Saskatoon Construction

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by Jerry

segway version

Nice!

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by Rob D

Here is a potential way to increase density in Saskatoon (or any Canadian city) that is starting to catch on in Vancouver.

http://smallworks.ca/documents/homemakeover07-09.pdf

www.smallworks.ca

I've considered something similar for my parents back yard...they're not convinced of my proposal

Some day

[kaili80]

Do we have any news as to what's going to be build on College Drive where the few houses were demolised a little while ago?

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by kaili80

Do we have any news as to what's going to be build on College Drive where the few houses were demolised a little while ago?

3 levels of office/residential; ground floor - office space; 2nd and 3rd floor - residential condos.

Edit: The above description was provided by Development Services Branch Manager Randy Grauer during Monday's council meeting.

A few pages back studentview provided the following description...

Originally Posted by studentview

sorry i dont have any more details but I can confirm that the land has been sold to a developer that plans to put street level commercial condos with 2 additional stories of residential condos. Marketing packages should be out by the end of the month. The land base totalled approx 35,000 sq ft. Again im not sure on the type or or price of any of these condos, but hey some nice residential low on college will be a welcome site comparing to the houses that were there before

I'm crossing my fingers for an elegant design, something nice.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

3 levels of office/residential; ground floor - office space; 2nd and 3rd floor - residential condos.

Edit: Hmmm, the above description was provided by Development Services Branch Manager Randy Grauer during Monday's council meeting.

Crossing my fingers for an elegant design, something nice.

Nice! I really hope they look like the live/work spaces in bridgeland calgary VERY nice! When is construction expected to start?

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by kgc087

Nice! I really hope they look like the live/work spaces in bridgeland calgary VERY nice! When is construction expected to start?

Good question, I don't know.

Mr. Grauer mentioned the College Drive project in response to Councilor Clark's question regarding zoning changes to a Stonebridge property (from commercial or low density residential to M2 zoning; M2 is the same zoning as the College Drive site).

Clark was curious to know whether the Stonebridge re-zoning would allow for a mix-use building, specifically residential units above office space. Mr. Grauer responded by mentioning the College Drive property as an example of M2 zoning with offices on the ground floor and residential units above.

for mix use.

[kaili80]

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

3 levels of office/residential; ground floor - office space; 2nd and 3rd floor - residential condos.

Edit: The above description was provided by Development Services Branch Manager Randy Grauer during Monday's council meeting.

A few pages back studentview provided the following description...



I'm crossing my fingers for an elegant design, something nice.

Thanks SASKFTW, for the information. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a nice project. College Drive certainly need something new and elegant since most buildings are quite old and not very nice looking.

[jaysfan99]

Originally Posted by kaili80

Thanks SASKFTW, for the information. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a nice project. College Drive certainly need something new and elegant since most buildings are quite old and not very nice looking.

A 8-10 storey building would really nice along College Drive. That street has tones of potential for dense development. It is across the street from the U of S, which makes me wonder why a high rise hasn't been built there yet.

[shmakim]

Evergreen Concept Plan is released on saskatoon.ca site today:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/org/land/residential/land_for_sale/Proposed%20Evergreen%20Neighbourhood.pdf

Looks like another "village square" concept like in Willowgrove: square park with angle parking on either side, bounded by stripmall retail and low rise offices. However I notice a fairly large chunk of commercial in the northeast corner... maybe something half the size of Preston Crossing (like the two chunks south of Preston)?

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by shmakim

Evergreen Concept Plan is released on saskatoon.ca site today:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/org/land/residential/land_for_sale/Proposed%20Evergreen%20Neighbourhood.pdf

Looks like another "village square" concept like in Willowgrove: square park with angle parking on either side, bounded by stripmall retail and low rise offices. However I notice a fairly large chunk of commercial in the northeast corner... maybe something half the size of Preston Crossing (like the two chunks south of Preston)?

Looks like theres lots of medium density and townhouses and some good high density chunks. Hopefully there are strict architectural controls to prevent the barrack feel from all the townhouses which is captured oh so well in briarwood. I say it is predictable and somewhat underwhelming. It would have been nice to see another creek or water feature which is more prominent.

