When will we know who wins the opportunity to build what? Not until June.
“It’s not that we’re trying to be secretive. It’s really that we’re trying to give this process the best chance of success going forward,” NCC CEO Toby Nussbaum said in a discussion after the NCC board meeting on Thursday.
“We are very interested in doing it right … I think the NCC has high expectations for these sites, so we want to make sure we take the time to do it right. June is not that far off.”
The green circles indicate the two locations for major landmarks in the renovation of LeBreton Flats. (National Capital Commission)
The NCC said it was completing the evaluation and due diligence process and would then begin 60-day negotiations with potential supporters.
The NCC will then sign a letter of intent with the preferred rapporteur, brief the board and the public in June, and then work to negotiate a lease, which may last until the end of 2022.
No public input on major attraction proposals
Asked if the public would have a chance to weigh in on the NCC’s preferred supporter choice, Nussbaum said residents have already discussed what they want to see at LeBreton during the 2019 LeBreton Flats Master Concept Plan public consultation. According to a report drawn up after the consultation, participants said that all-time outdoor amenities and a well-planned network of open spaces were important to them, along with affordability, connectivity, groceries and more. And what did they want in a major attraction? “The most frequently cited examples of a potential major attraction were a new hockey arena or a major event center,” the report said. “Although there is no unanimous support for such an installation, it was the most frequently discussed issue.” Other suggestions included an aquarium, a zoo, a botanical garden, an amusement park or a planetarium. Nussbaum said on Thursday that the NCC had taken the 2019 consultation “very, very seriously” and now it was time to “move to a more action-oriented phase that deals with specific ideas”. Nussbaum also said there will likely be opportunities for public input when the city begins approving specific plans.
The next phase of development will begin in June
Also in June, NCC will begin the next phase of development for LeBreton, focusing on up to four plots in the Flats area.
According to the general plan, the Apartments will be a mainly residential area “defined by small-scale, pedestrian streets” and different types of houses, with almost all underground parking spaces, courtyards for shared use and focus on the construction of the area. friendly for pedestrians and cyclists.
This map from LeBreton Flats’s Master Concept Plan shows the four development areas. The area with the yellow color, known as Flats, is the next plot that comes for expression of interest in June. (National Capital Commission)
“This site will become a major gateway to LeBreton Flats from Wellington Street and Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway,” the NCC said in a press release Thursday.
Land in the area has been restored and is ready for development with long-term land lease, the NCC said.
The successful bidder would be responsible for building roads and infrastructure in the area.
