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CFL in Ottawa supporters might want to light some scented candles and slide into a hot bubble bath, because this is quite a sexy read:
Majority wants city to revitalize Lansdowne
[url=http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Sports/Majority+wants+city+revitalize+Lansdowne/1288533/story.html]http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Sports/Maj ... story.html[/url]By Doug Fischer
The Ottawa Citizen, February 14, 2009 12:01 AM
[i]Ottawa • Ottawans would be divided right down the middle if forced to choose between a professional soccer or football franchise for the city, according to a poll obtained by the Citizen on Friday.
But they are almost united in their opposition to the idea of a stadium in Kanata for either sport, the EKOS Research Associates survey says.
The poll, conducted Dec. 11-16 for the development group that wants to bring the Canadian Football League back to Ottawa, suggests there is broad support for both soccer and football.
Forty-four per cent of the 871 people surveyed said they supported a Major League Soccer team for Ottawa. Forty-three per cent preferred the idea of a CFL team. Thirteen per cent were unsure.
The poll also indicated that if the city is fortunate enough to be awarded franchises in both sports, most Ottawans think the two teams should share the stadium at Lansdowne Park. When asked their preferred location for a multi-purpose sports complex, 79 per cent named Lansdowne Park. Fifteen per cent chose Kanata.
The results are likely to complicate the growing rivalry between the two parties behind the bids to bring soccer and football to Ottawa.
Eugene Melnyk wants to build a $100-million soccer stadium in Kanata to support his efforts to secure a MLS expansion team by 2012 or 2013.
Mr. Melnyk, who owns the Ottawa Senators and Scotiabank Place, has made it clear he’s not interested in using Lansdowne Park for soccer.
On the other hand, the group that has already won a conditional CFL franchise says it would be willing to share Lansdowne Park with an MLS team.
However, Jeff Hunt, Bill Shenkman, Roger Greenberg and John Ruddy say their bid depends on city council approval of a $120-million redevelopment of Lansdowne Park. That centrepiece of their plan, dubbed Lansdowne Live, would include a renovated or rebuilt 25,000-seat Frank Clair Stadium as well as retail outlets, a hotel, townhouses and assorted sports fields.
Both projects require concessions from government. Mr. Melynk’s bid needs a piece of city land on which to build his stadium, as well as provincial and federal funding. The Lansdowne group wants the city to pay for the stadium, which would then be leased back for football.
Not surprisingly, the city’s method for deciding how to proceed promises to be drawn out and complicated.
Yesterday, city manager Kent Kirkpatrick outlined a two-stage process that will begin next Thursday with the release of a “needs analysis? evaluation of 23 possible stadium sites.
That will be followed by a study that will choose between the Lansdowne Live and Melynk proposals. That recommendation will then be debated at a special council meeting on March 25 and by the public on April 7. Council could make a final decision April 22.
The poll, meantime, suggests almost 80 per cent of Ottawans favour the Lansdowne Live plan, although Ekos president Frank Graves cautioned that some of that support is driven by cynicism sharpened by years of indecision over how to deal with Lansdowne’s deteriorating condition.
“A lot of people have trouble believing anything will ever get done to fix what they consider to be an embarrassment,? Mr. Graves said Friday. “They think we’ve packed our bags for a trip that will never happen.?
For instance, he noted, while 43 per cent of respondents believed there might be value in seeing other Lansdowne proposals, many of them nevertheless think it’s time to grab the offer on the table before it’s withdrawn.
Furthermore, he said, while 78 per cent of those polled said they favoured a redevelopment plan for Lansdowne that includes a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium, only 39 per cent actually believed it will happen.
Interestingly, it’s not the desire for a CFL franchise that is driving interest in fixing Lansdowne Park.
“What most people really like is the idea of taking this moribund — but important — part of the city and transforming it into something provides a variety of different things,? Mr. Graves said. “The CFL is definitely not the main thing.?
When asked to rate the value of various aspects of a plan to redevelop Lansdowne Park, 66 per cent of respondents said it was very important or essential that it include amateur sports facilities. By comparison, less than half of those polled said a CFL team and the Ottawa 67’s would be very important or essential components.
Overall, Mr. Graves said, the more features added to a Lansdowne redevelopment plan, the more support it attracts. And that could extend to putting a professional soccer franchise there as well, he said.
“The good news for Mr. Melnyk is that people like the idea of professional soccer for Ottawa,? Mr. Graves said. The bad news is they don’t want to traipse out to Kanata to see it.?
Mr. Graves conceded the poll is not perfect. It was conducted two months ago, before some of the recent public jockeying between the Melnyk and Lansdowne Live groups.
He also admitted the poll was released Friday to take advantage of the momentum created Thursday by CFL commissioner Mark Cohon’s public appeal to Ottawans to support the Lansdowne Live proposal. In fact, he said, there were no plans to release the poll until Mr. Cohon’s remarks.
“It was conducted originally to help inform our clients,? he said.
The poll is considered accurate to within 3.3 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times in 20.[/i]
