Saskatoon Construction II

[Treesplease]

Originally Posted by Echoes

^ You make good points, Arts. Both Saskatoon and Regina can stand alone on their own merits. We shouldn't feel the need to put down the other city in order to defend our own, especially when responding to dataspank's opinions.

To be fair, I think there is a hell of a lot more going on in Saskatoon than gets reported on in this thread - its just not downtown - yet!.

[EpicPonyTime]

No sooner than people claim there is no development in Saskatoon's downtown that a new 90 metre hotel/condo is announced for the corner of 22nd and 3rd (where the Credit Union is).

Can't find the article online right now but it's front-and-centre on the Star Phoenix this morning.

The article says construction is set to start in Spring. I wonder what this means for River Landing? If the developers were worried about whether or not there was a market for that kind of housing in Saskatoon like some people have speculated, being beaten to the punch by another tower might make them even more content with their parking lot.

EDIT: Found it (though not from the Star Phoenix).

North Prairie aiming sky-high with plans for new hotel-condo tower

Regina Leader Post - 09/28/13

North Prairie Development is set to alter Saskatoon's city skyline with plans to build the tallest building in the province.

Construction on the new luxury hotel/condo highrise, City Center Tower, is expected to begin this spring, and the building is slated to open in spring 2014, says North Prairie president John Williams.

The $80 million to $100 million City Centre Tower will be at the corner of Third Avenue and 22nd Street, currently occupied by Affinity Credit Union.

City Centre Tower will be at least 27 storeys and close to 90 metres high, Williams said.

"We want it to be an award-winning building. It should change Saskatoon's skyline.

"We expect this project to be on par or to exceed that of some of the downtown highrise projects located in larger cities like Calgary or Vancouver."

The Tower will include a hotel and about 200 residential condo units in varying sizes, with the largest units on the top floors.

[....]

http://www.leaderpost.com/business/North...ans+hotel+condo+tower/8971637/story.html

[Stormer]

Awesome. Someone needs to find a render, although it sounds as though they may not have one yet.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by Stormer

Awesome. Someone needs to find a render, although it sounds as though they may not have one yet.

I don't think there is one yet. There isn't a photo with the article and Prairie North's site doesn't even mention it yet. Can't imagine they don't have at least a preliminary render already, but who knows when they'll release it.

[Treesplease]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

No sooner than people claim there is no development in Saskatoon's downtown that a new 90 metre hotel/condo is announced for the corner of 22nd and 3rd (where the Credit Union is).

Can't find the article online right now but it's front-and-centre on the Star Phoenix this morning.

The article says construction is set to start in Spring. I wonder what this means for River Landing? If the developers were worried about whether or not there was a market for that kind of housing in Saskatoon like some people have speculated, being beaten to the punch by another tower might make them even more content with their parking lot.

You never know what effect it might have on other developers in the City. When Centre Square Place came out of nowhere in Regina and broke ground quickly it seemed to light a fire under the 🞵🞵🞵🞵 of the other condo developers (GoR) that had been dragging their feet on downtown projects. The prospects of some upstarts coming in and doing something you have been "fixing to do" for years might be enough to kick RL into gear. Although "openning in spring 2014" sounds a tad opptimistic. Even if they had their ducks in a row it would be an accomplishment to even have concrete work done by then.

[drto]

"Opening spring 2014" is definitely a typo or poor editing/reporting.
That said, this is fantastic news. I can hardly wait for the first renders of this project. And I have to say that their confidence in getting this started so quickly must mean that they've already gone through some of the preliminary permitting processes at City Hall. We need to have a city hall insider on this forum to give us the early heads up, similar to our Calgary forum

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by drto

"Opening spring 2014" is definitely a typo or poor editing/reporting.
That said, this is fantastic news. I can hardly wait for the first renders of this project. And I have to say that their confidence in getting this started so quickly must mean that they've already gone through some of the preliminary permitting processes at City Hall. We need to have a city hall insider on this forum to give us the early heads up, similar to our Calgary forum

They would not have made a formal app to the City yet but their architect should be talking to the Planning Dept. to ensure they are not waiting time with design elements that will never be approved. Is the Affinity Bldg vacant right now?

