Lansdowne 2.0

Investing in a City-owned landmark

Lansdowne is one of Ottawa’s most iconic gathering places. It’s a space where people can cheer on local teams, attend concerts and festivals, enjoy the farmers’ market, meet friends for dinner, or simply spend time outdoors. As the City owns the land and all buildings at Lansdowne, it is the City's responsibility to maintain these facilities.

Some of the site’s important public facilities, including the stadium’s north side stands and the event centre, are nearing the end of their useful life and no longer meet today’s standards, particularly in the area of accessibility. The nearly 60-year-old event centre and north side stands require extensive and costly maintenance to remain operational, with costs only increasing as more time passes.

Lansdowne 2.0 is a strategic plan to modernize these aging facilities, improve public spaces, add more homes and businesses, and ensure Lansdowne continues to serve as a year-round destination. The plan protects and enhances an asset that belongs to the people of Ottawa, leveraging the City’s investment with significant revenues that will pay the majority of the cost. This initiative is focused on maintaining public infrastructure and creating an improved space for residents, visitors, and future generations.

What’s included in Lansdowne 2.0?

Lansdowne 2.0 is the City’s innovative plan to update the site so it can continue to serve residents and visitors for decades to come. The proposal aims to enhance the experience for everyone who visits or lives on-site and generate revenues to offset most of the cost of construction.

The revitalized Lansdowne will include:

A new and improved event centre: This will replace the aging TD Place Arena (formerly the Civic Centre) and create a more attractive venue for concerts, community events, and professional sports. Core priorities for the new centre include full accessibility and gender-inclusive facilities. The event centre will feature a striking exterior and improved energy efficiency. It is also being designed to specifically address the needs of professional women’s sports, including the Ottawa Charge, with customized dressing rooms and training spaces.

The event centre will accommodate up to 7,000 people for concerts and 6,600 for hockey. This total capacity includes 5,850 seats combined with popular modern viewing areas where fans can gather together to watch while standing. Based on consultation with event organizers, tourism officials, and others, this size is strategically planned for the Ottawa market, positioning the facility between the more intimate National Arts Centre and larger venues like the Canadian Tire Centre and a potential new downtown arena.

Modern north side stadium stands at TD Place: These will offer upgraded seating, wider concourses, additional washrooms, and significantly improved accessibility for fans and visitors. Like the south side stands, the new stands will no longer have a roof, though the City is exploring options to provide some weather protection.

New housing: The project will introduce hundreds of new residential units to Lansdowne, contributing to Ottawa's housing needs. The City will earn revenue from the sale of air rights (the rights to build above the land) for these towers, which will help fund Lansdowne 2.0 and affordable housing in Ottawa.

Revitalized Public Spaces: Lansdowne 2.0 will feature reinvigorated public areas and green spaces including the return of the Great Lawn for festivals and concerts, and the reintroduction of a berm for play, relaxation, concert viewing, and tobogganing. These spaces are intended for year-round community activities, events, and recreation. New pathways, seating areas, and outdoor venues will enhance the visitor and resident experience.

Public Art Program: $2 million of the total project budget will be dedicated to creating dynamic public art installations, celebrating Ottawa's diverse culture.

These upgrades are designed to replace aging infrastructure, improve accessibility and sustainability, and support tourism, small businesses and local jobs, making Lansdowne a more inclusive and vibrant year-round destination.

The proposed construction plan is also being created in close collaboration with local businesses and residents. All major events, such as outdoor markets and CFL, NSL, CPL, PWHL, OHL and CEBL games, would continue during construction under the proposed plan.

Why revitalizing Lansdowne is necessary

Lansdowne is an essential public space for Ottawa, but current facilities are aging and have become outdated, no longer serving the needs of a modern, growing city. TD Place Arena is nearly 60 years old and has reached the end of its useful life, requiring extensive and costly repairs just to remain operational.

Beyond general maintenance, the existing facilities do not meet modern energy efficiency standards and show growing signs of deterioration, including leaks. The washroom capacity is also insufficient, requiring temporary solutions like portable toilets during events.

As Lansdowne continues to age, it becomes less suitable for hosting major events. This means the City increasingly misses out on significant opportunities to generate revenue and attract visitors to Ottawa. Without action, these lost opportunities will keep adding up. Lansdowne 2.0 is a smart way to fix these problems now, help the City earn more money in the future, and avoid even more expensive repairs and construction costs later.

Accessibility

Lansdowne 2.0 prioritizes enhanced accessibility. The new event centre will have accessible entrances at all gates, and three percent of its seating will be accessible. Similarly, the new north side stands at TD Place will feature accessible entry at all gates and three percent accessible seating. The design of the new event centre also includes accessible facilities for para sports athletes and referees.

Guests will also have access to complimentary assisted listening devices, interpretation services, lower accessible counters at concession stands, and a dedicated drop-off zone for people requiring mobility assistance, among other improvements.

A significant shortcoming of Lansdowne’s current setup is its lack of accessibility. The existing buildings and stands were not designed to accommodate the diverse needs of all residents and visitors, with outdated or absent accessibility features. Issues include limited accessible seating options, narrow concourses, and outdated entrances.

Energy efficiency and sustainability

City staff project that the modern design of the new north stands and event centre will lead to significant operational improvements. The new facilities are expected to use 36 per cent less energy and will lower their environmental impact by producing 31 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the buildings they replace.

This high level of efficiency is achieved through modern technologies like high-performance insulation and energy-efficient HVAC systems, including heat pumps.

These sustainability features are expected to result in the project earning a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Project financing and fiscal strategy

The total investment in Lansdowne 2.0 is estimated at $419 million, to extend the facility’s useful life for another 60 years or more. New revenue streams as a result of the investment are projected to generate $272.5 million, leading to a net investment by the City of approximately $146 million.

This net investment will be structured to fit within the City’s existing budgets and tax targets, meaning the project will not result in an additional tax increase for residents.

The new revenues generated by the project and from the City’s partnership with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which operates Lansdowne’s facilities, include:

• Proceeds from the sale of air rights for future residential development.
• Incremental property tax revenue from new housing units.
• Rental income from the partnership for the Stadium and new event centre.
• City revenue shares from tickets sold at all events hosted at Lansdowne.
• A share of annual profits from the partnership.

These revenues are conditional on the project proceeding and would not be realized otherwise. This approach enables the City to make a long-term capital investment without placing additional pressure on the operating budget or requiring increases in residential property taxes.

Most investments by the City in public infrastructure are designed for community benefit rather than financial returns. For example, the City regularly invests in libraries, community centres, and recreation complexes with no resulting revenues.

The investment in Lansdowne, therefore, is a rare opportunity to leverage revenues to pay the majority of the cost of new public infrastructure that also benefits the community. After accounting for new revenue and proposed financing strategies, the City would invest $146 million to gain a new asset worth $419 million.

What’s next?

Ottawa City Council approved the overall Lansdowne 2.0 plan in November 2023 and the procurement model for the project in April 2024. A final report to Council is planned before the end of 2025, with finalized financial details, including the final tender price for construction, the final air rights sale price, and any necessary funding adjustments. This final report provides Council with a decision point to determine the next steps.

Get involved and share your thoughts

Community input is central to shaping Lansdowne 2.0 to ensure this City asset meets the needs of residents and community partners. The City aims to keep residents informed and engaged throughout this project.

Residents are invited to:

• Share their thoughts on Engage Ottawa: Lansdowne 2.0 | Engage Ottawa
• Attend public consultations
• Stay up to date on project progress and announcements