The National Capital Commission and Ottawa Senators finalized an agreement that sets the stage for the development of a long-sought new arena just west of the city’s downtown.

The NCC and National Hockey League club announced that the Sens have acquired an approximately 11-acre federally owned site in the LeBreton Flats. In addition to an arena, a new mixed-use development is part of the proposed development.

The NCC and Senators had previously reached a memorandum of understanding on the deal.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement of purchase and sale with the NCC to take the next step in this process,” said Cyril Leeder, president and CEO of the Senators.

The club has played in the Kanata area on Ottawa’s outskirts for 29 years and spent decades trying to develop a new home within or near the downtown area.

“There are still many more hurdles to clear and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community,” said Leeder.

Toby Nussbaum, CEO of the NCC, said the proposed venue will provide a convenient attraction for residents and visitors while injecting new excitement into the core of the nation’s capital.

“This agreement builds on the two previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2022 on the Building LeBreton project that will see over 2,000 new housing units along with new retail and commercial spaces built on the site,” said Nussbaum.

Capital Sports Development, the team’s parent company, is the legal purchaser. Next steps include zoning, design and approvals, as well as decontamination of the land in advance of construction.

Original plans had called for the NCC to lease out a six-acre site in LeBreton Flats to the team.

The NCC co-ordinates the management and development of federal Crown lands in the Ottawa region. The commission usually provides development land to third parties under long-term leases. But in this case, the NCC made an exception by selling the property.

The team’s current =arena has long been considered as inadequate primarily because of its distance from the city’s core and main population base.

The club has struggled financially at times during its 28-year existence, and the arena location has been cited as a key cause of the problems.

Kanata was formerly an Ottawa suburb.