Lansdowne 2.0 (Northside Stands/Arena Redevelopment) | U/C

phil235 · #11 Posted **Nov 10, 2025, 8:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I do wonder what came first; the City shrinking the podium or Live Nation moving on the Chapters space. I'm 100% positive shrinking the podium was a cost cutting measure, essentially making the same mistake as 1.0, that is cheeping out and creating problems for the future.

Aside from everything that was lost over the last 4 years of value engineering, other options would have been moving the Sunnyside branch of the library, due for replacement. Another option would have been to move the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame to the site and expand it to include the history of Lansdowne. Even just 25% more retail to allow another large restaurant or something. It's clear to me that, just like 1.0, the City is doing the bare minimum outside the two sports venues.

For the event attendance, the City has consistently pointed to the PWHL as representing a small percentage of events at the Civic Centre, but I would love to know how many events total have an attendance of more than 5,500 and 6,600. It's not just the PWHL.

You're right that the library would bring people to Lansdowne, but I really hope they just renovate the current building. It would be a loss to see them move out of that spot. The Sports Hall of Fame would not generate much foot traffic, particularly during the week. I don't think it would make a difference in overall numbers.

As for events over 6600 in the arena, I haven't seen a list, but it's definitely a small minority. The 67s and Blackjacks account for the majority of dates and they never go over that number. Concerts are pretty much have to be lower given the seating configuration, though there may be some exceptions. (For a show like Trevor Noah where they used the terrible seats and put a bunch of seats on the floor, they may have been over 6600, but not sure.) Community use is always far below that number.

You are really just talking the Charge (maybe) and then one-off events like the Brier or the Mem Cup. Even annual things like the Colonel By Classic are in the 3000 range.