Stadium proposals evaluation

The City of Ottawa received two unsolicited proposals for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and programming of a multi-purpose sports facility:

• The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) submitted the first proposal, known as Lansdowne Live, on October 20, 2008. It consists of the refurbishment of Frank Clair Stadium as part of a redevelopment of Lansdowne Park. The OSEG project team has a conditional Canadian Football League franchise.
• Senators Sports and Entertainment (SS&E) submitted the second proposal in January 2009. It consists of a soccer stadium to be built near Scotiabank Place in Kanata as part of a larger mixed-use development. The SS&E project team has submitted a formal expansion application to Major League Soccer (MLS) and is in discussions with MLS with regard to bringing a team to Ottawa.

Evaluation and assessment

In a memo to Mayor and Council on February 13, 2009, the City Manager recommended a two-stage evaluation process designed to provide Council with the opportunity to first consider information regarding the location of a stadium before subsequent presentation on the analysis of both the OSEG and SS&E proposals.

In the first stage, City staff issued two reports to the City’s Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) and Council aimed at providing Councillors with information pertinent to the needs and location of a stadium, and the framework for assessing the unsolicited proposals.

• The first report, Needs Assessment and Location Analysis for Multi-Purpose Sport and Entertainment Facilities, was issued on February 19, 2009 and was tabled at PEC on February 24, 2009. This report provided City Council with information on the need for sports and entertainment facilities in Ottawa, and on the evaluation of 23 prospective sites throughout the city. It was commissioned by the City in August 2008 and completed in December 2008 by the Corporate Research Group.
• The second report, Stadium Opportunity Assessment Framework, provided greater clarity on the process of evaluating the two proposals, and was issued on March 2, 2009. The framework provides a detailed approach for the City and the stadium proponents to follow through the evaluation of the proposals.

Both reports were considered at PEC on March 10, 2009 and at City Council on March 11, 2009.

On March 11, City Council decided to complete an evaluation of the unsolicited stadium proposals using evaluation criteria contained in the Stadium Opportunity Assessment Framework, and directed staff to report back with recommendations to a special joint meeting of the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee (CSEDC) and PEC on April 6, 2009.

The second stage provided Council with an evaluation by City staff of both the OSEG and the SS&E proposals. The City staff report Assessment of Stadium Proposals – OSEG (Lansdowne Live) and Senators Sports and Entertainment (SS&E), Kanata on the evaluation of the business cases for proposals was tabled at a special joint CSEDC and PEC meeting on Monday, April 6, 2009. This report provided an analysis of the two proposals from land-use and business-plan perspectives and made recommendations for Council’s consideration.

Consultation

Ottawa residents had an opportunity to comment on City’s staff’s recommendations at a joint meeting of the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee and Planning and Environment Committee on Monday, April 20.

Final decision

City Council considered the final report on the stadium proposals on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 and directed City staff to negotiate a partnership agreement with OSEG to redevelop Lansdowne Park.

City Council asked staff to complete their negotiations with OSEG and report back to Council on September 2, 2009. On September 2, City staff and the OSEG presented Council with the Lansdowne Partnership Plan.

For more information

If you would like more information, please contact stadiums@ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401).