NCC putting in a lot of conditions for the downtown site

[mianjo]

Eco-friendly transportation a condition of planned Ottawa Senators arena: agreement

OTTAWA — Public transit, cycling and walking will be the “primary and preferred modes” of getting fans to and from the Ottawa Senators’ planned downtown arena, says a newly disclosed agreement on the project. Under the agreement, a group led by the NHL team would be responsible for designing...

ottawa.citynews.ca

I guess they dont realise in the middle of winter with 2 feet of snow on the ground it maybe hard to cycle or walk.....

 

[Masked]

Are the Sens leaking this to put pressure on the NCC for these wacky demands?

 

[dumbdick]

I sure hope the 25 year olds working at the NCC have thought through the need for honeybee habitats at the rink. And so help me god if there's not enough motorized longboard parking!

I will literally spit my london fog right in the face of some Orleanser with their gas guzzling Honda CR-V.

 

[Big Muddy]

Canada Green Building Council = LEEDS in the U.S., which has been around since 1994.

It would be more of a surprise if a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) like the NCC didn’t have those requirements.

NCC can ask for those requirements and certification, but whether the project will get built to those criteria & standards is anybody’s guess. It's not mandatory.

This article wasn’t very specific about how parking would be handled, so that evoked some curiosity.

 

[Butchy Dakkar]

Are the Sens leaking this to put pressure on the NCC for these wacky demands?

It says obtained via access to information request though…. And redacted at that

 

[Stylizer1]

There is so much legislation on the books right now for eco this and climate change that moving forward there is nothing any government can do. Our system is only set up for 1 eventuality and that is way less cars and a lot of red tape preventing innovation unless it meets a very strict definition of what is acceptable.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

I mean... yeah? It's probably the most-desirable piece of empty land left in the city core. Of course they're gonna put some pretty damn high expectations on what's gonna get built?

It ain't the days of old Lansdowne with its sea of asphalt. This place is going up next to a gorgeous river, a museum, the site of Bluesfest, and will be a stone's throw away from Parliament Hill -- to say nothing of the LRT line and the bridges across to Gatineau. It should *absolutely* be suitable for walk-ability and public transit access. I sure as hell ain't planning to drive down there once it gets built. We ain't throwing this up downtown to cater to suburbanites in Kanata, Orleans, and Barrhaven.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Shovels in the ground 2035!

 

[Cosmix]

Eco-friendly transportation a condition of planned Ottawa Senators arena: agreement

OTTAWA — Public transit, cycling and walking will be the “primary and preferred modes” of getting fans to and from the Ottawa Senators’ planned downtown arena, says a newly disclosed agreement on the project. Under the agreement, a group led by the NHL team would be responsible for designing...

ottawa.citynews.ca

I guess they dont realise in the middle of winter with 2 feet of snow on the ground it maybe hard to cycle or walk.....

I hope they don't mix walkers with cyclers.

 

[Cosmix]

I mean... yeah? It's probably the most-desirable piece of empty land left in the city core. Of course they're gonna put some pretty damn high expectations on what's gonna get built?

It ain't the days of old Lansdowne with its sea of asphalt. This place is going up next to a gorgeous river, a museum, the site of Bluesfest, and will be a stone's throw away from Parliament Hill -- to say nothing of the LRT line and the bridges across to Gatineau. It should *absolutely* be suitable for walk-ability and public transit access. I sure as hell ain't planning to drive down there once it gets built. We ain't throwing this up downtown to cater to suburbanites in Kanata, Orleans, and Barrhaven.

What have you got against suburbanites?

Having some parking in the Flats makes sense. That applies to summer time usage as well as people attending hockey games and whatever else gets built in the area.

 

[Stylizer1]

It also says construction of the arena and associated buildings would be certified to the Canada Green Building Council’s zero carbon standard. In addition, all buildings are to be connected to a planned LeBreton Flats energy system.

However, Andlauer indicated he was taken aback early in the process by the NCC’s environmentally friendly requirements, saying the commission could be a bit too “ideological.”

Exactly. The NCC holds too much power and has to get out of the way. We need to get rid of them.

 

[Tuna99]

Sure public transit is a great idea, can you get the public transit to work first and then maybe we’d have some faith in your plan.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

What have you got against suburbanites?

Having some parking in the Flats makes sense. That applies to summer time usage as well as people attending hockey games and whatever else gets built in the area.

