Saskatoon Construction II

[Irvin]

Originally Posted by Toontone

Today I heard a 7Eleven gas bar was going in there?? any truth to this?
Are there maybe 2 gas stations going in there?

That to me would make sense as the area could use a convenience store - specially due to the two hotels in the vicinity, don't see the room to fit two gas stations

[macca]

What happened to riversdale deli/capanna?

[jrochest]

It was on the market last month, when I checked the commercial listings. Has it closed?

[macca]

"Closed until further notice"

[Toontone]

This is not great news for the area. If they are in fact "Closed and possibly out of business that in not good. It is very tough these days to make a go of it in the restaurant business and food/bar business in general. Occupancy costs are always a huge burden and as we all know, food is not cheap these days and the cost of labor is not like it once was in the food business. Hopefully they will figure some way to make it all work out.

[jigglysquishy]

With Saskatchewan getting $29 mil this year for transit (with it being somewhere in the vicinity of $15 mil for each of Regina and Saskatoon) and looking like that will continue in the coming years we might just see real investment into BRT.

[scrolling]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

With Saskatchewan getting $29 mil this year for transit (with it being somewhere in the vicinity of $15 mil for each of Regina and Saskatoon) and looking like that will continue in the coming years we might just see real investment into BRT.

Agreed. It would be nice if the provincial government could wrap their head around the value of BRT and make a meaningful contribution as well.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

With Saskatchewan getting $29 mil this year for transit (with it being somewhere in the vicinity of $15 mil for each of Regina and Saskatoon) and looking like that will continue in the coming years we might just see real investment into BRT.

I am pretty sure all that cash is earmarked for the new bus garage and maybe a few new buses.

PS - Transit just did a 5 year plan and there is no BRT in it.

[jigglysquishy]

Regina's is ear marked for a bus garage. Saskatoon looks like they'll put it towards upgrading their fleet.

BRT is in the 5 year plan for Saskatoon. As per Growing Forward.

[nook]

Tourism Saskatoon Making Pitch for New Arenas

[mitchellk12]

Star phoenix posted more about parcel y.

Victory majors asking for a 22 storey tower...and building a 12 storey as a second phase( river centre II )???

Theres a photo im unable to post...but the one from the newspaper showed thr 27 storey condo in the middle..and 22 storey on the right hand by the bridge. I could be wrong but the picture was different. Its nice that they dont want to change the height of the towers. Just hoping to see shovels in the ground soon.


Also... heard the delay on the north prarie towers is due to credit union trying to find a new location??? So until that happens...who knows

[scotty c]

Originally Posted by mitchellk12

Star phoenix posted more about parcel y.

Victory majors asking for a 22 storey tower...and building a 12 storey as a second phase( river centre II )???

Theres a photo im unable to post...but the one from the newspaper showed thr 27 storey condo in the middle..and 22 storey on the right hand by the bridge. I could be wrong but the picture was different. Its nice that they dont want to change the height of the towers. Just hoping to see shovels in the ground soon.


Also... heard the delay on the north prarie towers is due to credit union trying to find a new location??? So until that happens...who knows

All the Parcel Y talk is in that specific thread. The new information in the Star Phoenix is not clear to say the least.

As for the North Prairie tower I doubt that the issue is with the Credit Union. I haven't worked there for a long time but as far as I know everyone in that building moved to their new campus in the old First Nation University building near City Hospital. Maybe they moved some people back in there with other mergers and needing space but I doubt it would hold up a huge project like that one.

[SaskScraper]

Saskatoon making headlines in other parts of the country for all the wrong reasons yet again.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/traffic/th...t-happens-when-a-bike-lane-project-fails

This doesn't really surprise me because I've found bike lanes & paths in Saskatoon aren't well plan or maintained to begin with. This Spring will bring a whole new crop of potholes that won't get repaired & will have grass overgrown on paths like in NorthEnd Airport Industrial area as usual

[Echoes]

Downtown arena debate resurfaces

PHIL TANK, SASKATOON STARPHOENIX
Published on: March 24, 2016 | Last Updated: March 24, 2016 8:09 PM CST

Three decades after Saskatoon voters opted to build a new arena on the northern outskirts of the city, the debate over a downtown facility is poised to grip residents again.

