The Ottawa Senators and National Capital Commission (NCC) have announced progress in their plans to develop a significant events center and surrounding district in the western part of the city’s downtown. In a joint statement released on Monday, the NCC and Capital Sports and Development Inc., the entity representing the Senators in this endeavor, revealed that they have finalized an agreement to acquire approximately 11 acres of land at LeBreton Flats.
This agreement enables both parties to move forward with the next stages of the project, which involve activities such as zoning, design and approvals, as well as the necessary decontamination of the land parcels to facilitate construction. The Senators chose not to provide additional comments on the matter at this time.
Last September, the two parties reached a tentative agreement on the project, following a memorandum of understanding in 2022 and subsequent extensions to accommodate the team’s sale in 2023 to Michael Andlauer. The Senators have been actively pursuing a new arena for some time, having faced setbacks such as the failed LeBreton Flats bid that collapsed towards the end of 2018 under the previous team owner, Eugene Melnyk.
Currently, the Senators play their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, which is located approximately 23 kilometers west of Parliament Hill and 21 kilometers west of the designated land parcel for the proposed arena. The agreement primarily focuses on land situated on the north side of Albert Street, positioned between City Centre Avenue and Preston Street, and flanked by the Bayview and Pimisi light rail stops.