Saskatoon Construction

[macca]

The location of the new police station was revealed on the news tonight. It is an aprox. 6 acre site bounded to the south by the 25th street extension, to the west by the rail line, to the east by ontario ave extended, and to the north aprox where the long, skinny white building along ontario ave starts, if you a drew a line from there across to the tracks. Like a triangle with the northern corner cut off. I'm going from memory, so this may be inaccurate. I'm sure something will be released soon.

[Echoes]

Chief Weighill on CTV News tonight noted that there will be plenty of parking at the new police HQ. However, he said that as time passes these parking lots are likely to be replaced by underground parking and new buildings will take the place of the lots. Glad to hear they're meeting the needs of the police force while still keeping the warehouse district's potential in mind.

I think that the police HQ in this location will help to spur development in the warehouse district. The new facility will necessitate the extension of 25th Street (at least in part) and open up vacant lots for development.

[kgc087]

Well first I must say happy 200!! Second, the police HQ going into that area are a great jump start for development and third, I realy believe completing circle drive will really assist in Saskatoon's infrastructure and is a necessary project for smart urban planning.

[kgc087]

Did anyone go to the Evergreen open house?

[Ruckus]

Nope, got home at 630 and basically hung around on here since then.

[Wyku]

Chief Weighill on CTV News tonight noted that there will be plenty of parking at the new police HQ. However, he said that as time passes these parking lots are likely to be replaced by underground parking and new buildings will take the place of the lots.

I saw this too (although, I saw it on Global heh) and I thought it was kind of a short sighted statement. I hope the designs that come in for the station START with underground parking, not provisions to add it later. The cost to add it later is only going to grow so why not just do it right from the get go?

200 pages, awesome!

[circle33]

I was caught off by this one: The new building beside Top Logix (2nd and Princess) is now adorned with a sign reading, "Noodle King and Ice Cream Queen". Should be interesting.

[socialisthorde]

Originally Posted by circle33

I was caught off by this one: The new building beside Top Logix (2nd and Princess) is now adorned with a sign reading, "Noodle King and Ice Cream Queen". Should be interesting.

Odd, but interesting name. I'm glad to see someone stepping off the beaten path in name and location. I'm assuming they won't sell dry ribs

[Echoes]

No surprises here....

Major Funding Announcement for Saskatoon
Friday, 20 June 2008
The federal government has come through with 86.5 million dollars, to help fund the Circle Drive Bridge project.

And the provincial government will match that. The city will put in the remaining 70 million dollars. Announcement of the federal and provincial funding came this morning at a gathering of the Mayor, Premier and the Prime Minister in Saskatoon.

Source

[joelpiecowye]

great i hope circle drive will become a reality and the bridge will be properly done unlike the circle drive bridge (design and function)

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

Indeed it will, I would also add the that list a small pocket park, or a large park if density and land availability permits...we have a lack of green space towards the west side of the downtown core.

Yes some well placed green space will add value to the area, and draw more residents and shoppers to this urban area.

[Ruckus]

City charts master plan to guide growth
Relentless development spurs strategy for new neighbourhoods
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix
Published: Thursday, June 19, 2008

Before the first lot sells this summer in Rosewood, plans are already drafted for Evergreen, the neighbourhood to follow it.

Other neighbourhoods are envisioned for the west, northeast and east edges of Saskatoon after that.

With three new neighbourhoods -- Willowgrove, Hampton Village and Stonebridge -- already filling up with houses, even city hall administrators are uncertain of the strategy behind its relentless development of new neighbourhoods.

On Monday, city council gave tentative approval to creating a group of planners, engineers and accountants to spend several years drafting a master plan for future growth.

It will chart a sequence and strategy for developing neighbourhoods beyond Evergreen and Rosewood.

There's no question there's high demand right now. Between 2005 and 2007, building permits more than doubled. But real estate listings have jumped by almost 50 per cent from last year, begging the question of whether the boom is weakening.

