The City of Ottawa has officially approved the $418.8 million Lansdowne 2.0 project that will see TD Place Stadium receive a new north-side stand.
City council voted 15-10 in favour of the proposal on Friday, just one week after the finance and corporate services committee gave its stamp of approval by an 8-3 margin.
The expansive project, which is centred around the construction of a new hockey arena to replace the current outdated venue, will continue with the proposed demolition of the north stand of TD Place Stadium following the 2027 season. It is expected to take two years for the stands to be rebuilt with improved seating and amenities, in addition to the retail podium and extended parking behind it.
As a result, capacity for Redblacks games will reportedly be reduced to just 14,000 for the 2028 and 2029 seasons — 10,000 less than the building currently holds. Even with temporary stands, that is expected to be a financial strain on a CFL team that averaged 18,136 fans in attendance last year, despite a poor record, and regularly drew sellout crowds pre-pandemic.
Upon completion, the new north-side will have a capacity of roughly 12,400. New suite seating is expected to be made available in the event centre that overlooks the field. The overall capacity for TD Place will still be around 24,000 when it’s all said and done.
The City of Ottawa first recommended the demolition of the arena and TD Place’s north-side stand in June of 2021, following an extensive investigation by two working groups. Last year, the City Council put forth a tentative budget of $420 million for the project, beginning the process of getting zoning approval and accepting bids from contractors.
Construction on the events centre is scheduled to begin in 2026, with the north-side stand coming down in 2028. Work on the stadium will continue until 2030, when work will begin on a nearby residential development.
