Devcore-Canderel bid deserves a fresh look

Since the RendezVous LeBreton proposal seems to be on the verge of failure, it is time for the NCC to resurrect the Devcore Canderel DLS Group proposal — or something like it — which it should have done in the first place because it was such a superior design.

The Devcore Canderel proposal is creative, exciting and vibrant, whereas the RendezVous LeBreton proposal is primarily a hockey stadium surrounded by condos. The Devcore proposal featured multiple public attractions coupled with some very innovative and inclusive residential, commercial and retail development.

Instead of just condos it offers an aquarium, a planetarium, a Communications Centre, an outdoor band shell, other public pavilions and a substantial amount of outdoor public space.

The Senators could still move downtown because it also includes a hockey stadium and entertainment centre appropriately located at the junction of the North-South and East-West LRT. And I’m sure the proponents could be convinced to replace the disparaged car museum with a Biodome — a welcome addition to Ottawa’s frigid winters.

The “Flats” is a national site requiring a modern and innovative vision. If the NCC cannot accept the Devcore or similar proposal, then rather than accept any substandard development proposal, the federal government should just maintain full ownership of the Flats and turn it into a museum precinct and public park which would bring residents, families and tourists alike into the downtown core all the time, instead of huge crowds only when there was a hockey game going on. Maybe the public should just tell the NCC which public attractions should be located there and the NCC could act on the public’s input.

The NCC has not fulfilled its responsibility to make Ottawa a showpiece for the nation that all Canadians can be proud of. A forest of condos in the downtown core just doesn’t do it. Michel Haddad, Ottawa