Mayor Don Atchison doesn't foresee an abrupt end to the boom that would leave the city with several unfinished neighbourhoods. Willowgrove and Hampton Village were forecast to take up to 16 years to fill in -- now they appear to be five- to six-year projects, he points out.

"Now the city basically has no more land available. We need to get these plans going because they take time."

Builders are convinced Saskatoon's economy will be strong long-term, said Alan Thomarat, executive director of Saskatoon & Region Homebuilders Association. Servicing enough lots for a wide variety of housing is important to avoiding the sudden price spike of 2007, when demand overtook supply, he said.

The master housing plan will answer the question of whether Saskatoon's neighbourhoods are dense enough. The city's current target is five units per acre. In Calgary, the standard is eight to 12.

Along with new suburban development, the group will look at the logistics of infill development, including options to increase density by replacing some duplexes with low-rise blocks, for example.

Administration will also take a close look at the city yards and rail yards on the northern edge of downtown for large-scale residential development -- an idea that keenly interests several councillors and the mayor.

With gas prices rising, the city needs to take a serious look at larger-scale building in the core, said Coun. Charlie Clark.

"Fifteen years from now are people going to want to live in the suburbs? It's a completely timely question. Finding ways to use the existing footprint of the city is critical. And it's exciting.

"Imagine if we had 10,000 people living in the city yards."

Home builders are already imagining the possibilities, Thomarat said.

A neighbourhood wedged between downtown and Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre would also have easy access to SIAST, City Hospital and the University of Saskatchewan, he said.

"There's great appeal there when you look at the unique character of the city yards," Thomarat said. "Our developers are very anxious to work with the city."

The cost of the master housing plan is budgeted at $930,000.

[email protected]

GROWING AT THE EDGES:

The city is hosting an open house today for a proposed new northeast neighbourhood, tentatively called Evergreen. The 655-acre neighbourhood would be west of Silverspring.

The city is billing Evergreen as a "sustainable urban village," with commercial development, low- to high-density housing and 42 acres of open and green space. Lots would begin selling in fall 2009. The city owns all but 10 acres of the land.

The open house runs from 4 to 9 p.m. today in the library of Silverspring School. City staff will display a detailed concept plan and answer questions.


© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008

Source

This is great news

If things go the way I think, our city planning department will be looking to revamp our existing growth plan in favor of higher density standards, increased transportation options (e.g. transit, bicycle, walking), and clear policy directives for large and small scale infill projects.

Reflecting back to November of last year on the topic of future growth....

Originally Posted by brannelford

I found the article online, read it, and wholeheartedly agree with it. I posted it below, for others to have a chance to read it.

I lived in Saskatoon for awhile, and liked it for the most part.
However the growth pattern of the city seemed centered on many subdivisions, each cut off from the other. As the article says, this discourages not only efficient transit, but it also discourages the successful development of local business strips (like Central Avenue and 33rd Street) which can service a local area, thus eliminating traffic jams enroute to the local big box centre. Even the socalled "new modernist" design of Willowdale will see its village square cut-off from surrounding neighbourhoods - as it won't be on a continuous arterial road like 8th Street or 20th Street.

Saskatoon is such a pretty city. It would be a shame to see it become an urban wasteland hell. I thought that was the fate of only those cities which had their growth spurts in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's.

Capital budget lays foundation for future woes

The StarPhoenix

Friday 30 November 2007


There is an easy symmetry to the city's plan to spend $218 million on capital projects next year. The vast majority of the money will come from fees and reserves established specifically for the work to be done.

So, for example, while 40 per cent of the total capital budget will go to develop new residential lots in neighbourhoods such as Hampton Village, Willowgrove, Stonebridge and the northeast sector of Saskatoon, the money will come from levies that will be prepaid on the lots to be developed.

To help pay for critical infrastructure in these areas, the city also has set aside a portion of the new taxes that will be collected when these properties come on stream.

