Lansdowne 2.0 - the city needs to hear from you

The City of Ottawa is considering rejuvenating Lansdowne Park again, less than a decade after completing the last redevelopment of the park. There’s no doubt that Lansdowne Park has so much potential. We have not seen the creation of the “urban village” that was promised to residents –a thriving small-shop retail experience hasn’t taken hold, transportation to and through the park remains plagued with issues, insufficient public amenities have limited residents’ enjoyment of the site Monday through Sunday, and, certainly, the promised financial returns have never materialized.

We want to see Lansdowne become a lively public space for everyone in our local community and the broader city community and live up to the original promises that were made to Ottawa. We released a full vision about this previously. When a proposed privatization of the remaining publicly operated portions of Lansdowne was made by the previous city administration, the community organized to ensure the city and OSEG knew what was important to them, and that proposal was eventually withdrawn.

The initial Lansdowne 2.0 city survey focuses on residents’ knowledge of Lansdowne, but it does not address the $332 million proposal directly. That needs to improve in the future, along with a fulsome review of the proposed financial model. The city will be conducting further consultations in this regard and on other topics related to the proposal.

Addressing the core issues

For Lansdowne 2.0 we want to see core issues addressed:

• that we have proper fully informed consultation;

• that well-used greenspace is respected and that new greenspace is created for community and better fan experiences;

• that a fulsome and new sustainable transportation plan to and through the park is put in place to address the site restrictions instead of clogging the area with car-centric design;

• that permanent affordable housing is created if public land is being leased or sold;

• that the site has new housing which invites people into an urban village and complements the heritage Aberdeen Pavilion instead of three skyscrapers jammed in; and

• that the public proposals to enhance winter activities and community events, create new seating and shade, and safely connect the canal, aren’t shelved for 15-20 years.

We can do better than what was proposed in the last term of council with no consultation, and it’s important we work together to find common-sense solutions to make a better Lansdowne.

Future consultation

Many of you have shared your thoughts on the future of Lansdowne, but for those who haven’t (and for those who have), there’s still time to speak up. At the time of writing this, the city has a preliminary survey out, and, over the next few months, they’ll have more opportunities for public engagement. You can find this online at engage.ottawa.ca.

Our office will also be holding consultations in conjunction with the city.

We are planning a public event on Wednesday, May 10th. We will also be releasing a survey soon. Details, along with other important information, can be found on our website at shawnmenard. ca/lansdowne

Thank you for reading and engaging on this topic.

Shawn Shawn Menard is City Councillor for Capital Ward. He can be reached directly at CapitalWard@ottawa.ca.

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