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Two prominent former Parliamentarians are putting aside their party ties and calling on the National Capital Commission to revisit the rules around the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats.
In a joint opinion piece published in the Citizen on Monday, former Conservative MP John Baird and former Liberal MP John Manley — both former high-profile Ottawa-area cabinet ministers — are asking the NCC to consider the best elements of both competing bids for the “legacy” project planned for 21.6 hectares of long-dormant downtown land along the Ottawa River.
While the NCC said both bids — one submitted by Devcore Canderel DLS, the other from Eugene Melnyk’s RendezVous LeBreton — scored high enough to qualify for consideration, the rules dictate that only the bid that scored highest would win first negotiation rights.
That distinction went to Melnyk’s bid, with a downtown NHL arena and future home of the Ottawa Senators as its centrepiece, in a grand reveal in late April.
But calling the redevelopment of such prime real estate a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” that will “transform the face of Ottawa for generations to come,” Baird and Manley underscored the importance of getting the project right.
Under the current rules, say Baird and Manley, “there is a real risk of getting it wrong.”
The politicians propose a marriage of the best ideas contained within both competing bids, an ideal they say is difficult to achieve under the current rules that govern the bidding process.
The two competing proposals were unveiled in January, attracting more than 3,000 people to an open house, while the NCC received another 8,000 responses to an online questionnaire about the bids.
Both proposals include plans for a downtown arena and a new central library, as well as residential, commercial and retail components, but differ wildly in their vision for the site.
The bidders were forbidden from speaking with each other during the selection process to prevent collusion, and were only afforded a brief window, which closed at midnight May 4, to discuss their bids publicly.
In an interview with Postmedia during that window, officials with RendezVous LeBreton indicated they were open to holding talks with the runner-up Devcore Canderel DLS Group about adding some elements to its own bid.
Fred Waks, president and CEO of Trinity Development Group, master planner and builder with RendezVous LeBreton, said officials would “probably be reaching out” to DCDLS, indicating a particular interest in the proposal for a Ripley’s Aquarium to be incorporated into the site.
Waks said wherever those discussions lead, the group won’t deviate dramatically from its winning bid.
In an interview at the same time, Jean-Pierre Poulin, president of Gatineau-based Devcore, said it would be “unreasonable” for the RendezVous LeBreton group to contemplate incorporating elements of the competing DCDLS bid, since both submissions remain in the running.
Baird and Manley, meanwhile, are calling for “a creative solution to this process.”
They suggest the intervention of Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, who is responsible for the NCC, and local MPs, including Ottawa-Centre MP Catherine McKenna.
“The public interest demands the best possible development for our nation’s capital,” the opinion piece reads. “In our view, the way to achieve that goal is to merge the best components of the two projects.”
DUELLING PLANS
ILLUMINATION LeBRETON
18,000-seat “major event centre”
Sensplex rinks with attached 250,000-square-foot sports and recreation centre for disabled and able-bodied users
Restored heritage aqueduct lined with shops and cafés
An optional public library adjacent to the LeBreton development property
Five distinct neighbourhoods containing 4,400 residential units plus 2.8 million square feet of office and retail space
LeBreton Square, able to handle up to 28,000 people for outdoor events
An Innovation Promenade with interactive displays from the Canada Museum of Science and Technology
LeBRETON REIMAGINED
18,500-seat “Theatre of Sports and Entertainment”
New central library
Ripley’s aquarium
Planetarium and Science and Innovation Pavilion
Canadensis Walk, a linear park stretching the full length of the site
Museums devoted to automobiles and multimedia
Canada Square and a bandshell with outdoor seating for 6,000
Skate park and indoor skydiving experience
Retail Follies, a mix of retail and museum spaces
2,500 residential units and one million square feet of office space
YMCA and French-language elementary school
With files from Don Butler
ahelmer@postmedia.com
查看原文...
In a joint opinion piece published in the Citizen on Monday, former Conservative MP John Baird and former Liberal MP John Manley — both former high-profile Ottawa-area cabinet ministers — are asking the NCC to consider the best elements of both competing bids for the “legacy” project planned for 21.6 hectares of long-dormant downtown land along the Ottawa River.
While the NCC said both bids — one submitted by Devcore Canderel DLS, the other from Eugene Melnyk’s RendezVous LeBreton — scored high enough to qualify for consideration, the rules dictate that only the bid that scored highest would win first negotiation rights.
That distinction went to Melnyk’s bid, with a downtown NHL arena and future home of the Ottawa Senators as its centrepiece, in a grand reveal in late April.
But calling the redevelopment of such prime real estate a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” that will “transform the face of Ottawa for generations to come,” Baird and Manley underscored the importance of getting the project right.
Under the current rules, say Baird and Manley, “there is a real risk of getting it wrong.”
The politicians propose a marriage of the best ideas contained within both competing bids, an ideal they say is difficult to achieve under the current rules that govern the bidding process.
The two competing proposals were unveiled in January, attracting more than 3,000 people to an open house, while the NCC received another 8,000 responses to an online questionnaire about the bids.
Both proposals include plans for a downtown arena and a new central library, as well as residential, commercial and retail components, but differ wildly in their vision for the site.
The bidders were forbidden from speaking with each other during the selection process to prevent collusion, and were only afforded a brief window, which closed at midnight May 4, to discuss their bids publicly.
In an interview with Postmedia during that window, officials with RendezVous LeBreton indicated they were open to holding talks with the runner-up Devcore Canderel DLS Group about adding some elements to its own bid.
Fred Waks, president and CEO of Trinity Development Group, master planner and builder with RendezVous LeBreton, said officials would “probably be reaching out” to DCDLS, indicating a particular interest in the proposal for a Ripley’s Aquarium to be incorporated into the site.
Waks said wherever those discussions lead, the group won’t deviate dramatically from its winning bid.
In an interview at the same time, Jean-Pierre Poulin, president of Gatineau-based Devcore, said it would be “unreasonable” for the RendezVous LeBreton group to contemplate incorporating elements of the competing DCDLS bid, since both submissions remain in the running.
Baird and Manley, meanwhile, are calling for “a creative solution to this process.”
They suggest the intervention of Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, who is responsible for the NCC, and local MPs, including Ottawa-Centre MP Catherine McKenna.
“The public interest demands the best possible development for our nation’s capital,” the opinion piece reads. “In our view, the way to achieve that goal is to merge the best components of the two projects.”
DUELLING PLANS
ILLUMINATION LeBRETON
18,000-seat “major event centre”
Sensplex rinks with attached 250,000-square-foot sports and recreation centre for disabled and able-bodied users
Restored heritage aqueduct lined with shops and cafés
An optional public library adjacent to the LeBreton development property
Five distinct neighbourhoods containing 4,400 residential units plus 2.8 million square feet of office and retail space
LeBreton Square, able to handle up to 28,000 people for outdoor events
An Innovation Promenade with interactive displays from the Canada Museum of Science and Technology
LeBRETON REIMAGINED
18,500-seat “Theatre of Sports and Entertainment”
New central library
Ripley’s aquarium
Planetarium and Science and Innovation Pavilion
Canadensis Walk, a linear park stretching the full length of the site
Museums devoted to automobiles and multimedia
Canada Square and a bandshell with outdoor seating for 6,000
Skate park and indoor skydiving experience
Retail Follies, a mix of retail and museum spaces
2,500 residential units and one million square feet of office space
YMCA and French-language elementary school
With files from Don Butler
ahelmer@postmedia.com
查看原文...
