Petula Clark once sang, "Things will be great when you're downtown." It seems as though the Ottawa Senators agree.
Senators Sports and Entertainment – the group that operates the NHL franchise – has confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that it is "actively considering the opportunity" to build a new arena in a core area of the city known as LeBreton Flats.
Comparatively, the trek from Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa to the Canadian Tire Centre – the current home of the Senators – is about 17 miles in distance. LeBreton Flats, on the other hand, is less than a mile away and easily accessible by public transit.
The first step would be to submit an application to the National Capital Commission, Joanne Chianello of the Citizen reports:
The Senators told the Citizen the sports organization has been "approached by numerous well-established private sector companies and community organizations who have expressed a strong desire to partner with us on developing a world-class proposal for the site."
The Sens organization said it will make its final decision on whether to submit an application to the NCC over the next few weeks. While the Senators believe an NHL arena at LeBreton could drive economic development in the core, as well as serve as an "architectural anchor" for the development, they underlined that they "feel very strongly that this could only be possible with strong community support."
The bidding process is expected to be competitive, with Canada's capital facing the unique opportunity of developing a large piece of land in the heart of the city.
If approved, a new, centrally located arena, could go a long way in terms of creating long-term financial stability for the Senators.
The Canadian Tire Centre, originally known as The Palladium, opened in 1996.
