News Article: Ottawa Senators Organization Actively Considering Building Arena At Lebreton Flats

[Sensored]

Why don't people do this now?

Is there even a Montana's in Kanata? Not sure.. There are plenty of other places though, that people don't go to after games. Those same people will not go to the market. The centrum in Kanata is closer to CTC than the market would be to the arena in Lebreton.

I'm not sure why people think it will be a complete reversal from what it is now.

Why don't people do this now? Because we don't have a train that goes to the CTC. We have direct buses that don't stop along the way are unreliable and take upwards of an hour from downtown to take.

First of all, the centrum is not closer. It's a long walk or a 30 minute drive (traffic). Second, there are restaurants on Elgin, on Bank and literally all over downtown. You don't HAVE to go to the market. And third, there's a lot of land to develop it's entirely reasonable that a new restaurant or restaurants will be built if an arena is built at Lebreton.

 

[pepty]

That would be so great for Ottawa and for the Sens. No worries about filing that building downtown .
I would love for Melnyk to sell the team first though.

 

[Sens92]

Why don't people do this now? Because we don't have a train that goes to the CTC. We have direct buses that don't stop along the way are unreliable and take upwards of an hour from downtown to take.

First of all, the centrum is not closer. It's a long walk or a 30 minute drive (traffic). Second, there are restaurants on Elgin, on Bank and literally all over downtown. You don't HAVE to go to the market. And third, there's a lot of land to develop it's entirely reasonable that a new restaurant or restaurants will be built if an arena is built at Lebreton.

The people that are saying you have to go to the market are probably the same people that constantly talk about how boring Ottawa is. Get out once in a while! There are far better restaurants around the market than there are in the market.

As someone in Orleans, I would definitely spend time in Downtown Ottawa after a game. I'm a lot less inclined to do the same in Kanata when it takes me 45 minutes to drive home and the "bars" are the same type of suburban chains we have in Orleans.

 

[tony d]

Interesting. Have to wonder if a new arena would intrigue the owners of the team to spend more money.

 

[blahblah3]

I'm also not sure why you think nobody will use public transit to a downtown arena. With improving infrastructure (and likely a commitment by the city to continue to improve it if an Arena got the green light) I imagine we would see more use of public transit than we currently do. Right now, people drive because the options are limited if they don't want to go right when the shuttles are running. With a downtown arena, options would be greatly expanded which is key to getting buy in for public transit.

Because people don't like to take public transportation to the CTC, even from the West end, so you are dreaming if this will be any different in the future.

Doesn't matter anyway, this whole thing is economically insolvent. There is no way Melknyk is going to build a new arena, valued at minimum %100 OF THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATIONS NET WORTH just to move it downtown. The only way he would consider it is if the government pays for it. Good luck with that.

http://www.forbes.com/teams/ottawa-senators/

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Interesting. Have to wonder if a new arena would intrigue the owners of the team to spend more money.

Either way, he has to. We're hovering around the cap floor as it is.

Although, like others have said, ticket prices will likely increase a fair bit, as well.

 

[Smash88]

Why don't people do this now? Because we don't have a train that goes to the CTC. We have direct buses that don't stop along the way are unreliable and take upwards of an hour from downtown to take.

First of all, the centrum is not closer. It's a long walk or a 30 minute drive (traffic). Second, there are restaurants on Elgin, on Bank and literally all over downtown. You don't HAVE to go to the market. And third, there's a lot of land to develop it's entirely reasonable that a new restaurant or restaurants will be built if an arena is built at Lebreton.

The train will not go to the suburbs! and there will be less LRT stops than bus stops. I'm not sure why it is that you believe people will want to do it any more than they do now.

Buses on the transitway are basically the same as what the LRT will be but just a bit quicker.

All I am saying is it's basically the same. It's far from the bars, transit will be somewhat better but not good enough to change peoples mind about driving to the game.

It is better in the sense that it's more central, so it would be good for anyone in the east or south, than what it is currently.

It's just not this huge gamechanger that people want it to be though.

 

[Step]

Because people don't like to take public transportation to the CTC, even from the West end, so you are dreaming if this will be any different in the future.

Doesn't matter anyway, this whole thing is economically insolvent. There is no way Melknyk is going to build a new arena, valued at minimum %100 OF THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATIONS NET WORTH just to move it downtown. The only way he would consider it is if the government pays for it. Good luck with that.

http://www.forbes.com/teams/ottawa-senators/

If Melnyk gets a casino built inside a new arena at Lebreton Flats, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But yeah...that ain't happening.

 

[starling]

Why don't people do this now?

Because there is tons parking around obviously, something LF arena won't have.

The last thing I care about in this whole story is Senators attendance, although clearly it will be better than it is now. What I care in the first place is making this city a great place to live and having such a huge people's attraction at LF has potential to turn downtown from deserted place it is now after 6PM into something thriving and full of people.

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

Because people don't like to take public transportation to the CTC, even from the West end, so you are dreaming if this will be any different in the future.

Just about 400-series bus I've ever seen for a Sens game has been packed.

Hell, I prefer it to driving just for the fact that the bus is heated when you get on it!

 

[Micklebot]

Because people don't like to take public transportation to the CTC, even from the West end, so you are dreaming if this will be any different in the future.

Doesn't matter anyway, this whole thing is economically insolvent. There is no way Melknyk is going to build a new arena, valued at minimum %100 OF THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATIONS NET WORTH just to move it downtown. The only way he would consider it is if the government pays for it. Good luck with that.

http://www.forbes.com/teams/ottawa-senators/

There is a link at the start of the thread indicating that they are interested in doing so.

A downtown arena is an asset that will likely increase the value of their current holdings and offer up potential new opportunities.

