Saskatoon Construction

[Echoes]

In other news, I noticed from Circle Drive the other day that Health Sciences 'D' Wing is beginning to make its impact on the U of S skyline. The steel frame of northwest part of the addition is visible above the old Health Sciences wing... lookin' good.

Gee, with summer in swing I almost forgot about the glut of construction on campus!

[Scruff Bucket]

Yes, Regina may have been first to begin it's downtown initiative, helping to renew interest in downtown residency, but with continued provincial and city population growth -- it seems Saskatoon outpaces Regina -- there is potential for many more (vertically ascending) projects for each city! Sooner would be a good time, rather than later, to promote high density residency in both cities!

I thought I heard/read of a proposal some time back for a condo tower near Market Mall. Is that proceeding?

I'm going to have to come up there for a look see again!

[Chaps]

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

Further to that, does anyone have an opinion on why there are so many condo towers being proposed in Regina when we only have one and even that is questionable? Maybe all those crappy concrete rental towers built in the 70's have absorbed the demand?

I'm thinking there has to be some projects coming forward in Saskatoon right away. It doesn't make sense that Regina has 7 skyline additions being proposed or rumoured...and Saskatoon has 1 or 2. Although not all 7 are condos...a couple are office buildings. And only 4 have moved past rumour stage and have renders publically available.

So something's got to give in Saskatoon. It's booming too, but right now the majority of the major projects in and out of downtown, are happening in Regina. I'm guessing 2011 will be an exciting year in Saskatoon, the same that 2010 has been exciting for Regina.

[circle33]

Like Country said, the uncertain status of the 190+ units proposed for River Landing Village is sort of the onion in the ointment here. If the project eventually dies for good then we might see some other proposals emerge.

[ue]

When is phase one of River Landing expected to be completed? And when will the whole thing be completed by? It looks like an amazing project.

[kgc087]

It's interesting how Regina has so many proposals on the board, but I've heard it is the hot spot of Canada. It seems that title bounces back and forth between Saskatoon and Regina so hopefully Saskatoon will get some more action in the next few years. I think the city really needs to push to have lifestyle condos built in the old 70's one to sort of gentrify the area. As well have them built in riversdale and along the edge of downtown. This will pump the downtown full of units and people which will secure any initiatives the city is making to develop the downtown.

[TechnicalRecession]

Originally Posted by Country

I'll weigh in on this one. Here are a few possible explanations that come to mind for me:

- Over the past few years there's been a fairly steady stream of smaller renovation projects in the downtown that have brought new residential units on to the market. These projects have given previously vacant or under-used downtown heritage buildings a new lease on life - and that's just fantastic. These projects include: Fairbanks-Morse Warehouse, T. Eaton Lofts, 2nd Ave Lofts, The King George, and The Rumley. I don't know numbers, but I would speculate that these projects combined have added a "tower's worth" of condos to the city centre, if that makes any sense?

- Let's not forget recent new construction: the 15 floor Riverfront went up in 2006-ish (?), and the 7 floor Luxe on Broadway is surely close to completion. Though not new construction, the 20-ish floor Milroy Apartments have been recently converted to condos - now dubbed The View on 5th.

- And yes, the crop of residential towers from the 70s and 80s provide a pretty large base of units in the downtown already, the likes of which isn't found in downtown Regina. Downtown living isn't really anything new in Saskatoon, though it has become more popular in recent years - and geared more and more towards the young and wealthy.

- Regina's recent Downtown Plan had a "walk to work" theme that stressed downtown living and helped put that idea in vogue there. If you were at Jennifer Keesmat's presentation (of Toronto's Office for Urbanism) at the Broadway back in April, you would have heard that the Capital Pointe proposal there was very much inspired and guided by the downtown plan that brought such ideas forward.

- I think that potential developers are waiting to see what happens with River Landing Village, as it will add a slew of new units to the downtown. The Lake Placid project is very much a lynch pin for River Landing as a whole. I was at a presentation on River Landing a couple months ago and what was said there is that there is great interest in River Landing from the private sector, but most are holding off until Lake Placid gets underway. Meanwhile, the City is sitting on the other land it owns at River Landing until then as well.

