NCC confident new Senators owners want LeBreton Flats arena
Elyse Skura | CBC News | Posted: June 22, 2023 7:37 PM | Last Updated: June 22, 2023
NHL franchise still has 'strong interest' in downtown site, says NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum
Plans to move the home of the Ottawa Senators to LeBreton Flats are still alive, according to the CEO of the National Capital Commission (NCC), who says the next owners of the NHL franchise will be given room to negotiate changes.
It's been almost exactly a year since the NCC penned an agreement for the Senators to look at leasing a parcel of land.
Since that time, the team went up for sale with Michael Andlauer's group providing the winning bid — and asked for more time to consider the deal.
"We, of course, agreed," said NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum. "We understand that the new ownership group is going to need some time to figure things out and take a look at the memorandum of understanding."
Nussbaum told reporters on Thursday the NCC is "hopeful and excited" to continue this work.
Ready to 'explore flexibility' in lease agreement
The team's sale has once again put plans for a new arena under the microscope, with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and others suggesting the possibility of another downtown site.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added to the discussions in March when he called the 2.5-hectare parcel of land at LeBreton "a bit small."
Nussbaum once again confronted hints of uncertainty with a single word: flexibility.
"There is flexibility for lands beyond that which was defined in the MOU," he said. "Until otherwise notified, the message has been clear to us that there is a strong interest in building an arena there."
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Nussbaum further outlined his arguments for the deal, saying the LeBreton Flats site is shovel-ready and centrally located between two LRT stations, Pimisi and Bayview.
If the team walks away, Nussbaum said there have always been other options for developing the land.