On a chilly Thanksgiving weekend Sunday, the Ottawa Farmers’ Market bustled with people. Shoppers cradled cups of steaming apple cider as they wandered past stalls laden with autumn’s bounty. A busker sang Beatles tunes over the chatter of background conversations.That weekend liveliness is what the city and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group hope the new plan for Lansdowne 2.0 will bring seven days a week.
But Rochon said building more housing would be a good thing. Many of the market’s customers come from the immediate neighbourhood.The plan calls for the city to pay $250 million to build the new 5,500 seat event centre and $169.5 million to demolish and rebuild the north side stands. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the expenditure is an investment in vital city infrastructure that will belong to the city at the end of OSEG’s lease.
“I understand the city needs revenue because it’s been in the hole for Lansdowne for some years. I know they need a plan and I’m glad for that,” she said. “I think the commercial aspect did not succeed in Phase 1 as much as they’d hoped.“The merchants took a chance when they moved in here, but you need something stronger to really attract people.
Calvin Dunford and Kay Osborne live in the area and were also cautiously optimistic about the Lansdowne 2.0 plans. Any development needs affordable housing, Dunford said.