- The 25th Street extension and City Yards consolidation will free up previously unavailable vacant land on downtown's doorstep to private development. Surely another "wait and see" there for developers. And don't forget the South Caswell redevelopment once the bus barns are out.

- The City Centre Plan is currently being prepared, and it's looking like a pretty big undertaking that could have a serious effect on future downtown development, and could inspire a similar type of excitement and inspiration that Regina's Downtown Plan has achieved.

Those last 3 points bring this to mind:

That the City has seemingly never invested so much money and energy into downtown revitalization. In the last 5 years think of the civic initiatives that have been undertaken, are currently underway, or have been earmarked for the near future: River Landing (and ALL it entails), the 3rd Avenue Project, 25th Street extension/City Yards-Warehouse District redevelopment, South Caswell redevelopment, an expanded central library, revamped Bus Mall, and the City Centre Plan (and all the public projects it will eventually entail).

In a way, maybe we're victims of our own aggressive approach to downtown improvement? With all these things coming down the pipe, maybe developers are indeed sitting still with a "wait and see" attitude? Let the City complete their projects and initiatives first, lay the groundwork for private development, and in a few years time interested developers can move in and really capitalize on the public investment made in the downtown. Does that make any sense? That with the City undertaking so much right now, developers may not want to jump the gun until all has fallen in to place.

Well, that's my take on it. Not that I think there's a huge swath of developers waiting for the right time to sink their teeth into downtown - but surely all these civic initiatives will generate significant interest and investment in future years. I remain as optimistic as ever, the years ahead for downtown Saskatoon look very bright!

One thing to keep in mind with the Regina developments, is that none of them have actually started construction, and quite often, particularly with condos, a certain amount need to be sold before the project owner actually starts construction. So while Regina has a lot on the books, until shovels break ground and demand is confirmed these developments are not a sure thing. Saskatonians would know this with the ongoing drama with Lake Placid. However, I would say that at least 4 of the Regina developments are pretty much guaranteed to proceed. That number will also likely grow if the stadium gets the go ahead and that whole area takes off with new hotels/condos/restaurants etc.

Could another reason for the lack of new downtown condos in Saskatoon be due to the high volumes of housing that goes up in that city. I know that over the years Saskatoon has generally had much higher housing starts than in Regina, sometimes more than double, which doesn't add up because the populations aren't that different. Maybe Saskatoon is more of a house owners city vs Regina. Just speculating, I could be out in left feild on this one though.

[Chaps]

Originally Posted by TechnicalRecession

One thing to keep in mind with the Regina developments, is that none of them have actually started construction, and quite often, particularly with condos, a certain amount need to be sold before the project owner actually starts construction. So while Regina has a lot on the books, until shovels break ground and demand is confirmed these developments are not a sure thing. Saskatonians would know this with the ongoing drama with Lake Placid. However, I would say that at least 4 of the Regina developments are pretty much guaranteed to proceed. That number will also likely grow if the stadium gets the go ahead and that whole area takes off with new hotels/condos/restaurants etc.

Could another reason for the lack of new downtown condos in Saskatoon be due to the high volumes of housing that goes up in that city. I know that over the years Saskatoon has generally had much higher housing starts than in Regina, sometimes more than double, which doesn't add up because the populations aren't that different. Maybe Saskatoon is more of a house owners city vs Regina. Just speculating, I could be out in left feild on this one though.

Capital Pointe had over 50% of units sold on opening day, so it will more than likely go ahead. Gardens on Rose isn't doing quite as well...I think 30% sold, but still selling well enough that it should still go ahead. The 27 story at Centebury Estates is a recent proposal so it hasn't even been approved yet.

The rest are office buildings I believe. The Mosaic Tower will go ahead as Harvard doesn't do anything until they have a major tenant committed. The new FCC building doesn't have a public render or info yet, so who knows how big, but office use nonetheless. The other towers are smaller and offices as well.