[Regina Boi]

Announcing a major project, without releasing any renderings or plans seems a little shady to me.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

Announcing a major project, without releasing any renderings or plans seems a little shady to me.

Standard practice. See everything going on in downtown Winnipeg. Nothing is usually shown til their ready for sales. If anything is said at all.

[Yeff]

This is certainly awesome news... and if the ambitious timelines of Spring 2014 are even remotely accurate, I've found my new purchase target! What our CBD will really need after that is a big-name urban fresh/express grocery store similar to Sobey's, Save-On-Foods, or even a Longo's. Regardless of what happens at RLV, the development proposed for/occurring in the North Downtown and revitalization of Riversdale including The Banks should finally make this feasible and a real lightning rod for the rest of the downtown development and sustainable vehicle free downtown living.

My two cents on the Regina/Saskatoon debate... I am a fan of Saskatchewan as a whole, I want to see the entire province do well and thrive, including Regina. However, take a drive through both cities.... all of it. Honestly, I feel Regina really needs to take more pride in the city overall, and focus on more than just putting some tall buildings up. Very dirty, boarded up, and run-down on most of the main streets... To me it's like comparing Edmonton to Calgary. Both cities with merits in their own right, but no question at all which one is prettier...

[Spongebob]

Originally Posted by Yeff

This is certainly awesome news... and if the ambitious timelines of Spring 2014 are even remotely accurate, I've found my new purchase target! What our CBD will really need after that is a big-name urban fresh/express grocery store similar to Sobey's, Save-On-Foods, or even a Longo's. Regardless of what happens at RLV, the development proposed for/occurring in the North Downtown and revitalization of Riversdale including The Banks should finally make this feasible and a real lightning rod for the rest of the downtown development and sustainable vehicle free downtown living.

My two cents on the Regina/Saskatoon debate... I am a fan of Saskatchewan as a whole, I want to see the entire province do well and thrive, including Regina. However, take a drive through both cities.... all of it. Honestly, I feel Regina really needs to take more pride in the city overall, and focus on more than just putting some tall buildings up. Very dirty, boarded up, and run-down on most of the main streets... To me it's like comparing Edmonton to Calgary. Both cities with merits in their own right, but no question at all which one is prettier...

I've lived in both cities and I can honestly say that one is no prettier than the other. Both have their own merits and both have their own downsides. I must say though, living in Saskatoon I really saw a complex of some people (not all) towards Regina. I don't know why because you don't get that same attitude in Regina. Saskatoon just isn't on peoples radar in Regina. I guess the rivalry between both cities will always be there (just like Edmonton vs. Calgary). But in light of the recent economic news for Regina and Saskatoon I think we can all take pride in being the two top cities in the country for economic growth.

[saskatoonborn]

Very well said guys. Its just nice to see Saskatchewan doing better as a whole. I know growing up no one ever seemed to have plans to stay, everyone always wanted to move to Alberta. I think it is great that people are finally able to be proud of Saskatchwan and invision a happy life here. It is a very different feeling from, say, 15 years ago.

[skSK]

Yikes... nothing like a throw down to make this forum a little livelier... I'll parrot everybody saying it's fantastic news for Saskatchewan on the whole. Having grown up in Saskatoon, I love the cosmopolitan feel the city is getting (although small-minded people are still out there), and as for Regina whereas a younger version of myself would have fallen into a knee-jerk comparison I can now say the adult me likes visiting there (walking down Victoria, downtown, etc).

As for the "government town" debate, sure that may have held water 20 years ago, but also I think it's now the case that both cities have sought out a bit more diversification. So not only are we not longer just government or university towns, but we are more vibrant economically and have lots of companies and sectors to be proud of (government, research, mining, ag and agtech, entertainment, etc).

