Public transit, cycling and walking will be the “primary and preferred modes” of getting fans to and from the Ottawa Senators’ planned downtown arena, says a newly disclosed agreement on the project.
Under the agreement, a group led by the NHL team would be responsible for designing, building and paying for a publicly accessible cycling and pedestrian bridge linking a major Ottawa street to the LeBreton Flats arena site.
In addition, the arena and associated elements would be “zero carbon” buildings — highly energy-efficient structures with minimal greenhouse gas emissions from materials and operations.
The National Capital Commission, the federal agency that controls the land, and Capital Sports Development Inc., led by the Senators, signed a memorandum of understanding last September on the planned purchase of five parcels totalling 10 acres.
The sale of the land near Parliament Hill could be completed later this year following finalization of a price based on fair market value.
Many Senators fans have long desired a central venue for the team, which has played since 1996 in an arena in the suburb of Kanata about 25 kilometres west of downtown.
The proposed arena, billed as a major events centre, would also host concerts and other attractions.
The memorandum and documents related to the September 2024 agreement were recently obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act.
Some portions of the documents were withheld from release on the basis the information could prejudice a competitive position or interfere with negotiations if made public.
Representatives of the NCC and the Senators declined to answer questions about the documents, citing the ongoing negotiations.
At a September press conference to announce the agreement, Senators president Cyril Leeder called the move “a great first step” but added there was a lot of work ahead.
“This allows that work to take place,” he said.
The memorandum of understanding says excavation and decontamination of the soil in one parcel of land must be completed by Capital Sports Development by a deadline after the sale closes, failing which the NCC would have the right to “take back” the parcel.
Focus on accessibility, ‘urban lifestyle’
The emphasis in the memorandum on active and ecologically friendly forms of transport and green building standards flow from the…
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