The only other condo tower is the one rumoured to be a part of the new central library, which is probably the one that is in the earliest stagest out of any of them. Nothing has been officially announced, but Harvard is involved again, and rumour has it, a Harvard employee told someone to not even both with Capital Pointe because their tower above the new central library will blow it out of the water. So who knows what the details are on that, as I said, Harvard stays pretty tight lipped until they know they are ready to go.

[prairieguy]

Sounds like we need to get Harvard Developments to make a trip north to Saskatoon if we want to see anything done! These developers sure don't appear to be your 'wait and see' type, but rather 'doers'. Outside of Meridian, that seems to be missing in Saskatoon.

[thefourthtower]

like the mayor says saskatoon has the river , but regina has the hills ,on the flipside saskatoon has enjoyed a boom at the u of s , regina has not the city has been starved for years in highrise condos , the canterbury tower should go ahead givin its location in wascana park,both cities are doing fine

[Jerry]

Not construction related but worthy of note. Our Porsche's have arrived in Saskatoon.
SP story here. >
Dealer takes Porsche for a spin

[Jerry]

A little photo update on the Holiday Inn construction. Also found a press release about Deltabeam, a revolutionary product developed by Peikko that will be used in the construction of the Holiday Inn.

Peikko Supplies 1.8 kilometres of Deltabeam for Saskatchewan Hotel Project


^^Photo Source

[Jerry]

Rumor has it that Sobeys will be moving into the Canadian Tire store in Confederation and of course we already know that Canadian Tire will move into the old Walmart store.

Sounds like a good fit to me and competition is always good for driving the prices down.

Confederation will now have three grocery stores, Superstore, Sobeys and Safeway.

[Scruff Bucket]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

Sounds like we need to get Harvard Developments to make a trip north to Saskatoon if we want to see anything done! These developers sure don't appear to be your 'wait and see' type, but rather 'doers'. Outside of Meridian, that seems to be missing in Saskatoon.

I don't see why Harvard can't become involved in Saskatoon's development. They've branched into Calgary's market some time ago with Eau Claire Market. Before the boom busted in Alberta, they had plans to demolish the market, and rebuild it larger, with a mixed-use condo/office community of 4 towers rising above it. I haven't heard much about it lately. If it has not proceeded yet, hopefully Harvard just put it on hold and meantime refocused their resources to build Mosaic Tower in Regina now. I think it would be nice to see a totally rejuvenated Eau Claire Market in addition to the developments that are already proceeding in that neighbourhood!

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=2d67cce7-e939-45c7-b888-0a7c4cf4d6a3

http://www.eauclairemarket.com/con-eau-claire.asp

Originally Posted by Jerry

Not construction related but worthy of note. Our Porsche's have arrived in Saskatoon.

Nice! Another shop to visit (not necessarily to buy!) when I get there!

[uofshuskies]

Sorry if it's been covered (I went back through the thread and didn't find it), but the U of S Huskies football team is putting a $3 million expansion onto their clubhouse at Griffiths Stadium.

Here is a rendering:



Here is a story on the details of the clubhouse. It's being paid for by Ron Graham of Graham Construction, a former Huskie football player who built the original clubhouse in 2006. As well, another former Huskie football player, David Dube, who is the President of Concorde Group of Companies, will be paying for the gym and video equipment, as well as the furnishings.

Construction should begin this month and will be completed by early 2011 (would have been completed in time for this season, but it got caught up in university red tape).

[uofshuskies]

Originally Posted by TechnicalRecession

Could another reason for the lack of new downtown condos in Saskatoon be due to the high volumes of housing that goes up in that city. I know that over the years Saskatoon has generally had much higher housing starts than in Regina, sometimes more than double, which doesn't add up because the populations aren't that different. Maybe Saskatoon is more of a house owners city vs Regina. Just speculating, I could be out in left feild on this one though.

