Lansdowne Partnership Plan - Authorization to Proceed to the Next Steps in the Redevelopment Report

The recitals

• OSEG’s original concept for Lansdowne 2.0 included a green roof on top of the arena and events centre, which would replace much of the current toboggan hill
• in relocating the arena, the Lansdowne 2.0 proposal would remove approximately 50,000 square feet of greenspace in what is currently a public park, in an area currently underserved by parks
• Lansdowne 2.0 anticipates a greater volume of residents, and of visitors, on site through the redevelopment, which means the need for greenspace is greater
• the City has committed to applying a climate lens to all capital projects, which includes considering the benefits green space provides in terms of stormwater infiltration, biodiversity habitat, and mitigating the heat island effect
• the City studied three options for the green roof, ranging from $4.2M with limited functionality to $28M for a publicly accessible option
• the City’s latest 2023 concept for the site does not include a green roof citing expense as the primary factor
• there was a significant public outcry for the initially proposed green roof to be made accessible to the public
• over 4500 Ottawa residents have now signed a petition to have an accessible green roof at the new event centre
• major event centers including Fenway Park in Boston and the Target Center in Minneapolis have integrated hydroponic gardens into their limited green roofs, with produce from the gardens being used in food production at multiple onsite vendors, with excess being donated to local food security organizations; THEREFORE