Saskatoon Construction II - Page 38

Echoes · #**741** Posted **Jul 18, 2011, 5:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brutopian

Good find, skSK. (And welcome to the forum, btw!)

I quite like the look of this rendering. A nice melding of the historic and contemporary.

Does anyone know what is going to happen with Affinity's current head office at the corner of 22nd St and 1st Ave? Are they moving all of their head office operations to their new location on 7th Ave?

I do believe that location is simply their downtown branch, so it would remain in operation as is. I think that head office functions for Affinity are currently housed in their office building on 4th Ave., and that former bank branch on 22nd and 3rd.

skSK · #**742** Posted **Jul 19, 2011, 6:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyku

Agreed, it was good to see so many people over in that area. It was a let down having the walkway area on that side STILL incomplete though with tattered fencing up everywhere on the upper bank. If you started at the pumphouse area/farmer's market area you had to walk all the way down the street and walk into the park before you could get down to the river landing trail, or visa versa if you were on the trail and wanted to get up to the farmer's market. That whole upper area is kind of dissapointing with all of the cobblestone streets and lighting ready and looking great with nothing but weedy dirt lots and decrepit fencing up everywhere

.

Agreed. Looking at the River Landing website (which apparently takes awhile to get updated), one can't help but be a little disappointed with the lack of development there (brownfield clean-up, farmer's market, and Isinger Park notwithstanding). Still, hopefully soon there will be movement there. With PEDCO falling through, and little word on any of the other development (including reuse of the gorgeous pumphouse and tower), I'm a little hesitant to believe all the hype of that area will materialize quickly... but I guess good things come to those who wait!

skSK · #**743** Posted **Jul 19, 2011, 6:13 AM**

Also, speaking of farmer's markets, I recently came back from Montréal a few weeks ago... and the Jean Talon Marché. Wow. I would go back solely for that market. Anyway, after a quick Google search I found it was associated with other public markets in the city, and they had a comprehensive website full of great information.

http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/English/

Sorry if this isn't exactly construction-related, just a pining for a similar level of engagement with markets like this in Saskatoon!

prairieguy · #**744** Posted **Jul 19, 2011, 3:02 PM**

I believe someone posted that the crane at the Tonka project at River Landing has gone up. It would be great if someone could capture a photo of the crane (with the Lighthouse crane in the same shot and maybe the Holiday Inn crane??) and post to this site. We meed a little moral boost for what has been a pretty quiet construction season (which is suppose to be our peak). Saskatoon was just ranked 19th out of 25 major canadian cities for economic outlook (primarily based on a drop in employment numbers and drop in non-residential construction).

http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/metro_monitor.pdf

skSK · #**745** Posted **Jul 19, 2011, 11:32 PM**

That article also pointed out a moderate level of business bankruptcies in the city as a reason why Saskatoon slid to 19th. I wonder what classifies as a "moderate" level; regardless, it's not good news!

Does anyone know if this report is a semi-annual or quarterly report, or if it's a snapshot of the year starting July 2010 and going until now?

circle33 · #**746** Posted **Jul 20, 2011, 2:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairieguy

IIt would be great if someone could capture a photo of the crane (with the Lighthouse crane in the same shot and maybe the Holiday Inn crane??) and post to this site.

I can give it a shot.

dsim249 · #**747** Posted **Jul 20, 2011, 2:51 PM**

Saskatoon the fastest-growing city in Canada

By Shannon Proudfoot

The Prairies are rising and Saskatchewan is leading the way as home to two of the three fastest-growing cities in Canada, new demographic analysis from Statistics Canada shows.

Saskatoon is the fastest-growing city in Canada, with a population growth rate of 27.7 per 1,000 people between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010. That translates into 7,200 more residents, for a total population of 265,300, the agency said Wednesday.

Saskatoon is followed by Vancouver, growing at a rate of 22.3 per 1,000, and Regina, which swelled by 22.3 per 1,000 over that same one-year period.

International migration was the driving force behind the Saskatchewan boom, Statistics Canada says, with nearly half the population growth fuelled by that factor. Saskatoon alone gained 3,300 people through net international migration in that year, outstripping the international draw of larger cities such as Hamilton and Quebec City...

