The Senators have come to an agreement with the National Capital Commission to construct a downtown arena and surrounding entertainment district in Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats neighborhood, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reports. The team is expected to hold a press conference Friday afternoon to confirm the agreement.
The news comes hours before a memorandum of understanding between the two parties governing a potential arena deal was set to expire. It’s a major step toward moving the Senators out of the Canadian Tire Centre in the inconveniently located suburb of Kanata, which has been their home since 1996.
But it’s not the final step in the process, Garrioch cautions. There’s still much to be decided about how the project will be funded, a source close to the development told him.
Still, it’s a major sigh of relief for new majority owner Michael Andlauer. The Senators have been working to acquire land in LeBreton Flats since submitting an initial proposal to the NCC. It’s been a long and winding road since then, with negotiations on their current MOU, signed in 2022, heating up in particular over the past few months.
“League sources say the NCC and the Senators made progress on the size of the parcel of land, which would allow for more on-site parking,” Garrioch wrote. “The Senators know they can’t rely solely on the troubled [light rail] system for people to get in or out of the arena.”
Earlier this week, Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet put together an expansive FAQ about the remaining roadblocks ahead for the Sens to actually put shovels in the ground. There’s no timeline yet for a prospective groundbreaking or opening date.
Team exists in the city: “Boo! We hate it here! Too sketchy! We need posh new digs in the suburbs!”
Team exists in the suburbs: “Boo! We hate it here! Too remote! We need posh new digs in the city!”
Rinse & repeat.
On the taxpayer dime.
Team gets new arena/stadium. You and your clan show up tossing tantrums about the taxpayer money being used. Rinse and repeat.
There is nothing inconvenient about Kanata. That is just another excuse to extort money from tax payers.
Have you been to the Canadian Tire Centre? It’s literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by car dealerships and only accessible by car. There’s a reason the Sens can’t even sell out playoff games.
Kanata is not a suburb of Ottawa – it’s part of the city, and has been since 2001. And LeBreton Flats is more centrally-located, but it’s not downtown.
Can’t please everyone and apparently in Ottawa, hard to please anyone.
The Flames ownership fleeced their taxpayers on a new building. I wonder how this will go. Owning their own land probably changes the dynamic.