We smell a trend here. With the Ottawa Voyageurs folding shop, city officials are debating the future of Ottawa Stadium — and some want to see the place auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the renovation of Landsdowne Park for CFL football.
With the Ottawa Voyageurs folding shop, city officials are debating the future of Ottawa Stadium — and some officials want to see the place auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the renovation of Landsdowne Park for CFL football.
Of course, there’s some irony here. History buffs know Landsdowne Park was the former home to baseball in Canada’s capital. So using the proceeds from tearing down a ballpark and selling the land to developers in order to fund stadium improvements is a little noteworthy.
The thing is, the land underneath Ottawa Stadium, the home to the Ottawa Rapidz (independent; Can-Am Association) last season and the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League) is worth more than the ballpark itself; the city might be able to make as much as C$20 million from a land sale. That would go a long way in paying for improvements to Landsdowne Place — a renovation that would certainly mean the return of CFL football. And with the Can-Am Association shutting down operations for 2009, there’s no baseball league with a strong economic argument for keeping the ballpark open.
RELATED STORIES: Can-Am Association to field only six teams this season; Rapidz owners sue Can-Am Association, alleging they were driven out of circuit; Rapidz owners throw in the towel after lease issues arise
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