Finally, I fail to see how a city's skyline gives any appreciable increase to its quality of life. It basically comes down to a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵-measuring contest (started in this case by someone who spurns Toronto for its lack of a "supertall"). I can honestly say I don't really care what growth happens in Saskatoon's skyline, but I do care about its downtown's vitality, the park space, its amenities, employment opportunities, and other things that directly affect quality of life. It's not really about tall buildings. Although an interesting study to undertake may be to determine if there is a relationship between the number of tall buildings in a city to the number of dicks that live there.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by Yeff

This is certainly awesome news... and if the ambitious timelines of Spring 2014 are even remotely accurate, I've found my new purchase target!

Pretty sure they mean 2016. Don't hold your breath for construction to even start in spring 2014. As we have seen with theses large multi-use projects in both Regina and Saskatoon, they are very complex, difficult to finance and prone to lengthy delays.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by skSK

Yikes... nothing like a throw down to make this forum a little livelier... I'll parrot everybody saying it's fantastic news for Saskatchewan on the whole. Having grown up in Saskatoon, I love the cosmopolitan feel the city is getting (although small-minded people are still out there), and as for Regina whereas a younger version of myself would have fallen into a knee-jerk comparison I can now say the adult me likes visiting there (walking down Victoria, downtown, etc).

As for the "government town" debate, sure that may have held water 20 years ago, but also I think it's now the case that both cities have sought out a bit more diversification. So not only are we not longer just government or university towns, but we are more vibrant economically and have lots of companies and sectors to be proud of (government, research, mining, ag and agtech, entertainment, etc).

Finally, I fail to see how a city's skyline gives any appreciable increase to its quality of life. It basically comes down to a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵-measuring contest (started in this case by someone who spurns Toronto for its lack of a "supertall"). I can honestly say I don't really care what growth happens in Saskatoon's skyline, but I do care about its downtown's vitality, the park space, its amenities, employment opportunities, and other things that directly affect quality of life. It's not really about tall buildings. Although an interesting study to undertake may be to determine if there is a relationship between the number of tall buildings in a city to the number of dicks that live there.

Maybe you should re-check the name of this website and the forum you just posted on.

[skSK]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Maybe you should re-check the name of this website and the forum you just posted on.

Hahaha! My petition to rename it Urban Amenities and Quality of Life Forum didn't gain traction. Can't see why!

[esquire]

Exciting times for Saskatoon. I love the fact that almost every city in Western Canada has recently seen, or will soon see a new tallest structure go up.

I'm not sure if this article was posted yet, but I liked this Star-Phoenix retrospective on Saskatoon's tallest buildings:

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/Photos+Saskatoon+tallest+buildings/8969935/story.html

[Echoes]

This is fantastic news about City Centre Tower! I remember hearing a few months back that North Prairie had purchased the former Affinity Credit Union. At the time I also heard they had purchased the Haultain Building next door, fronting 22nd and 4th. I wonder if that building will be coming down too? I imagine they'll need a fairly large site to accommodate the parkade alone. Neither of those buildings will be missed.

Anyway, I can't wait to see renderings. Let's hope it is indeed an "award winning" building. It's also the perfect location downtown to have a large impact on the skyline from practically all angles.

[Hawker]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

No sooner than people claim there is no development in Saskatoon's downtown that a new 90 metre hotel/condo is announced for the corner of 22nd and 3rd (where the Credit Union is).

Can't find the article online right now but it's front-and-centre on the Star Phoenix this morning.

The article says construction is set to start in Spring. I wonder what this means for River Landing? If the developers were worried about whether or not there was a market for that kind of housing in Saskatoon like some people have speculated, being beaten to the punch by another tower might make them even more content with their parking lot.

EDIT: Found it (though not from the Star Phoenix).

North Prairie aiming sky-high with plans for new hotel-condo tower

Regina Leader Post - 09/28/13



http://www.leaderpost.com/business/North...ans+hotel+condo+tower/8971637/story.html

The story in the S-P: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/Sask+tallest+tower+works/8972073/story.html

[Echoes]

I've been thinking about the kind of impact this tower will have on the skyline. I did a very crude illustration of how it might appear from the Nutana side of the river. This is not scaled at all, but gives an idea of its effect:


IMG_2411 by echoes320, on Flickr