And even major projects, such as the $91-million police station that is to be built early in the next decade, will be paid for by incremental increases in the property taxes, so that future residents who benefit from the security provided by the enhanced services, too, will be helping to pay for it.

However, the capital budget also perpetuates a municipal design that ensures Saskatoon always will have difficulty in finding the money that it needs to meet demands for infrastructure.

The city already is setting aside every other capital project it can delay, in order to find the $300 million needed for a south bridge and connecting roadway.

But because projects such as the $7.7 million to expand primary watermains and the sewer trunk into Stonebridge, $11 million to push watermains and sewer trunks further into the northeast sector, and the $83.6 million in prepaid land development to bring on stream 800 lots in Willowgrove, 420 in Hampton Village and 380 in Stonebridge are all considered self-financing, they will proceed.

It should be plain to anyone, however, that as these projects proceed, the demand for the south bridge -- already considered overdue -- will be that much greater.

There is no question that Saskatoon must accommodate the current demand for residential lots. The city was blasted this year by property developers, who unexpectedly found that the demand for new homes was greatly outstripping the supply of residential lots.

But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to calculate that, as long as Saskatoon continues to expand at its periphery at the rate planned for the coming year, it will remain hard-pressed to keep up with the bridges and roads needed to enable the residents of those new neighbourhoods to travel around the city.

And this problem only is exacerbated by proposals such as the one floated this week to hike transit fares.

The vast majority of the new homes being built in the western, northeastern and southern edges of Saskatoon will feature single or two-car garages. These neighbourhoods are connected to the rest of Saskatoon with wide, modern arterial streets and homeowners will have but a short walk to catch a near-empty and overpriced transit bus.

The buses run nearly empty because the city spends whatever it takes to make it easy for residents to drive a car, and the transit service is overpriced because riders are required to pay more for their tickets than what the service costs. That's because they are being made to subsidize transit's cost of providing service to all areas whether it's wanted or not.

And it's not just the ever-decreasing number of transit riders (the city estimates it will lose more than 164,000 riders with the higher fares) who will be paying to expand services to the edges of the city. Transit also is heavily subsidized by property taxes.

Water and sewer rates, too, will have to increase as the city struggles to maintain and repair a growing network of underground lines. And since the water utility estimates it already loses 17 per cent of the water as it moves from the treatment plant to the end-user, the longer those watermains extend, the more users will be paying to treat water that ends up in the subsoil.

But the most obvious problem of the continual outward expansion will be the need to build and repair more roads and bridges required to alleviate the gridlock of people driving from home to work and back again.

The city did have choices. The city operations could be moved out of its downtown yards, along with the bus barns in the heart of Saskatoon. That land could be put toward residential construction to bring new life to the core.

The city also could speed up the construction of bike trails and ensure that snow is cleared from them in the winter. It could make it easier for downtown residents to have pets by allowing dogs in nearby parks. And it could encourage developers to "build up" instead of spreading out.

But this capital budget is a blueprint that repeats the errors made in cities such as Calgary -- errors that have helped drive Calgarians to Saskatoon looking for relief from the very gridlock and congestion that this year's capital plan promises to add to this city.

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

Have we fooled ourselves into thinking Saskatoon is on the path to economic and social well-being?

I'm still waiting for an opinion piece in support of suburban development, perhaps one of a handful of suburban developers in Saskatoon will throw out their defense in a future Friday edition of the Star Phoenix , I imagine it will follow a supply and demand argument detailing how restricting growth in the suburbs will lead to an increase in home prices across the board, or maybe the tired "people want privacy, they want a home, a garage, a yard, etc"....our society is forever hung up on the notion of an individual attaining the traditional ideal with all its associated status symbols, a concept no longer acceptable given the increasing costs to our environment and society itself.

I share the writer's view of growing concern with Saskatoon's growth strategy and the eventual consequences of current planning policies.

