So what are we doing here, in Ottawa? What does Ottawa city-building as an incessant activity/dialogue look and feel like? Ottawatopia doesn't sound as good. But it seems the conversation is gaining needed parameters and ambition. How exciting.

Thank you for your input.

With reference to the cost of dis-assembling Frank Clair the figure was estimated by the City at $15 Million. There is however $18 Million dollars of recoverable and re-useable stteel not to mention the saved foundation costs of pulverizing the concrete. Riveters and Welders using acetylene can essentially take the exterior steel skeleton and use it in any new design at a new site. Overall a minimal cost.

You claim that OSEG will balk at a stadium at Bayview. Untrue, they can still have commercial development and a stadium. The requirement of the CFL is a stadium. Frank Clair is not essential. This is city land. If the partners are serious about football they will make it work at Bayview. If they aren't interested then you know it was never about football. Projected profits for the shopping center are $35 Million for Minto at the current proposed site. Tax revenue at Bayview would be better. The world model for development is TOD, or Transit Oriented Development. The developers know this, they just want a freebie and Mayor O'Brien seems to be not just allowing it to happen but actively ignoring ethical procurement and good governance.

New stadium construction is 30 to 40 percent cheaper than old stadium restructuring. Call any major stadium architectural firm.

Your comments on the Engineering report in fact support my contention, that yes new stadium construction is cheaper.

Your comment on the lack of development on the NCC is due to highly restrictive development guidelines. That is why it was recently scrapped by Minister Baird.

The land at Bayview however is City owned. Why wouldn't you want a design competition to stimulate the area?

The transport question at Bayview is in fact the main reason why a stadium and new commercial development would work very well while not harming communities.

No new large parking areas are needed because you have 4,000 empty parking spots at Tunney's Pasture every time there is a game. Shuttle rides can easily take park and ride fans down the parkway into the northern end of the Bayview Stadium site and down the Transitway on the Southern End thereby avoiding Mechanicsville.

Park and Ride from Kanata at Eagleson, From Orleans at Place d'Orleans, from Ottawa South and further along the O-Train, and people can use their downtown car passes for parking and transitway into the stadium.

Major European stadiums of 100,000 have no parking and no wide roads, and people get to the games via rapid transit or walk or by bike.

It is a paradigm shift in thinking. Get away from the large parking lots. develop close to rapid transit, encourage solar, geo-thermal and of course wind next to the Ottawa River.

And above all clean the poisoned land that is still polluting the Ottawa River and turn a brownfield into an ecological gem.

We are a Nation's Capital, and we should be leading first by good ethical process, and then by the highest standards of Urban Planning, re-use of materials, Platinum LEED and re-usable energy.

Our City, Our Ottawa, Our Nation's Capital.

If you move the stadium are you talking just trees and grass to remain at Lansdowne?
Actually, if the stadium gets moved there's nothing to say that what remains at Lansdowne won't be a crumbling, rusting hulk of a football stadium. Or have you budgeted the massive costs of demolition and cleanup of Lansdowne into your Bayview stadium?

Will the new stadium at Bayview have tenants?
Without the OSEG's backing, No. The CFL Deal was not to the City, it was to a group of businessmen, who clearly want to redevelop Lansdowne.

Is new stadium construction more cost efficient for the taxpayer? Again, I ask if the cost of demolition and cleanup of the existing stadium site is included in your entirely hypothetical "cheaper" Bayview costs. If not, be prepared to have a crumbling field of concrete at Lansdowne for the rest of our lives.

Does the Engineering report that the City commissioned examine whether or not Frank Clair can be modified?
Actually, I don't have the report in front of me, but they did examine the cost of rebuilding the demolished section of Frank Clair, and determined that rebuilding the entire stadium would be cheaper.

See: Same questions, vastly different answers.

If you think that Open Competition is the best answer, I invite you to come down to my neighborhood (around the corner from your proposed Bayview site, btw), and look at the shining result of a design competition run by the NCC, along much of the same lines as you're proposing.

Yep. It's a big, tall, ugly Condo building.

Also. In all your pretty drawings, I don't see the parking lots, or massively widened roadways that will destroy existing the existing neighborhood. My neighborhood. Or did you think everyone would take the Transitway?

If you move the stadium are you talking just trees and grass to remain at Lansdowne? Of course not. The working components will remain and ampitheatre's, outdoor pools, athletic fields can all be allowed to flourish. Something for all citizens.

Will the new stadium at Bayview have tenants? Of course. All the City has to do is build it. The CFL is contingent upon a stadium, not Frank Clair.

Is new stadium construction more cost efficient for the taxpayer? Of course, plus it is eligible for tens of millions of Provincial and Federal money since it will not be sole sourced.

Does the Engineering report that the City commissioned examine whether or not Frank Clair can be modified? No. The engineering report was not commissioned to do that but did conclude that the existing structure was unsound.

There are two sites to accommodate the interests of all concerned that will be done for less money and greater efficiency.

Lansdowne will be a working park with the 67's and trade space and the arts and athletics (amateur with pro exhibition) no stadium, an outdoor pool year round and an amphitheater.

Bayview will have all the commercial space required, on a transit hub and with a new stadium.

But it all starts from a simple RFP.

The City shows that two sites need development and states what it wants. Open competition will bring in the best.

But it may take a court of law to stop the current smoke and mirrors.

http://lansdownepark.ca/history_en.html

I also think you are taking the results of the CRG report out of context. While Bayview scored 77.5, Lansdowne scored 72 out of 95. So the difference between the two sites isn't huge which says to me that Lansdowne is a usable site. 6% really isn't that big a difference.

The report also doesn't account for business plans for stadium use - Lansdowne has multiple tenants lined up for it (CFL, pro soccer, CIS football) while your Bayview plan doesn't have those commitments. You are just assuming that people will shift plans over to your site without actually talking to them. That isn't a fair assumption - look at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Some tire kickers but no teams to play there.

Any refurb plan for Lansdowne also further strengthens the argument for an LRT expansion to (be prepped to) include a Bank Street component. I spoke to several reps from OC Transpo, City Council and other parties at the Orléans Q&A session on Lansdowne, and my impression is that they're none of them quite ready to believe the truth of this particular fact yet. Whether that Bank Street LRT component should be on the street or underground...?

As for the mall component of the Lansdowne Live proposal, the Glebe and Old Ottawa South do still have a perfectly viable mall: Bank Street itself. If, for example, the Mayfair Theatre group were offered first crack at running the proposed multiplex, maybe that could go some ways towards defusing the concerns of the local merchants.

I do have a great interest in professional sport (hockey, CFL), a farmer's market, shops, cafes, and bringing more people downtown by providing more high-density housing opportunities. Ottawa could be a much more vibrant City with more people living downtown, particularly people in their 20s and 30s. I can't wait to see the impact of new condo development near Bank Street in Centretown - I think it will be incredible to see the difference in 5-8 years.

I am tired of people from Montreal moving to Ottawa for job opportunities and complaining that it's boring (such as myself)! I want a City I can be proud of.