[joelpiecowye]

it looks allright, hope the high density areas will be more like the market mall area then the condos by the new soccer center, lots of parks which are good and lots of townhouses which i hate

[socialisthorde]

Originally Posted by kgc087

Looks like theres lots of medium density and townhouses and some good high density chunks. Hopefully there are strict architectural controls to prevent the barrack feel from all the townhouses which is captured oh so well in briarwood. I say it is predictable and somewhat underwhelming. It would have been nice to see another creek or water feature which is more prominent.

Why do they insist on isolating these neighborhoods from the rest of the city by having only one or a few entry/exit points? While the whole village square concept is nice as compared to traditional suburban design, and aids in reducing the use of cars within the neighborhood, it does nothing to encourage alternative transportation in and out of the neighborhood. For all of its' drawbacks, the traditional grid allows for easy transportation by foot or bicycle and I would say it also allows greater flexibility in transit planning. Those are things we need more than having a few specialty retail shops and 7-11s in every neighborhood. I tried to ride my bike last week from City Park to Lawson Heights Mall and it was a nightmare of dead end cul de sacs and meandering lanes. Sure I could ride thgough the smog on Warman Rd or go out of my way down to the river bank, or I could get out a map and figure our a way through the maze, but each of those options makes cycling less appealing and don't we want alternative transportation to be as appealing as possible? <end of rant>

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by shmakim

Evergreen Concept Plan is released on saskatoon.ca site today:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/org/land/residential/land_for_sale/Proposed%20Evergreen%20Neighbourhood.pdf

Looks like another "village square" concept like in Willowgrove: square park with angle parking on either side, bounded by stripmall retail and low rise offices. However I notice a fairly large chunk of commercial in the northeast corner... maybe something half the size of Preston Crossing (like the two chunks south of Preston)?

There's nothing much in that concept plan to impress or excite me. The layout is nothing special and the location unfortunate - it being connected to the rest of the city by mere hairs. The high density housing at least is a saving grace.

And the name is a new low for 'blah'. Thumbs down.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

Why do they insist on isolating these neighborhoods from the rest of the city by having only one or a few entry/exit points? While the whole village square concept is nice as compared to traditional suburban design, and aids in reducing the use of cars within the neighborhood, it does nothing to encourage alternative transportation in and out of the neighborhood. For all of its' drawbacks, the traditional grid allows for easy transportation by foot or bicycle and I would say it also allows greater flexibility in transit planning. Those are things we need more than having a few specialty retail shops and 7-11s in every neighborhood. I tried to ride my bike last week from City Park to Lawson Heights Mall and it was a nightmare of dead end cul de sacs and meandering lanes. Sure I could ride thgough the smog on Warman Rd or go out of my way down to the river bank, or I could get out a map and figure our a way through the maze, but each of those options makes cycling less appealing and don't we want alternative transportation to be as appealing as possible? <end of rant>

I agree with you on that point. It would be alot nicer to have more access points into the community to improve traffic flow but more importantly encourage alternate transportation methods. Since this is just a proposal maybe in the end there will be almost double the access points. Also this neighbourhood is in a wierd place, surrounded by large chunks of private farms which force roads to go in a specific place. I'm thinking that is why access points are alos limited b/c they simply can't be made. I really feel that the NE should be developed to help balance the physical aspect of the city BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think there shouldn't be any new development besides that. The city should focus on major infill projects and try to double our density in the space we have now. I feel with the proper developers and the city being educated properly this could be a possibility in the near future.

[socialisthorde]

I gleaned the following article about a diverse downtown neighborhood in Vancouver, from the Regina forum. It is very pertinent to a discussion we had here about the city's vision for downtown not including families.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/...?id=2ccf8cf1-3feb-481c-8edf-0aeea75ac16a

From the article:

False Creek North was the city's first experiment in planning a complete downtown neighbourhood that aimed to attract families. Fifteen percent of the housing in the area is in social-housing buildings. All buildings, both market and social housing, had to be designed so that a quarter of the units were suitable for families. The city also insisted on a public seawall and a high standard of park space in the new development.

"Generally, it's a good mix right across the board, economically and racially," Huntley said.

"And age too. You have senior citizens.

"You have young singles. Everybody seems to get along."

Downtown events can clog the streets, he said, and sometimes the neighbourhood feels a little too busy for his young children. But generally, Huntley has no complaints.

That aligns the Huntleys with many others who say downtown is as good as the suburbs for families, kids, parks, schools, daycares and a slow pace of life.

