Saskatoon Construction III

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

I am curious where they see the "opportunity for infill/adjacent development" exists for the Midtown north location? I fully support that location as option #1 by far, but I am perplexed where the available land is for infill development without removing some of the existing 'warehouse' type buildings that exist north of the site. Or even better.....convince the YMCA to relocate and become partner in a core community leisure centre in Riversdale or Caswell.

Well all of Idylwyld is supposed to be redeveloped at some point from surface parking lots and industrial uses to a mixed use, walkable, human-scale boulevard. Also, I can't remember where I read it but the Y will need to be replaced or enlarged or renovated at some point. They could be considering the redevelopment potential of TCU place. There are plenty of surfaces lots in the vicinity including 141 Pacific and the entire east side of the 200 and 300 blocks of Ontario.

I also don't think Midtown will stay in its current form forever. If Midtown has all three future rapid transit lines intersecting outside its front door it would be ripe for commercial, residential, or mixed use redevelopment with the mall acting as a podium for multiple high rise towers. I am in Vancouver and every significant mall in the region is redeveloping by adding residential and office towers including Oakridge, Metrotown and Brentwood.

There's a reason the three northern locations score well on infill while Toys R Us and Riverlanding don't. If you took away either the Toys R Us or Riverlanding lots from the vacant land supply, you'd be left with a parking lot behind Cineplex and a lot sandwiched between the Lighthouse and the Provincial courthouse. Plus, the surrounding buildings (Remai, Nutrien building, River Centre, Cineplex) are newer and are no where near needing to be replaced. Contrast this with the central downtown where surface lots are everywhere, the building stock is a lot older, and the buildings that do exist are pretty small.

[circle33]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

Wonder if they could be referring to the old STC Depot? I'm not up to date on what happened to it.

Midwest Developments renovated it. It sat empty for quite some time but it is now a motorcycle shop under the FFUN Motorsports banner.

[roryn1]

Originally Posted by circle33

Midwest Developments renovated it. It sat empty for quite some time but it is now a motorcycle shop under the FFUN Motorsports banner.

I hope it can incorporate more than just a little mortorcycle shop once it’s done though… a restaurant or two would be nice for when it’s right next to the entrance of the arena.

[Crisis]

The motorcycle shop in the old bus depot is only temporary. FFUN is currently building both a Harley Davidson dealership and a FFUN Motorsports building in their auto mall at 71st & Idylwyld.

[djforsberg]

I drove by it when I was in Saskatoon a couple weeks ago and tho it looks nice, it’s still sad that it no longer serves its original purpose.

[Brutopian]

'Modern luxury': Two Twelve condo project planned for Saskatoon riverfront

Two Twelve will be the first mass timber construction multi-family residential building in the province.

By Jennifer Jacoby-Smith, Postmedia Content Works
Saskatoon Star Phoenix
Aug 26, 2022

Two Twelve is set to become one of the most exclusive addresses in Saskatoon. Recently announced by Arete Developments, Two Twelve sits at 212/214 Saskatchewan Crescent East. The five-storey complex will be home to seven luxurious condos.

[........]

Read more:
https://thestarphoenix.com/life/home...n-saskatchewan

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by Echoes

IMO I always hated the idea of blowing up a perfectly good redevelopment project like River Landing that is (slowly) bearing its own fruit in order to plunk an arena on it.

I also think the riverfront would be poorly served by something with the scale and impermeability of an arena.

I'm waiting for the article where that crack architect Gary Marvin that was part of the 1980s proposal on the A.L. Cole site and updated the rendering for the 2020s with some penciled-in residential towers tells us from Kelowna how horribly wrong Saskatoon is about this.

The north Midtown lot is far and way the best choice.

LOL! Here he is right on cue:

Gary Marvin: River Landing site still best for new Saskatoon arena

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Echoes

LOL! Here he is right on cue:

Gary Marvin: River Landing site still best for new Saskatoon arena

Some hairbrained ideas, that's for sure:

The new proposed convention centre would truly benefit if located at the riverfront end of the proposed arena, allowing for spectacular views up and down the South Saskatchewan River.

I didn't realize that people went to a convention centre and/or arena to look at "spectacular views". I was always under the impression that they went to see a hockey game or concert.

A six-storey parkade building could be located on the Toys “R” Us site to meet the parking loads to service both the arena and the residential towers.

Yes, why not add to Saskatoon's already over-saturated supply of parking spots with a six-story garage which is located next to the entrance for Midtown's already-existing underground garage, kitty-corner from a garage on 19th, and across the street from underground garages at River Landing, River Centre, and Remai. Just what we need in Saskatoon - more underutilized parking garages!

An enclosed pedestrian walkway to the arena complex is feasible, considering the proximity of the two sites.

