Saskatoon Construction

[prairieguy]

I think what will get people to RiverLanding is a place where people will be entertained. Of course, entertainment has a broad scope, but I think the essentials are:

- pubs and yes, even clubs, where people can gather at night for some fun!
- restaurants and cafes (a good mix of casual and some upscale dining). This idea of the call for proposals including "a restaurant" is ridiculous! We need multiple options for dining along the river. It still amazes me that no where has a restaurant been able to take advantage of Saskatoon's greatest assest...the river!
- I think the Galaxy is close enough to RiverLanding to be a draw for movie goers and Persephone is a great draw for live theatre
- I don't necessarily think 'shopping' needs to be an amenity, as Second Avenue, 21st Street and the mid-town should all have a strong connection
- the provision of space for outdoor entertainment will be important (concerts, buskers, special events, etc.)
- Of course, I still believe condos would be great to have here as well.

I am not sure we necessarily need a particular 'tourist attraction', but more so, we need to develop an area where people have a unique and enjoyable experience. One where they want to return to over and over again. Let's face it...Saskatoon will never be a Las Vegas, London, New York or Paris. However, we can take this opportunity to develop RiverLanding to be a true showcase for the citizens of Saskatoon to enjoy and share with visitors that due come to our beautiful city!

[prairieguy]

I think what will get people to RiverLanding is a place where people will be entertained. Of course, entertainment has a broad scope, but I think the essentials are:

- pubs and yes, even clubs, where people can gather at night for some fun!
- restaurants and cafes (a good mix of casual and some upscale dining). This idea of the call for proposals including "a restaurant" is ridiculous! We need multiple options for dining along the river. It still amazes me that no where has a restaurant been able to take advantage of Saskatoon's greatest assest...the river!
- I think the Galaxy is close enough to RiverLanding to be a draw for movie goers and Persephone is a great draw for live theatre
- I don't necessarily think 'shopping' needs to be an amenity, as Second Avenue, 21st Street and the mid-town should all have a strong connection
- the provision of space for outdoor entertainment will be important (concerts, buskers, special events, etc.)
- Of course, I still believe condos would be great to have here as well.

I am not sure we necessarily need a particular 'tourist attraction', but more so, we need to develop an area where people have a unique and enjoyable experience. One where they want to return to over and over again. Let's face it...Saskatoon will never be a Las Vegas, London, New York or Paris. However, we can take this opportunity to develop RiverLanding to be a true showcase for the citizens of Saskatoon to enjoy and share with visitors that due come to our beautiful city!

[jaysfan99]

I agree that pubs, clubs, and restaurants should be an important part of River Landing, but I would also like to see a major land mark like an observation tower. Imagine driving down one of our bridges and looking at the tower. It could have a restaurant at the top, and shops and pubs at the bottom. Prarie Wind is not what I would call a land mark attraction. We need to think big. I know that we will never be a Las Vegas, London or Paris, but we should take this apportunity to develop something great! How often do we in Saskatoon get a chance like this? Something that will put Saskatoon on the map. Something people will see and recognize and say it is in Saskatoon. Persephone will get people to River Landing, but I would finally like to see something on a bigger scale in our downtown. Something like a baseball stadium or the observation tower. People should not be afraid to dream big. St. Louis has the famous arch, and we have prarie wind? Give me a break! We need to start thinking like a big city if we want to actually be one.

Originally Posted by prairieguy

I think what will get people to RiverLanding is a place where people will be entertained. Of course, entertainment has a broad scope, but I think the essentials are:

- pubs and yes, even clubs, where people can gather at night for some fun!
- restaurants and cafes (a good mix of casual and some upscale dining). This idea of the call for proposals including "a restaurant" is ridiculous! We need multiple options for dining along the river. It still amazes me that no where has a restaurant been able to take advantage of Saskatoon's greatest assest...the river!
- I think the Galaxy is close enough to RiverLanding to be a draw for movie goers and Persephone is a great draw for live theatre
- I don't necessarily think 'shopping' needs to be an amenity, as Second Avenue, 21st Street and the mid-town should all have a strong connection
- the provision of space for outdoor entertainment will be important (concerts, buskers, special events, etc.)
- Of course, I still believe condos would be great to have here as well.

I am not sure we necessarily need a particular 'tourist attraction', but more so, we need to develop an area where people have a unique and enjoyable experience. One where they want to return to over and over again. Let's face it...Saskatoon will never be a Las Vegas, London, New York or Paris. However, we can take this opportunity to develop RiverLanding to be a true showcase for the citizens of Saskatoon to enjoy and share with visitors that due come to our beautiful city!