Vancouver acheived this by building a neighborhood with faccilities for a diverse populace although many said it wouldn't work.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

I gleaned the following article about a diverse downtown neighborhood in Vancouver, from the Regina forum. It is very pertinent to a discussion we had here about the city's vision for downtown not including families.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/...?id=2ccf8cf1-3feb-481c-8edf-0aeea75ac16a

From the article:






Vancouver acheived this by building a neighborhood with faccilities for a diverse populace although many said it wouldn't work.

I think most Saskatonians have the stigma that they aren't ready for this and won't break out of their comfort zone till someone else does, maybe with increased immigration from larger urban centres and other countries this stigma will be erased. As well if the city would promote a diverse d/t populace that would really help break the ice.

[drm310]

They could have used this opportunity to try out the Fused Grid layout which limits vehicular traffic while improving pedestrian movement. It looks like they've provided a few more pedestrian linkages between some of the crescents and cul-de-sacs, but still see few differences between this and neighbourhood designs from 40 years ago. How long before some homeowners start crabbing and insist that the pedestrian walkways be closed, just like they've done in other neighbourhoods?

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

Why do they insist on isolating these neighborhoods from the rest of the city by having only one or a few entry/exit points? While the whole village square concept is nice as compared to traditional suburban design, and aids in reducing the use of cars within the neighborhood, it does nothing to encourage alternative transportation in and out of the neighborhood. For all of its' drawbacks, the traditional grid allows for easy transportation by foot or bicycle and I would say it also allows greater flexibility in transit planning. Those are things we need more than having a few specialty retail shops and 7-11s in every neighborhood. I tried to ride my bike last week from City Park to Lawson Heights Mall and it was a nightmare of dead end cul de sacs and meandering lanes. Sure I could ride thgough the smog on Warman Rd or go out of my way down to the river bank, or I could get out a map and figure our a way through the maze, but each of those options makes cycling less appealing and don't we want alternative transportation to be as appealing as possible? <end of rant>

[cityguy]

WOW,hundreds of pages on Saskatoon,where would I find a summary of what's being developed?

[macca]

Originally Posted by cityguy

WOW,hundreds of pages on Saskatoon,where would I find a summary of what's being developed?

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=90212

Enjoy!

[shmakim]

This from today's S-P. There's nothing quite so effective as high cost to make people conserve. Isn't that the city's ultimate plan for garbage once all recycling options are in place? Charge by the pound? One solution is to move downtown and replace my XUV with a battery-powered scooter...

Soaring gas prices will force vehicles off U.S. roads: CIBC

Nicolas Van Praet, Financial Post
Published: Friday, June 27, 2008

TORONTO -- The United States is on the cusp of a sweeping change to its driving culture that will slam the country's mania for automobiles into reverse and cause automakers to hemorrhage sales, a new report by CIBC World Markets says.

After a steady increase in the number of cars and trucks in U.S. driveways since the 1980s, soaring gasoline prices will trigger the greatest mass exodus of vehicles in history off America's roads, the report says.

By 2012, it predicts, there will be 10 million fewer vehicles in the United States than there are today. Average miles driven will fall by as much as 15 per cent. The decline in driving will dwarf all previous adjustments after major economic events, including the two last oil crises, the report says.

And it will have major effects on society. Suburbs will lose people as they move back into cities. Fifty years of multi-billion-dollar spending on freeways will have to be rethought as fewer people use them. And vehicles won't have to be replaced as quickly, triggering a nightmare scenario for Detroit's already struggling automakers.

"We stand at a turning point for U.S. transport," the report by CIBC economists Jeff Rubin and Benjamin Tal says. "Real gasoline prices have already surpassed the peak levels that followed the second OPEC oil shocks, and even when adjusted for fuel efficiency improvements, have increased to the point where they will dramatically change driving behaviour in America."

Recent pledges by oil producers like Saudi Arabia to boost output and fuel subsidy cuts by China are failing to dent demand and bring prices down, the economists argue. Oil futures charged past $140 US a barrel Thursday.

Rubin raised his target price for oil by $20 US per barrel to $150 next year. He says oil will top $200 US per barrel by 2010, roughly two years earlier that he previously predicted. That will mean $7 a gallon US gasoline for motorists within two years, he says.

Low-income Americans, who have embraced the dream of car ownership even if it means going into debt, will be the first to give up their cars because they can't afford gas, Rubin says. He predicts new vehicle sales in the United States will plummet to as low as 11 million units per year, a 25 per cent decrease from current levels.