Aren't that different? Regina has an estimated population of just over 196,000, while Saskatoon has an estimated population of just over 223,000, which is a difference of 27,000. Not a big difference if both cities were in the neighbourhood of 1 million, but a significant difference in cities in the neighbourhood of 200,000.

The housing starts are typically released based on CMA numbers, which for Saskatoon would include Warman and Martensville, both of which are minutes from the city. Here, the difference in population figures was over 47,000, which is again significant, considering the two cities were even only 25 years ago.

The housing starts reflect the rate of growth of both cities fairly accurately. While Regina has been experiencing good growth over the past five years, it still hasn't matched Saskatoon's pace. Saskatoon, by last count, still roughly doubles Regina's rate of growth.

[TechnicalRecession]

Originally Posted by uofshuskies

Aren't that different? Regina has an estimated population of just over 196,000, while Saskatoon has an estimated population of just over 223,000, which is a difference of 27,000. Not a big difference if both cities were in the neighbourhood of 1 million, but a significant difference in cities in the neighbourhood of 200,000.

The housing starts are typically released based on CMA numbers, which for Saskatoon would include Warman and Martensville, both of which are minutes from the city. Here, the difference in population figures was over 47,000, which is again significant, considering the two cities were even only 25 years ago.

The housing starts reflect the rate of growth of both cities fairly accurately. While Regina has been experiencing good growth over the past five years, it still hasn't matched Saskatoon's pace. Saskatoon, by last count, still roughly doubles Regina's rate of growth.

Your clearly missing my point, based on your numbers if the difference is 27,000, Saskatoon's population is 13% higher, how does that translate into double (100%) difference in housing starts? But back to topic, the population difference wasn't my point, I was speculating that perhaps the Saskatoon market caters more towards building houses vs condos than Regina's market. Again pure speculation as I have no figures to back that up, just throwing the idea out there, the intent wasn't to start a debate on population...

[ninipanini]

Originally Posted by TechnicalRecession

Your clearly missing my point, based on your numbers if the difference is 27,000, Saskatoon's population is 13% higher, how does that translate into double (100%) difference in housing starts?...

I think the point that was being made is that the rate of growth in Saskatoon is faster... if the cities had the same population 25 years ago and now Saskatoon is 27,000 ahead, it's growth and consequentially housing starts would be greater. The difference in housing starts between the two cities has less to do with differences in size, and more to do with differences in the RATE of growth.

[kgc087]

I think the city of Saskatoon understands the need for condos and high density. As well, it does not want to become like Calgary where it's an endless panoramic of suburbia. BUT our geographic location somewhat lends itself to VERY easy expansion. Luckily Saskatoon is built on swamps so perhaps that will hinder the suburban development. I don't think higher density lifestyle condos really become feasible to a city though until the city hits about 500 000 OR the city develops a higher form of transit then the bus.

Say the city did decide to build a street car running from Broadway to Riversdale, we could expect a large increase in condos around that area b/c the extra people using the car would help pay for it. One thing you have to pride the city on, is that they are not building condo after condo which usually turns into low income housing if erected too quickly. If high end condos like The Luxe and KG are built they have time to absorb into the market as mid-high end condos and will stay that way b/c the extra units are not being rented out.

In the end I think the city will approach any large development cautiously, and slowly enough that we can properly plan for the project and just not piece it together like so many other Canadian cities are doing.

[lbird]

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

Yes excellent. Why do we need local restaurants where employees can make a decent living with a little dignity, and we can get freshly prepared food, when we can have mass produced crap reheated on premisses and served by poor folks who can't find work anywhere else because local bussinesses can't compete with Timmy's incessant marketing? Besides, it's so darned Canadian to drink wattered down coffee produced from inferior beans and eat stale donuts. Aaak! Sorry,if I sound like a snob, but really is Tim Hortons the best we can do downtown?

Have you ever eaten at Octane? It sucked. Tim Horton's is miles better, and I won't have to worry about food poisoning anymore. I can't speak to the dignity of minimum wage workers at Octane vs. minimum wage workers at Tim Horton's, but I don't imagine its miles different.