[nook]

Build a 60 storey observation tower eh?

That, combined with our provincial landscape, should make an adequate watch tower to make sure we thwart any impending take overs coming from Regina!

Heck, I bet we could see Regina from up that high if we looked hard enough.

[jaysfan99]

We could use it when Regina and Saskatoon go to war.
Actually if you think about it, 50 floors is not that far up. That would be only half the height of the CN TOWER.

Originally Posted by nook

Build a 60 storey observation tower eh?

That, combined with our provincial landscape, should make an adequate watch tower to make sure we thwart any impending take overs coming from Regina!

Heck, I bet we could see Regina from up that high if we looked hard enough.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by jaysfan99

Are you serious?

sure.

I suppose the initial idea sounds a bit off the wall(maybe innovative?), so a baseball park it is

[CCF]

Originally Posted by jaysfan99

We could use it when Regina and Saskatoon go to war.
Actually if you think about it, 50 floors is not that far up. That would be only half the height of the CN TOWER.

Lets just meet in Davidson!

[Echoes]

I'm on your side jaysfan.. this is a critical opportunity to do something big. if we just settle for some condos and a restaurant i think we're letting down ourselves. This is definitely a chance to put s'toon on the map for something innovative and how do i put it... "big city-ish"???

[swilley]

According to moneysense mag we are the 16th best Canadian city in which to live.... Does this matter? No, they only think we have one Hospital, and apparently there are points for having a Casino.

LINK

[richmond]

I'd give us points for NOT having a casino. I'm quite happy to let Moose Jaw play up their gangster past & have it's "thing" be the casino. No need to compete too much within the province.

I'd love to be able to have a pint & see the river. Is that possible in this town? I don't think it is. Freehouse is close, but not quite.

The problem is, everyone is looking for a magic building to be an attraction at River Landing. I don't think there's such a thing. I think Phase 2 with the Farmer's Market will help. Cameco moving down there will help as well & maybe just take things from there & see what could happen.

On a different note, I'm happy to see that Wanuskewin is adding on & renovating. No need to build a First Nations museum downtown when we're letting our current one decay.

[Dalreg]

Actually a casino is listed as an attraction and would be 1 point in the survey.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by swilley

According to moneysense mag we are the 16th best Canadian city in which to live.... Does this matter? No, they only think we have one Hospital, and apparently there are points for having a Casino.

LINK

The thing for hospital is 1 point for having a hospital. The quantity is not involved. Toronto only got 1 point for hospitals and I'm sure they have more than one.

[jaysfan99]

Anyone have any more news about the new Hotel going up 22nd st? I'd like to see a picture.

[jaysfan99]

Hey no one has posted anything in days. Let's keep this blog going guys.

[drm310]

OK, is anyone else worried about the future of the Sutherland business district along Central Avenue? Over the last year there's been a lot of businesses going under, or moving to the University Heights Suburban Centre:

• Extra Foods (closed)
• Liquor store (relocated)
• Bank of Montreal (relocated)
• Royal Bank (relocated)
• AJ's House of Java (closed)

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by jaysfan99

Hey no one has posted anything in days. Let's keep this blog going guys.

I believe this past weekend was the first Farmers Market held at their permanent River Landing site. I caught a story about it on Shaw. IIRC the long term tenant stalls (various products were mentioned) should be in place and operational during the first weekend in June. A small restaurant was also mentioned, didn't mention the opening date for that, or I missed it.

With respect to the Saskatoon Construction/Development thread, yes we should keep it going but theres not much to report on(its the weekend).

Although if you prefer lots of activity on here, we could recruit more members(seems like theres ~10 members from S'toon), or we could discuss:

- Controversial topics:

Since I've noticed a few comments on the forum as well from outside individuals, why would an individual prefer Saskatoon over Regina when moving from another province?

How can we enhance and push our identity to further distinguish ourselves from Regina, and thus become the unquestioned economic/cultural region in Saskatchewan?

- Potentiality of all things related to Saskatoon:

Discussion of neighborhoods, what defines a great Saskatoon neighborhood? Is it the residents, the amenities, the perception, or something else entirely?

- Propose new directions for future planned development:

Discussion of suburban neighborhoods, commercial centers, inner-city development, etc.

The topics are endless, enough said.

I'll post some photos on my days off(tues&wed), expect the usual suspects and then some.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by drm310

OK, is anyone else worried about the future of the Sutherland business district along Central Avenue? Over the last year there's been a lot of businesses going under, or moving to the University Heights Suburban Centre:

• Extra Foods (closed)
• Liquor store (relocated)
• Bank of Montreal (relocated)
• Royal Bank (relocated)
• AJ's House of Java (closed)

Worried? Not at all, although I'm not a resident. I have friends who live in the area and I enjoy visiting the establishments on Central(Athena's, Sutherland, Dino's, Foxy's is alright too).