Source

gowest · #**748** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 1:55 AM**

New sign on Betts Ave, next to the hotel for World Gym. Opening 2012. Things are coming along.

dsim249 · #**749** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 2:38 AM**

Construction blog of a new tapas bar, Duck Duck Goose (not sure if it's been mentioned). It's taking over Weczeria's old spot, which has a beautiful new location on Broadway. I think Weczeria, Duck Duck Goose and Sushiro are all owned by the same couple.

http://tapasbar.tumblr.com/

Dillweed · #**750** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 3:30 AM**

Nice blog! I'm a Saskatoon expat who's lived in Vancouver for the last 30 years. Who is considering moving back. Those are nice shots of the construction cranes in the downtown core. Which is something I never saw much of when I lived there.

For the last 10 years or I've gone back to S'toon fairly frequently usually once or twice a year. After not setting foot in S'toon for many years. In fact I just came back from there about a month ago and was down at the Riverlanding area. I actually looked at the Tonka site but they hadn't erected the crane as yet. It will be a very nice compliment to the Riverlanding area once it's completed.

It's amazing to me the development and growth that not only S'toon but Regina are experiencing as dsim249 pointed out. I hope that I will be a part of it soon if things go right. It's nice to see that both cities are working at revitalizing their downtown cores. Which is something I think especially S'toon was in need of.

I'm always just amazed at how different and vibrant S'toon has become from when I lived there. And if S'toon keeps growing at the rate it's currently growing the population will surpass 300,000. And there are gonna be a lot more new buildings going up.

Echoes · #**751** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 3:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsim249

Construction blog of a new tapas bar, Duck Duck Goose (not sure if it's been mentioned). It's taking over Weczeria's old spot, which has a beautiful new location on Broadway. I think Weczeria, Duck Duck Goose and Sushiro are all owned by the same couple.

http://tapasbar.tumblr.com/

Very cool. I'm always happy to see more of these funky spots opening up in Saskatoon.

Driving past Ken Achs' new office building on 2nd Ave. North I noticed a sign advertising it as the "Nexus Building" and it's being leased by ICR Saskatoon. Can't find anything on ICR's website though.... renderings of the finished building have eluded us SSP'ers so far.

Echoes · #**752** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 2:51 PM**

22nd Street barrier draws criticism

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix July 21, 2011

Quote:

A proposal to construct a two-kilometre barrier along 22nd Street to stop jaywalking is drawing criticism from a team of University of Saskatchewan researchers and a local engineer.

"There's not enough opportunities for safe crossing on 22nd Street," said Tracy Ridalls, a research co-ordinator with the University of Saskatchewan's Smart Cities, Healthy Kids project.

The controversial eight-foot fence on the boulevard would stretch from Avenue H to Witney Avenue.

The fence proposal, pitched by the city's traffic safety committee, would be part of a report to be delivered in mid-August from city administration on how to make 22nd Street safer for pedestrians and drivers. The report will recommend improvements to the corridor.

The U of S research project, led by Prof. Nazeem Muhajarine, is investigating how neighbourhood design affects how active residents are and happens to have data on the section of 22nd Street under consideration. Erecting a fence on the boulevard will make it more difficult to move from one neighbourhood to the next across 22nd Street, Ridalls said.

[....]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/22nd+Street+barrier+draws+criticism/5135272/story.html#ixzz1Ske7pyIh

EarlyByrdProductions · #**753** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 4:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsim249

Construction blog of a new tapas bar, Duck Duck Goose (not sure if it's been mentioned). It's taking over Weczeria's old spot, which has a beautiful new location on Broadway. I think Weczeria, Duck Duck Goose and Sushiro are all owned by the same couple.

http://tapasbar.tumblr.com/

Yes, I have some friends working there...planning on opening up in time for Fringe on Broadway.
Broadway just keeps getting better...and widening out!

...now if we can only convince the neighbourhood to increase the maxed limit on bars someday...

Echoes · #**754** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 5:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarlyByrdProductions

Yes, I have some friends working there...planning on opening up in time for Fringe on Broadway.
Broadway just keeps getting better...and widening out!