I hope alterations occur sooner rather than later...I'm thinking dramatic alterations rather than minimal. I have no doubt in my mind we can build suburban communities for the next 30 years, but, do we really have to? should we?

A few weeks ago I spoke to a City Planner while attending an information session for Regional and Urban Planning students. City representatives had displayed a map of Saskatoon depicting future growth areas (West/North East/East periphery) and I was curious as to why they were pursuing periphery development while neglecting the inner city neighborhoods.

** Removed by administration **

Comment #1 The new developing neighborhoods built on the periphery offer very few worthwhile employment opportunities and thus more people hop in their car for the commute Downtown or the North Industrial. She responded by saying "We have and are encouraging employment in the North East...". Yeah, a few employment opportunities in the North East (It's no Downtown or North Industrial), she added, "We can't expect people will want to live in an Industrial area", my reply, "I suppose" ....

Question #1: "Why has the city focused on new suburban neighborhoods, while neglecting the possibilities for development in the core?" She said they are working to improve the core's image through Business Improvement Districts, and offering incentives such as property tax rebates for property developers and home owners. I said "yeah, that's a start", I suggested to her the city must review the long-term growth strategy detailing our growth to the year 2050. Her response was the city is currently reviewing the growth strategy...I responded with "Really? But, can we expect to see a dramatic change or shift in policy, or just some fine tuning? Probably just fine tuning she said. "Well, I was hoping for a push for more density in the core neighborhoods, can we not look to Calgary for ideas, their Beltline development with all the hi-rise condos seems like something we should strive for". After that I thought I was probably pestering her too much, so I said thank you and made my exit.

I would argue that the City's long-term strategy speaks primarily in support of suburban development, and lists the opportunities as more attainable and therefore more desirable (e.g. Everyone hops in a car to get to work? ). Although, the report mentions the core has not been forgotten and lists the following initiatives:

•Local Area Plans;
•Community Matters Program (Enhanced Citizen Participation);
•Enterprise Zone;
•Downtown Plan;
•River Landing;
•Concentric Development around Core;

The above list is great and all, but I don't get a sense of what Saskatoon is striving for, in terms of an overall growth strategy. The City invests millions of dollars into River Landing and markets the area as an urban oasis...but do themselves damage by promoting lifestyles on the periphery by pumping out serviced lots in newly developed neighborhoods. Where can I find detailed analysis of the core growth potential and associated costs, and suburban growth potential and associated costs? Maybe I'm not looking in the right places.

City policy seems to strive for an equal balance between core and periphery growth, but, perhaps it should favor one over the other? Perhaps City policy already favors (albeit slightly) one type of development over another, specifically periphery over core. I'd like to see a shift from suburban development to core development beginning with the 25th street extension and Warehouse district projects, removal of bus barns, increase use of up-zoning of select properties in core neighborhoods (delicate process), finding the political will and financing to build the whitewater park, solidify the concept of "The Crescent", but what I would most like for Christmas...to escape the cold winter weather

Future Growth Study for Saskatoon
http://saskatoon.ca/org/city_planning/land_use_policy/development/future_growth_study.asp

CITY OF SASKATOON DEVELOPMENT PLAN
http://saskatoon.ca/org/clerks_office/bylaws/7799/7799.pdf

I appreciate Edmonton's approach to growth scenarios and their associated costs. Although not directly applicable to Saskatoon, the city's efforts to present relevant facts and issues provide citizens a good grasp of the options available and to ultimately decide what is best for themselves and the community.



