Report: Senators reach agreement to build arena on LeBreton Flats

The Ottawa Senators made a major leap Friday toward getting the downtown arena the organization and fans have long coveted.

The Senators and the National Capital Commission signed a lease agreement for land on LeBreton Flats, reaching the next stage in the process of building a new rink, league sources told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Friday was the deadline, as a memorandum of understanding - signed back in 2022 - was set to expire.

There are still several more steps that must be completed before shovels are in the ground, though.

The deal includes plans for a district around the rink, Garrioch added.

LeBreton Flats is located just two kilometres (or 1.24 miles) southwest of Parliament Hill and three kilometres southwest of the ByWard Market.

The franchise has been seeking an arena near the downtown core for at least a decade but failed to secure a deal in multiple previous attempts, most of which came under the previous ownership of Eugene Melnyk. Securing the bid was one of Melnyk's final acts before he died.

A new arena deal has been one of Michael Andlauer's top priorities after he purchased the team in 2023. The owner praised LeBreton Flats as "the best piece of land available in any major city in North America" during an introductory press conference.

The club has played its home games at the Canadian Tire Centre in rural Kanata - about 27 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa - since 1996.