Quote:
Originally Posted by alt_center
While my money is on the north midtown parking lot, I like playing devil's advocate. Consider these south downtown advantages:
- proximity to the meewasin trail and nutana for active transportation. The BRT will also be close if on 1st ave.
- proximity to the rremai, persephone, river landing, cineplex threaters, farmers market, riversdale and even broadway. IMHO we need a critical mass for an entertainment district to flourish. In fact I worry that the cineplex theater may not last downtown leaving yet another gaping hole.
- the north midtown parking lot is almost "too valuable" to be used for an arena. Ideally I would prefer to see mixed use development there with residential etc. I fear a big arena (which should be downtown) might deaden the area a bit when its not in use. An arena on the toys R us site would only have to be "active" along 20th st. if not an arena or convention center on that site then what? I think it would be destined to remain a parking lot long into the future.
Anyway, just sayin'
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The North Midtown Plaza parking lot is probably the best place for a new Arena. A good example of what would fit, Cleveland's 19,000 seat
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse built for $169 million (in 2018 appreciated value)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket...age_FieldHouse
The South Midtown parking lot is best to remain parking for incoming traffic from the freeway. The South parking lot could be expanded for extra levels of underground parking someday with possibility for Convention Centre and hotel/residential on top.
Saskatoon downtown as an entertainment district is largely walkable from 21st and 2nd ave to the North Midtown Parking Arena site and helps integrate the Warehouse district with the central CBD.
Something else i've often wondered about is if
City of Saskatoon has looked outside the box and thought more into other modes of transporting people in the city, particularly between the cities busiest transit hubs at downtown and at Place Riel at U of S.
London England built earlier this decade across the Thames River to O2 arena the
Emirates Air Line cable car transit line, It can transport 2,500 people/hour each direction (50 busloads each way) more than a kilometer in only 5 mins/ride. It's environment friendly, taking thousands of cars off the road & integrates easy into city landscape.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirat...ine_(cable_car)
Lots of other cities in the world, such as NYC, Portland, Barcelona, Medellin etc, use cable car gondolas in their transit infrastructure.
Edmonton just last year have proposed a gondola across the North Sask River in that city as winning proposal for Edmonton's next best project. Between $20 - 60 million to build depending on size/capacity and a construction time frame of only 6 to 12 months, between Strathcona Farmers Market and Edmonton Convention center in less than 10 mins/ride.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5130755/e...cil-committee/
https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/the-edmo...sals-1.3832332
Saskatoon would be a prime candidate for a similar gondola, it could be built between 3rd & 23rd street and U of S Place Riel parking lot beside St Thomas More College.
It would take away any stress on University Bridge traffic during rush hour especially, reducing the need to build yet another bridge, plus the gondola downtown terminus could only be a block away from the North Midtown Plaza proposed Arena, allowing people to park at Saskatoon Field House or Griffiths Stadium parkade for events at a new downtown arena & entertainment district particularly in the evening when U of S classes are out and parking available there.