Edmonton Growth Scenarios
http://www.focusedmonton.ca/media/Growth_Scenereo_Concepts_posters.pdf

"With today’s rapid growth, how can Edmonton build promising communities for tomorrow?" http://www.focusedmonton.ca/home.html

Anxious for completion of the master plan

[jaysfan99]

In my opinion, we don't need to build new neighbourhoods, we can use the ones we already have. There is a lot of space in the city already. Older neighbourhoods could be used better.
The city should buy up land in the riversdale area and the land west of the city yards then sell them to developers. There are also many old rental/condo units along 8th street that could be replaced with higher density units.
One good idea I have always had in my mind is having condos on top of malls. Circle centre mall for example could have a few floors added, with condos on top. The same could be done with Lawson and Market Mall.
There is also a big plot of land at preton crossing, right across from the Walmart. That would be a great spot for high rise condos. It's cose to shopping, and the U of S. These are just few ideas that I have mentioned, but there are alot more. If anyone was to look around the city you would know what I mean.
I have said this before, and will keep saying it "building more roads and using up more space is not the answere". We are just creating more and more problems by doing that.

[joelpiecowye]

acually market mall is planning to build more retail space and a medium highrise attached to the mall, the are around it is also pretty dense in saskatoon standard. i heard this a while ago so i don't know if it will be true

and for a area to be denser i would like sutherland to have a couple highrises, more people would really help its commercial strip

[Ruckus]

Bridge builders
City targets completion date of 2012
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, June 21, 2008

Saskatoon's eighth bridge will cost more if it's to become an architectural attraction, but Mayor Don Atchison says it may be worth the expense.

The new six-lane south bridge and seven kilometres of connecting freeway is expected to be open by 2012, after funding commitments Friday from Ottawa and the provincial government.

"I think when you design major structures like this that they have to be architecturally pleasing," Atchison said after a news conference at Prairieland Park. "They actually identify your community for the future as well. Look what they've done in Boston, Vancouver, San Francisco. Sometimes it costs a little more."

The $300-million budget is enough to build a "purely functional bridge," said Cal Sexsmith, the city's acting manager of strategic services. Architects and engineers could design it with aesthetics in mind or try to add them later, he said. It's unlikely the city would build another bridge in the arched style of the Broadway and University bridges, because extra piers would dramatically increase costs.

"You really don't see that style of bridge being built anywhere," Sexsmith said.

The councillors whose wards adjoin the new bridge site say there are higher spending priorities than the cosmetics of the bridge.

Coun. Bob Pringle predicts the eventual cost could approach $400 million, considering soaring costs of other city projects.

"I'm not in favour of making it some kind of signature bridge. Make it functional and safe."

"I'm concerned we get it right in terms of traffic movement," said Coun. Pat Lorje, adding that means not delaying any interchanges or sound walls. "It would be nice to have this a thing of more beauty than a causeway, but if I have to put my money into esthetics versus an overpass, I'll watch for functionality. (But) if you have the will, you can blend esthetics and functionality."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Brad Wall announced an evenly split commitment of $172 million to complete Circle Drive and build a new bridge north of the CN rail bridge. The city will contribute $70.5 million. The project is part of the federal Building Canada Plan, aimed at renewing "economic infrastructure."

Ottawa kicked in a further $20 million a year ago to build related interchanges at Lorne Avenue and at the Idylwyld Freeway. The city has already spent roughly $37 million buying land and setting aside its share for the Lorne and Idylwyld interchanges.

Most of the land the city needs, including the former Maple Leaf site and north end of the Saskatoon Golf & Country Club, is already acquired, Sexsmith said.

Harper said the bridge is a priority given Saskatoon's rapid growth.

"It's an exciting time to be back in Saskatoon, or as some people say today, Saskaboom," Harper said at the news conference, adding he and his entourage had trouble booking hotel rooms. "The energy here is palpable. Optimism for the future has never been greater."

But Harper added "rapid and spectacular success" comes with a price that includes more traffic.

"Increasingly, roadways are crammed. That is threatening Saskatoon's cherished short commutes and relaxed pace of life."

Traffic delays aren't just an inconvenience, they threaten to slow northern Saskatchewan's export boom.

"Unless we take action now, it is only going to get worse," Harper said.

