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(Posted
7:30 p.m., Oct. 10)
City council gives final approval to Lansdowne redevelop.m.ent
project, tentative nod to future casino
By
Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
It's
taken nearly four years, but the controversial Lansdowne
Park redevelop.m.ent project has finally been given the
go ahead by Ottawa city council.
Councillors
voted 21-3 in favor of allowing the $250 million project
to proceed which will pave the way for CFL football to
return to Ottawa in 2015.
Although
the vote was seen as a mere formality, it represents a
point of no return for the project. Construction will
now proceed on the north and south side stands of the
new stadium as well as the foundation for the horticulture
building which will be moved to its new site in November.
Construction
of the mixed use residential/retail space will begin next
spring, followed by the commencement of work on the urban
park in August.
Most
of the work will be completed by the spring and summer
of 2014.
The
Lansdowne Partnership Plan between the City of Ottawa
and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group will see
the city spend $167.4 million on the new stadium, parking
garage, urban park and associated servicing costs.
OSEG
will cover the construction costs of the mixed use residential/retail
space and assume the risk of any cost overruns.
After
approving the Lansdowne Park project, council voted 19-5
in support of further exploring the possibility of bringing
a casino to Ottawa. In essence city council agreed to
support in principle becoming a "host city"
for a gaming establishment.
It
is not clear what weight city council's support carries
with it, or what would have happened if the motion had
of been defeated. The Ontario government, through the
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, has already expressed
a desire to build a casino in Ottawa and and have begun
the tendering process to find a private sector operator.
Only
one preferred proposal will be presented to council in
2013 for its mandatory approval.
The
motion passed by council calls on the Ontario Lottery
and Gaming Corporation to establish a Request for Proposal
process that is "fair, transparent, open and competitive
and which provides all proponents, including the Rideau
Carleton Raceway, an opportunity to compete within a level
playing field".
(This
story was made possible thanks to their generous support
of our local business
partners.)
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