Have you looked over the LAP for Sutherland?

Maybe boost the residential density in the area surrounding Central ave? Seems like the formula for re-energizing established neighborhoods.

You mention the closed, and relocated, but not the newly constructed, or newly opened, theres been both on Central ave.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

With respect to the Saskatoon Construction/Development thread, yes we should keep it going but theres not much to report on(its the weekend).

Although if you prefer lots of activity on here, we could recruit more members(seems like theres ~10 members from S'toon), or we could discuss:

- Controversial topics:

Since I've noticed a few comments on the forum as well from outside individuals, why would an individual prefer Saskatoon over Regina when moving from another province?

How can we enhance and push our identity to further distinguish ourselves from Regina, and thus become the unquestioned economic/cultural region in Saskatchewan?

- Potentiality of all things related to Saskatoon:

Discussion of neighborhoods, what defines a great Saskatoon neighborhood? Is it the residents, the amenities, the perception, or something else entirely?

- Propose new directions for future planned development:

Discussion of suburban neighborhoods, commercial centers, inner-city development, etc.

The topics are endless, enough said.

I'll post some photos on my days off(tues&wed), expect the usual suspects and then some.

Awesome! We have an array of topics and subjects we can discuss on a daily basis. There are alot of things besides what one of us saw in the paper or heard on the radio that we can chat about on this forum and discuss at a deeper level. Some regular picture posts would be great to stimulate conversation as well.

I would also like to suggest the idea of having one specific topic of discussion each day (on top of daily news and story developments) Just to get this idea going, I'll submit a topic idea that can be our "monday discussion".. its a simple enough topic but could generate interesting discussion and opinions:

Can River Landing revitalize the Riversdale area to the point of it being the "next" Nutana? Is 20th Street destined to become another Broadway?

Everyone should feel free to suggest or start topics. With increased/more interesting discussion on this thread I believe we can attract more readers and contributors.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by Country

Some regular picture posts would be great to stimulate conversation as well.

No school, working full time, so that should equate to regular picture updates from yours truly.

Originally Posted by Country

Can River Landing revitalize the Riversdale area to the point of it being the "next" Nutana? Is 20th Street destined to become another Broadway?

Its difficult to comprehend a bustling night life on 20th street with an assortment of Shops/Restaurant/Pubs/Bars as the back drop, it certainly appears a transformation is taking place(e.g. The Roxy theater seems like a good indicator).

What stretch of 20th street would equate to an ideal entertainment district? Avenue H(Lucky Horseshoe Bingo Hall) to Idlywyld Drive is equal to the length of Broadway Ave from the Broadway bridge to 8th street, seems an appropriate length.

How does the Friendship Inn, Youth outreach, White Buffalo fit into a 20th street entertainment district?

Besides the above social support services, there are more than a few questionable private businesses on 20th street which IMO would not fit into an entertainment district. Pawn shops(its similar to an antique/furniture store but not quite), used car dealerships, I'm trying to think what else is there, and what shouldn't be there, hmmm I'll have to swing down there on my bike and snap some pics of the good and the bad.

Another concern about 20th street/Riversdale is some areas are zoned for light industrial, not the most appealing exterior, nor very conducive to foot traffic.

Besides being a destination for entertainment, how do we go about promoting 20th street and the surrounding area as places to live, because surely any lively entertainment district has neighboring residential spaces(medium-highdensity) which support the surrounding businesses/services.

20th street's current form is far from a Broadway type destination, so what are the required steps during a transition period from current form to ideal form look like? How do we speed up the process and encourage further interest? Good ol' tax incentives seem to work nicely, but there must be more to it than just tax policy. Besides tax incentives, I don't have the faintest idea.

I wasn't around when Broadway went from bad to good, and perhaps I'm missing the complete story.

Did Broadway really go from bad to good, or was it more like mediocre to great?

What role if any did the city play in Broadway's rise to the top?

As for a discussion on the community of Riversdale, another post, another day.

[richmond]

Sutherland ... I know there are tentative plans to turn the Extra Foods lot into a condo development. Like Broadway, Riversdale or downtown ... density leads to more retail & entertainment moving in.

Broadway used to be rundown. I remember the gungy arcade across from Victoria School & Broadway showing XXX movies. I would still say that the street has a long way to go, despite some positive moves by the Broadway BID. As we have all said, the Meridian project is a big loss. Hopefully it will return. There's also some land for development near the Roastery.