...now if we can only convince the neighbourhood to increase the maxed limit on bars someday...

That's what's great about Broadway, it's more than just a linear commercial strip, it's an entire district with things to discover on the side streets that blend and transition in to the character residential beyond. Anything to build/strengthen this quality will be an asset to the area.

Echoes · #**755** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 5:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dillweed

Nice blog! I'm a Saskatoon expat who's lived in Vancouver for the last 30 years. Who is considering moving back. Those are nice shots of the construction cranes in the downtown core. Which is something I never saw much of when I lived there.

For the last 10 years or I've gone back to S'toon fairly frequently usually once or twice a year. After not setting foot in S'toon for many years. In fact I just came back from there about a month ago and was down at the Riverlanding area. I actually looked at the Tonka site but they hadn't erected the crane as yet. It will be a very nice compliment to the Riverlanding area once it's completed.

It's amazing to me the development and growth that not only S'toon but Regina are experiencing as dsim249 pointed out. I hope that I will be a part of it soon if things go right. It's nice to see that both cities are working at revitalizing their downtown cores. Which is something I think especially S'toon was in need of.

I'm always just amazed at how different and vibrant S'toon has become from when I lived there. And if S'toon keeps growing at the rate it's currently growing the population will surpass 300,000. And there are gonna be a lot more new buildings going up.

Welcome to the forum! Glad to hear such positive things from a S'toon-expat-turned-Vancouverite. Hope your plans to move back here work out for you.

Morogolus · #**756** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 5:28 PM**

Other than a lower cost of living I can't figure out why anyone would move from Vancouver to here.

prairieguy · #**757** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 5:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by circle33

I can give it a shot.

Thanks for the great photos, man! That brings a glimmer of hope to what has felt like an awfully slow construction season....come on 2Seven5....get your butts in gear and get building your project and then we could have 4 cranes in the shot!

circle33 · #**758** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 5:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morogolus

Other than a lower cost of living I can't figure out why anyone would move from Vancouver to here.

Yet it seems a big factor. I know at least a half dozen people (and I don't know that many people) who made the move for the cost of living reason. To a person there is some lament over the decision but here they are all the same.

Arts · #**759** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 6:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Echoes

22nd Street barrier draws criticism

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix July 21, 2011

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/22nd+Street+barrier+draws+criticism/5135272/story.html#ixzz1Ske7pyIh

Well I had a little conversation with one of the transportation techs who did point out to me that there are indeed dropped curbs at most intersections along there, and also several signs along the median (that I never noticed before

). All along I used to think those people were J-walking but in fact they were legally crossing, I just don't think any drivers realize it and so don't bother to even try stopping. To me it is just confusing, is it a "crosswalk" or not since it doesn't have actual crosswalk signs or marking, I guess not but it is a "legal crossing which is why they put up warning signs to drivers. The ridiculous part is that there apparently isn't justification for "actual crosswalks" there however there is now somehow justification for a big fence.

The statistic that seems to be the point of contention for properly marked crosswalks is that most pedestrian accidents occur dozens of metres away from the existing crossings, indicating that people are J-walking (mid-block), whereas if the incidents were happening at the actual crossings they'd be "upgraded" to real crosswalks. Silly I think - if you are trying to cross 22ns on foot you have the choice to get run over at the legal crossing, or improve your survival odds and minimize the inconvenience of having to wait for a break in traffic by just being good at frogger. In my personal opinion I think there is a prejudicial attitude preventing a proper solution to this problem.

socialisthorde · #**760** Posted **Jul 21, 2011, 7:54 PM**

It is incumbent on you as a driver to know this, so it shouldn't need to be stated, but anywhere a sidewalk ends at a roadside it is a crosswalk, marked or not and the pedestrian legally has right of way (i.e. vehicles are to stop if a pedestrian is on their side of the road). I would say it is akin to the right of the driver on the right hand side at an unmarked intersection. Unfortunately, neither driving instructors or the police seem to think this important, thus no enforcement, and a majority of people such as yourself (no offence intended) who have never "noticed" that pedestrians are allowed to cross there.