An artist rendering of the event centre that will be part of the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment project.  Photo by BBB Architects and City of Ottaw /HANDOUT

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City officials say they will “review options” for spaces that were originally intended for the Ottawa Charge within the new event centre at Lansdowne Park after the team announced it will leave its old home rink in favour of the Canadian Tire Centre.

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The Charge had called the 8,500-seat TD Arena home for its first three seasons, but moved to the CTC during this year’s playoff run, averaging 13,146 fans for home games and setting a PWHL postseason single-game attendance record with 16,894 fans for Game 3 of the final against the Montreal Victoire on May 8.

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The deal with the CTC was announced on July 9 after months of deliberations and speculation.

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In a memo to councillors on July 21, Tammy Rose, the City of Ottawa’s general manager of infrastructure, said construction was “well underway” on the first phase of the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment project, focusing on the event centre.

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Lansdowne 2.0, which was approved by council in November, calls for the construction of a new event centre with capacity for 6,600 for hockey games and 7,000 for concerts and other events.

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TD Arena, formerly known as the Ottawa Civic Centre, is to be demolished to make way for new north-side stands for TD Place Stadium, two condominium towers and retail space.

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According to the memo, city officials are working with Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group “to review options to optimize team-dedicated spaces within the new event centre that were originally intended for the Ottawa Charge to support tenant and guest experiences.”

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Rose said “significant progress” had been made “with major site preparation and early construction milestones largely complete.”

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Excavation of the event centre site is about 95 per cent complete with 60,000 cubic metres of soil removed, while crews have installed new underground utilities beneath TD Place to support future facilities, including sanitary facilities and emergency power.

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Foundation construction has been ongoing since April and two tower cranes have been installed to transition to the next phase of above-ground construction, the memo said.

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The start of above-ground construction is set for this fall with structural concrete and steel, and that will represent the “next major visible milestone” in the project.

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Six months into construction, the project remains on budget and on schedule, Rose said, with the event centre expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2028 and substantial completion of the north-side stands anticipated by the end of 2030.

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