There are still some issues to iron out.
It appears that the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators franchise owner Michael Andlauer is on the verge of solving his arena problem. Andlauer and the National Capital Commission have an agreement in principle that could allow Andlauer to move forward with his plan to build an arena for his business on a parcel of property called the LeBreton Flats. The plot of land is about a 10-minute walk from Parliament Hill, the seat of the Canadian government. Andlauer could take over the property in 2025 and then start the process of building a venue for his business and possibly partner with some company to bring concerts and other events to his Ottawa building. Andlauer has no timetable as to when a shovel gets put into the ground and how long it will take to construct the arena. Andlauer is trying to figure out how to pay for the building although he did throw in the usual sports owner’s phrase of “it shouldn’t cost taxpayers money.”
The LeBreton Flats parcel has been a place of interest for two Ottawa Senators ownership groups as a possible site for a venue. On June 23rd, 2022, the Senators business received preferred bidder status from the National Capital Commission for the land. Then Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, just before his passing on March 28th, 2022 signed off on an expression of interest to build a LeBreton Flats events center and a hotel. The franchise was put up for sale by Melnyk’s daughters and Andlauer took over the business about 13 months ago. As part of the sale from the Melnyk children to Andlauer, the NHL did not require that Andlauer be tied to the LeBreton Flats property. Andlauer himself was not sure about the property and whether it would be a good fit for his business. But Andlauer has now decided LeBreton Flats is a good spot.
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