Public transport, cycling and walking will be the “primary and preferred modes” to bring fans and to the Ottawa senators Downtown Arena planned, indicates a newly disclosed agreement on the project.
Under the agreement, a group led by the NHL team would be responsible for the design, construction and payment of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge accessible to the public connecting a large street in Ottawa to the Lebreton Flats Arena site.
In addition, the arena and associated elements would be “zero carbon” buildings – very energy efficient structures with minimum greenhouse gas emissions from materials and operations.
The National Commission of the Capital, the Federal Agency which controls the land, and Capital Sports Development Inc., led by the senators, signed a memorandum of understanding last September on the planned purchase of five plots totaling 10 acres.
The sale of the land near the hill of the Parliament could be completed later this year after the finalization of a price based on fair market value.
Many fans of senators have long wished a central place for the team, which has played since 1996 in an arena in the suburbs of Kanata about 25 kilometers west of the city center.
The proposed arena, presented as a large center of events, would also host concerts and other attractions.
The memorandum and documents related to the September 2024 agreement were recently obtained by the Canadian press through the Access to Information Act.
Certain parts of the documents have been selected from the communication on the basis that the information could prejudice to a competitive position or interfere with the negotiations if they were made public.
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CCN and senators’ representatives refused to answer questions about documents, citing the negotiations in progress.
During a September press conference to announce the agreement, the president of Senators Cyril Leeder qualified the move as “great first step”, but added that there was a lot of work to come. “This allows this work to take place.”
The understanding memorandum indicates that the excavation and decontamination of the soil in a plot of land must be completed by the sporting development of capital by a deadline after the closure of the sale, failing that the CCN would have the right to “resume” the package.
The emphasis on the memorandum on the forms of transport and active green construction standards and ecologically friendly of the master concept plan for the lebreton apartments written by the CCN after in -depth consultations.
The 175 -page master plan “prioritizes universal accessibility, access to public transport and active modes. The design of the community and the proposed land uses allow an urban lifestyle that meets the daily needs of residents without requiring car trips. ”
He notes that the site is connected to two light rail transport stations as well as to pedestrian and cycleable installations and roads to accommodate and disperse large crowds. New links, stairs and casserors are planned.
Capital Sports Development would be forced to design and build one of these components – a pedestrian and cycle bridge leading from Preston Street to the slight rail tracks in apartments, connecting communities to the south, according to the understanding of understanding.
It also indicates that the construction of the arena and associated buildings would be certified to the zero carbon standard of the Canada Construction Council. In addition, all buildings must be connected to a planned LEBRETON FLATS energy system.
It is not known to what extent the new parking spaces on the site would be underground or in surface lots. On the issue of surface parking, a document prepared by the CCN indicates that the agreement “contains provisions for temporary parking on land near the NCC”.
In addition to the new arena, the vision of the CCN for Lebreton apartments includes a mixture of residential units, retail points, restaurants, green spaces and efforts to honor the rich presence of the Algonquine nation in the region.
The memorandum stipulates that the CNC “will ensure continuous development” of the land in the master plan.
After the September announcement, Michael Andlauer, owner of the majority of senators, expressed his optimism about the future with the Arena project, saying that it may be possible to drop the first puck in Lebreton in five years.
He did not seem worried by the breakdowns and the problems which had tormented the light rail system of Ottawa, saying that it was confident “they will have all the bugs” at the time of the construction of the arena.
However, Andlauer said he was surprised at the start of the process by the respectful requirements of the CCN, saying that the Commission could be a little too “ideological”.
“They want to say, but … I think about the fan goal,” said Andlauer.
In response to questions on the September agreement, especially if transport and ecological conditions would be achievable, the Ottawa senators said that the hockey club “refrain from making comments” out of respect for current negotiations.
Valéririe Dufour, spokesperson for the CCN, said that to “respect the integrity of the current discussions, we will make no other comment at the moment”.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press