Wall said the joint funding announcement is indicative of the co-operative relationship he wants to foster with the federal government. Getting infrastructure such as the bridge built as soon as possible is a key part of the province's management of the boom, he said.

"We want to learn from the challenges other provinces that have faced rapid growth have experienced," Wall told reporters. "Yes, there will be the opportunity to reduce some debt with surplus revenue but we have got to make sure we're keeping up on the infrastructure side because inflation is impacting that sector in a big way."

Completing Circle Drive will make dramatic improvements getting across the south side of Saskatoon, said Justice Minister Don Morgan, who represents Saskatoon Southeast.

"For people who live south of the city or in the south end of the city, this is a big thing."

City planners also expect the south bridge to ease traffic on downtown bridges, 22nd Street and the congested north stretch of Circle Drive.

It will also spur demand for lots in the Holiday Park industrial park, predicts Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce executive director Kent Smith-Windsor.

Atchison joked Saskatoon's prospects are so bright city engineers should start planning a new north bridge and perimeter road next week. He hopes that bridge will open 10-15 years after the south bridge.

Provincial bureaucrats have traditionally favoured construction of the north bridge first, but Morgan said that wasn't a reason for the wait of several years for a commitment by senior governments.

The new bridge will have a separate path for cyclists and pedestrians. That could mean a suspended path, as the city built at the north Circle Drive Bridge, or a path that runs alongside traffic separated by a barrier, Sexsmith said.

[email protected]

Source

_____________________________________________

Great support for "architecturally pleasing" from the Mayor, and possibly councilor Lorje.

The Mayor referencing Boston, Vancouver, San Francisco is encouraging (obviously not as grand, but perhaps similar in design).

Leonard P. Zakim Bridge, Boston, USA

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Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA

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Vancouver Lions Gate Bridge

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[joelpiecowye]

The $300-million budget is enough to build a "purely functional bridge," said Cal Sexsmith, the city's acting manager of strategic services. Architects and engineers could design it with aesthetics in mind or try to add them later

The councillors whose wards adjoin the new bridge site say there are higher spending priorities than the cosmetics of the bridge

it sounds to me that most of the city counsilers don't want it to look to nice and would rather spend it on othr things.

but hopefully Don Atchison will convince them to go for the more cosmetic bridge like he usually does

[jaysfan99]

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

it sounds to me that most of the city counsilers don't want it to look to nice and would rather spend it on othr things.

but hopefully Don Atchison will convince them to go for the more cosmetic bridge like he usually does

I guess if it is going to get built, they might as well spend the extra money and give us something that looks great.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

it sounds to me that most of the city counsilers don't want it to look to nice and would rather spend it on othr things.

but hopefully Don Atchison will convince them to go for the more cosmetic bridge like he usually does

That's our Don, a real charmer

[jaysfan99]

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

acually market mall is planning to build more retail space and a medium highrise attached to the mall, the are around it is also pretty dense in saskatoon standard. i heard this a while ago so i don't know if it will be true

and for a area to be denser i would like sutherland to have a couple highrises, more people would really help its commercial strip

I have to agree with you, Sutherland could use a few highrises. That area could really be something special if the city could put some money
into Central Ave.

A medium highrise attached to Market Mall is a great idea, if it ever happens. That mall always seems to be empty when ever I go there.

[kgc087]

Wow I'm so impressed to hear that the federal and provincial gov.s are dishing out 80 million each to build a south bridge. I'm sure there will be some aesthetic value built into it but not as much as say a suspension bridge, but overall it is a FANTASTIC thing! I'm happy to see the NE developed, the city is so unbalanced and this will help out BUT at the same time I'd love to see some major infill projects happening. I feel the major areas that could host some high density development are obviously d/t as well as broadway, I'd also love to see the warehouse become all medium to high density, 20th and 22nd would also be good candidates along with 8th and central. I feel if they implemented some higher density zoning in these spots we could really create a unique city!