Some parking, yes. But trying to make the case that an arena built downtown -- an arena being built *expressly* for the purpose of drawing in a greater audience located downtown -- shouldn't be built to cater to a downtown audience by emphasizing walk-ability, cycling, and transit options is pig-headed, at best. If we want the barn to be consistently full, we're gonna need to pull in a nightly walk/train/bus/cycle-up audience.

And I *am* a suburbanite. I live in the ass-end of Barrhaven. This new downtown arena should absolutely *not* be catering to me and my preferred modes of transport. I'll be more than happy to drive to my local park-and-ride and transit down once it's built.

 

[mysens]

This is not going to happen for a long long time. It actually may not happen is what I am hearing. Ownership and its builders are about to wave the white flag, saying that they have never had to deal with so much bureaucracy. To say they are losing their patience is a massive understatement.

 

[Masked]

It says obtained via access to information request though…. And redacted at that

And who do you think suggested to the CP that they should do an ATIP request?

 

[dumbdick]

I totally get Andlauer here.

I bet the NCC folks have some batshit ideas of families snowshoeing to the arena, hand-in-hand, like a Norman Rockwell painting.

A bunch of recent college grads selling a contaminated empty lot and overstepping into trying to micromanage and usurp the business decisions of an enterprise worth hundreds of millions. What's your litres per flush looking like, michael?

It's like buying someone's house and them asking what type of flowers you were planning to plant before they sign off on the deal.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I mean... yeah? It's probably the most-desirable piece of empty land left in the city core. Of course they're gonna put some pretty damn high expectations on what's gonna get built?

It ain't the days of old Lansdowne with its sea of asphalt. This place is going up next to a gorgeous river, a museum, the site of Bluesfest, and will be a stone's throw away from Parliament Hill -- to say nothing of the LRT line and the bridges across to Gatineau. It should *absolutely* be suitable for walk-ability and public transit access. I sure as hell ain't planning to drive down there once it gets built. We ain't throwing this up downtown to cater to suburbanites in Kanata, Orleans, and Barrhaven.

That gorgeous river stinks in summer. Hell, it stinks right now. While I think walkability is great, and the view from the Flats to the Hill would make for a great walk...we've got to clean up that river, big time, for that to work..

You also have to remember you're also wanting to pull in people from Renfrew to Hawkesbury.

 

[Stylizer1]

I think they have just been stalling for the last 5 years because it still costs to much money for the financing.

 

[Sun God Nika]

What is the reason they haven't ditched the NCC yet and went with Bayview yards which is pretty much an identical location with much less restrictions?

The city is also friendlier group to work with opposed to the Feds.

 

[PlayersLtd]

Attaining LEED Gold in both construction and operations shouldn't be an issue for the SENS and is likely out of their best interest anyhow. No reason to get too bent out of shape over this requirement. The site has massive potential to be a model of urban sustainability and this is one area where having the NCC at the helm presents a very unique opportunity, assuming they are prepared to take on some of the costs associated with their vision in the peripheral areas of the Sens 10 acres.

But there's a key detail in that article. Capital Sports is on the hook for decontamination, they are also trying to negotiate fair market value. The NCC is not going to admit that the land is a giant liability as it is. They are going to overvalue the future potential and undervalue the current risk. Sens will do the exact opposite.

Under those conditions you quickly realize how vast the gap is between the two and it begins to look insurmountable. Add to that a myriad of other cautionary factors or liabilities and before you know it there is no deal to be made.

That is the current state of affairs. I said it months ago, the Sens can't move on from Lebreton fast enough. It just ain't happening. But that's a good thing. The City will be a way better business partner, we just need to hear the words come out of Andlauer's mouth that they are pivoting. When that happens it will be the biggest step yet in the direction of a new arena and we can finally get excited.

 

[PlayersLtd]

What is the reason they haven't ditched the NCC yet and went with Bayview yards which is pretty much an identical location with much less restrictions?

The city is also friendlier group to work with opposed to the Feds.

Hope and Andlauer being determined to operate in good faith with the NCC until the last minute. He is notoriously tight lipped and that is a good quality to have as a business leader. It is fair to assume that patience will run out at this point this summer and that either some last ditch pressure tactics emerge from the Sens or that they altogether come out and say they are moving on.

You can's underestimate the shockwaves it will send through the City though so better to remain hopeful and tight lipped until the bitter end.