While Melnyk has not been interested in additional investors in the past, that's not to say that with the right opportunity he wouldn't be. This could potentially be the right opportunity (and it would likely be an investor in the arena, not the team).

edit: Add to that, a new arena will eventually need to be built, doing so 10 years earlier than originally planned might not be ideal, but the point is that he already is on the hook for a new arena anyways. It has to get done at some point.

 

[blahblah3]

If Melnyk gets a casino built inside a new arena at Lebreton Flats, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But yeah...that ain't happening.

Yes good chance. But since Ottawa is run by anti-gambling screw heads (that all love Lac-leamy), what will end up there will be the 3-5k seat music and entertainment facility Ottawa desperately needs.

 

[Step]

I'm thinking about actually grabbing a pint with friends and other fans after a game and not mad-dashing it in the attempt of making an apocalyptic commute just...bearable.

A boy can dream.

 

[jbeck5]

YES. I laugh at all people who think this is a bad idea.

 

[blahblah3]

There is a link at the start of the thread indicating that they are interested in doing so.

You missed the part where he said "public support!" while having little dollar signs flash comically in his eyes.

 

[blahblah3]

YES. I laugh at all people who think this is a bad idea.

One day when you are older you will understand how budgets work.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Because there is tons parking around obviously, something LF arena won't have.

The last thing I care about in this whole story is Senators attendance, although clearly it will be better than it is now. What I care in the first place is making this city a great place to live and having such a huge people's attraction at LF has potential to turn downtown from deserted place it is now after 6PM into something thriving and full of people.

That's why we (we, as in the city planners) need to think BIG. If we're going to have that arena in Lebreton, we need to use that as part of the package to fix up other things - big expansion in the LRT, getting the new Science & Tech museum up somewhere, maybe even tack in a bit more 417 or (please) 174 expansions.

A big infrastructure project only comes along once a decade or two. We've got to find a way to get the most city-wide bang for our buck with this one.

 

[Sensored]

The train will not go to the suburbs! and there will be less LRT stops than bus stops. I'm not sure why it is that you believe people will want to do it any more than they do now.

Buses on the transitway are basically the same as what the LRT will be but just a bit quicker.

All I am saying is it's basically the same. It's far from the bars, transit will be somewhat better but not good enough to change peoples mind about driving to the game.

It is better in the sense that it's more central, so it would be good for anyone in the east or south, than what it is currently.

It's just not this huge gamechanger that people want it to be though.

This is phase 2 of the LRT plan, probably won't be built for another 10 -15 years. Around the same time as an arena would likely be built. Of course more people are going to use LRT to go to the game if there's a stop a minute away from the arena. It'll be faster, cheaper and there's way more space on a train as opposed to current buses.

 

[starling]

One day when you are older you will understand how budgets work.

Yes, having such a massive lot of prime land in the middle of the city sitting there doing nothing is awful for the budget.

 

[Dick Whitman]

The train will not go to the suburbs! and there will be less LRT stops than bus stops. I'm not sure why it is that you believe people will want to do it any more than they do now.

Buses on the transitway are basically the same as what the LRT will be but just a bit quicker.

All I am saying is it's basically the same. It's far from the bars, transit will be somewhat better but not good enough to change peoples mind about driving to the game.

It is better in the sense that it's more central, so it would be good for anyone in the east or south, than what it is currently.

It's just not this huge gamechanger that people want it to be though.

If you're at Lebreton flats, today, like right now without any new development, you're a 15 minute walk away from Sparks street (Bier Markt, 3 Brewers, Brixton, etc.) or 15 minutes away from Preston. There are plenty of places to go to eat and drink near Lebreton. And that's currently without any new development, so you can easily make an evening and night out of a downtown game.

Transit will be much better and the arena would be near where people are 5 out of 7 days of the week. how many more walk-up ticket sales do you think a downtown arena would produce? I'm guessing a whole lot more than we have now.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Yes good chance. But since Ottawa is run by anti-gambling screw heads (that all love Lac-leamy), what will end up there will be the 3-5k seat music and entertainment facility Ottawa desperately needs.

I don't think you understand just how much space is available at Lebreton. Someone pointed out that the centre bell in Montreal is on 1.2 hectares of land which should give you an idea of what can be built at Lebreton.

 

[InTkachukWeTrust]

All I have to say is if you've been to a Redblack game you'll realize how good having a stadium with bars within walking distance is. Redblack, CFL!, sells out every game and will continue to do so because of this. I don't know if any of you have studied business but one of the main rules to being successful is, location..location..location. Bring on Lebreton!

 

[Upgrayedd]

The only reason I take my car to Senator games (now) is that it would take forever to get there on the Bus. But if an arena was located at Lebreton Flats, I would never take my car and use the transit system, as it would be easy to get there and back for a number of reasons. I would be able to have more than one or two beers at a game. As for the Street Cars System aka LRT, it would be able to remove more people quicker than what now happens at the CTC, where everyone wants to go in the same direction.

I have the same reasons as listed here, would welcome a dtown arena with open arms and would never drive to a game again....i would love to be able to take public tranportation to a NHL event within a reasonable time frame like what is being done with the Redblacks/CFL currently.

 

[DuckedUpOnQuack]

Crazy idea, but what about the possibility of using water taxis to ferry people east/west/gatineau as well. It's incredible how little use we make of such a fantastic natural resource. Booze cruise post-game parties!

 

[Dick Whitman]

Crazy idea, but what about the possibility of using water taxis to ferry people east/west/gatineau as well. It's incredible how little use we make of such a fantastic natural resource. Booze cruise post-game parties!

The Ottawa river (the part that runs through downtown) is not ideal for boating. Plus, that whole frozen ice during winter thing.