Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Ottawa has taken a major step forward in its plan to build a new event centre and north-side stands at Lansdowne.
On Tuesday (April 2), the Finance and Corporate Services Committee approved a design-bid-build procurement model for the project.
The model will see the city first prepare a detailed design for the new event centre and north-side stands, which will then be used to inform construction costs and final air rights values.
The city expects to sell or lease the air rights above and below the retail building at the Lansdowne development to help finance the project.
The committee also approved a $20-million line of credit for the Lansdowne Partnership, which will be repaid by the partnership and will help the event centre project move ahead during the first two years of construction.
The city says the design-bid-build model has been used successfully for other large-scale infrastructure projects and is the best option for this project.
The next steps for the project will see city staff report back to council later next year with a final design for the new event centre and north-side stands.
They will also provide an update on the air rights situation and any changes required to the project schedule for construction.
In other business, the committee:
- Approved several community improvement plans (CIPs), including the new Affordable Housing CIP that will encourage developers to increase the supply of affordable rental units.
- Redesigned the Brownfield Redevelopment CIP so new applications are only eligible if they include housing.
- Continued Economic Development CIPs for both Montreal Road and the Integrated Orléans Community Improvement Plans.
- Approved the 2024 Tax Policy and Other Revenue Matters report.