Or, you know, we could consider the proximity of parking at Midtown, Scotia Centre, and the Holiday Inn to the location preferred by council. Or better yet, we could consider proximity to our future rapid transit stops!

These towers could conceivably be double-functioned to act as structural buttresses to support a removable roof for the arena.

Yes, because everyone knows hockey arenas require retractable roofs.

None of the other sites currently being considered could offer such opportunities as those being offered by this particular site.

At least he's right about this; every other site considered by the city offers far superior opportunities compared to the River Landing site. And they are actually large enough to accommodate the footprint of the arena!

[Echoes]

More detailed Downtown Event & Entertainment District project webpage launched: https://www.saskatoon.ca/business-de...nment-district

Potential Site A – Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot


Potential Site B – North Downtown/City Yards

[river]

There is one more image on their website of a streetscape.

[mitchellk12]

Both sites look pretty good. I wouldn't mind seeing more higher density developments built if the new arena is built beside the police station.

[phone]

Those renderings blow me away. The clear first pick is the Midtown lot, but if for some reason the City Yards were chosen I wouldn't be all that cut up about it. Buckle up for sustained caterwauling about this project from the BANANA crowd for the next 20 years.... oh yeah, and the funding face off that will inevitably ensue between this project and Regina's similar arena push, which might get ugly. On the one hand, Regina just got a shiny new football stadium, but on the other, the Brandt Centre compares very poorly to the Sasktel Centre.

[Crisis]

I'd like to see the renderings reflecting what is currently there now for surrounding buildings, rather than showing a plethora of multi-storey buildings that don't exist. While the ICE District in Edmonton may be what the City is striving to replicate, keep in mind that Rogers Place had a significant private investment that I'm not expecting to be repeated here. While I'd expect to see a new downtown arena spur adjacent development, the amount of new buildings show in the renderings is extreme.

I was surprised to see that there is room of the Hilton Garden Inn to remain. Not sure if its banquet areas to the north of the tower portion would be absorbed into the arena.

[Saskabusher]

i like seeing the new library rendered in place!

[prairieguy]

I would hope that the Hilton starts thinking and planning now for a major facelift if the Midtown site is selected. It needs to be brought up to a more modern standard IMO.

I fully support the development of arena/event centre....but I think this is going to be one long drawn out ugly divisive next few years....

And btw....I am of a mature age that I might not see that much personal benefit use of this development, but that does not prevent me from seeing the potential it has to serve the needs of younger Saskatonians and residents of Saskatchewan. So I have no issue with a funding formula that may see me contributing in some way for others to benefit. Dream big for once!

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Crisis

I'd like to see the renderings reflecting what is currently there now for surrounding buildings, rather than showing a plethora of multi-storey buildings that don't exist.

Just for the record, these aren't really renders. They're simply illustrative drawings to show how an arena in each location could relate to the buildings around it. With that in mind, I don't have an issue with the artist throwing three or four pie-in-the-sky buildings on vacant and underused lots to colour in the picture. After all, the sketches show completed BRT stations and running lanes and those aren't real yet either.

I was surprised to see that there is room of the Hilton Garden Inn to remain. Not sure if its banquet areas to the north of the tower portion would be absorbed into the arena.

If the Hilton owns the land and doesn't want to sell the city won't have a choice. The conference rooms only extend for about a half block north so there may be space for the entire hotel complex to remain.

[phone]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Just for the record, these aren't really renders. They're simply illustrative drawings to show how an arena in each location could relate to the buildings around it.

Not to be overly pedantic, but they are indeed renders. Conceptual renders for illustrative purposes, yes, but renders nonetheless.

[scotty c]

Originally Posted by Crisis

I'd like to see the renderings reflecting what is currently there now for surrounding buildings, rather than showing a plethora of multi-storey buildings that don't exist. While the ICE District in Edmonton may be what the City is striving to replicate, keep in mind that Rogers Place had a significant private investment that I'm not expecting to be repeated here. While I'd expect to see a new downtown arena spur adjacent development, the amount of new buildings show in the renderings is extreme.

I was surprised to see that there is room of the Hilton Garden Inn to remain. Not sure if its banquet areas to the north of the tower portion would be absorbed into the arena.

I agree about the renderings. I work a block away from the 25th option and it’s hilarious to see the background. They’ve turned streets and alleys into parks and added 4-5 floors on every building in the area. Technically it’s possible but most of the buildings in the area seem to be tenant owned so it’s going to be interesting if that location is chosen how many stay and how many move out in hopes of getting a premium on the land.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by phone

Not to be overly pedantic, but they are indeed renders. Conceptual renders for illustrative purposes, yes, but renders nonetheless.

Sorry for the inaccurate language.

They aren't renderings of the actual arena options. We're still at the site selection stage and I'm guessing we won't see proposed designs until at least this time next year, if not later.

[roryn1]

I want to hear King Ralph’s opinion of this project!! Where is their valuable insight