally, The OSEG study predicted 30 to 35 per cent of trips not being taken by car. Past football games were only in the 3 to 6 per cent range.
- Transparency and accountability regarding the incremental tax revenues generated from the site and impacts on the overall tax base.
- Clarity in that this project is not “revenue-neutral” as has been claimed.
In conclusion, this proposal originates from great proponents, with their vision; however, the deal still has critical flaws and gaps. The fact that these flaws were not solved in advance of the vote was unfortunate and I felt it irresponsible to vote for the plan at this time. I am hopeful that this information will be available for the vote next spring.
I will endeavour to examine and judge the proposal on its merits. I will, as always, continue to work to ensure taxpayers are getting the best return on their investment.
Please contact my office if you wish to discuss this or any other civic topic further by email at email hidden; JavaScript is required or by phone at 613-580-2485.
Sincerely,
Christine Leadman