Ottawa, ON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) – City Council voted to proceed with the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park.
Council voted 15 to 9 to approve the Lansdowne Partnership Plan that includes refurbishment of the stadium and Civic Centre, creation of a large urban park and construction of a mixed-use area that includes shops, offices and residences.
The approval means the project will now proceed to stage two, where integration of the mixed-used design and the proposed urban-park design can be completed. A master site plan will be developed and zoning approvals will need to be obtained.
"After several false starts, this City Council has made a bold, visionary decision that will turn Lansdowne Park into an unrivalled City space," said Mayor Larry O'Brien according to the press release.
Council approved the project with a number of amendments to the benefit of the neighbourhood, the city, and protect Lansdowne as a public asset. City Council approved the redevelopment in principle last November but set out a number of extensive conditions for the project to proceed. These conditions, including the holding of an international design competition for a new park and retention of a panel of design experts, were completed in the last several months and reports detailing the work were presented to City Council June 9.
Construction timelines will be dictated in part by design and approvals processes. Work on the stadium and mixed-use area could be completed by 2013 at the earliest. The urban park area would see work phased in over a number of years as funds become available. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