The debate will be driven this time by the age of SaskTel Centre and a push to consider a downtown sports facility as part of the City of Saskatoon’s new growth plan.

Wilf Lofdahl, the chief executive officer of SaskTel Centre, said the time is approaching when a decision needs to make a decision on whether to upgrade the 28-year-old arena or build a new one.

Lofdahl would not commit to a time frame for a decision, but he will appear before city council in April to update the needs for the city-owned facility.

While the facility’s exterior remains solid, the systems inside need replacing at some point, Lofdahl said.

“Some of them are in better condition than others, but they’re all still 30 years old,” Lofdahl said in an interview Thursday. “At some point in time, we need to come up with a strategy to enhance our competitiveness.”

Lofdahl noted SaskTel Centre must compete for events with newer downtown facilities in prairie cities like Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary. Edmonton’s Rogers Place is slated to open next year, while Calgary is considering a new arena as part of a downtown development.

SaskTel Centre opened as Saskatchewan Place in 1988 and cost $26.5 million to build.

Lofdahl said it’s difficult to put a figure on how much updating the arena would cost. If renovations include widening the concourses or adding washrooms and food facilities, that gets more expensive.

“There’s a lot of branches on that decision tree,” he explained.

He said any time the facility attracts more than 8,000 spectators — such as with Saskatchewan Rush lacrosse games — its shortcomings become obvious.

A shortage of food and liquor facilities for this size crowd is addressed by sending vendors out on foot, but Lofdahl calls this a “Band-Aid.” The arena can seat more than 15,000 for hockey.

The pressure for a decision on SaskTel Centre’s future comes as Tourism Saskatoon is pushing for a “major sports facility” downtown.

Randy Fernets, Tourism Saskatoon’s director of industry development and sport, has sent a letter to city council and city hall officials, urging a downtown facility be considered as part of the city’s new growth plan.

The agency has already proposed a possible facility in the north downtown as the city looks to redevelop that area.

[....]

http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/downtown-arena-debate-resurfaces

[nook]

Originally Posted by Echoes

Downtown arena debate resurfaces

PHIL TANK, SASKATOON STARPHOENIX
Published on: March 24, 2016 | Last Updated: March 24, 2016 8:09 PM CST



http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/downtown-arena-debate-resurfaces

This needs to be seriously considered. We don't need an 18,000 seat arena with all the bells and whistles. We need a 15,500 seat arena with wider concourses and modern amenities. The capacity of the Sasktel Centre is probably right on par with what we need, but going anywhere during a reasonably well attended event is like swimming up a waterfall. The concourses were built with the original capacity in mind... Plus consider the fact that they've been narrowed with the addition of the private suites.

The area behind the police station would be ideal. Build up a warehouse/entertainment district with businesses, living spaces, bars, and restaurants. Build the hub for the new rapid transit around the arena and parking may not be so much an issue if you can get buses/trains/whatever to and from the arena in a hurry.

It seems like a great idea, but that genuinely means that council will cast it aside asap. Though, if past experiences mean anything... Any time this city puts lights up on something it comes down and and gets replaced, ha.

[jigglysquishy]

There's already plans for North Downtown and it's very very unlikely that a rink is added to the plans.

I still maintain the current Toys R Us site is the best spot in the city for a new rink. We need one since the current location is just plain terrible. We've seen essentially zero investment because of SaskPlace (other than a hotel and gas station). A rink downtown would spur condo development and dozens of restaurants.

[nook]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

There's already plans for North Downtown and it's very very unlikely that a rink is added to the plans.

I still maintain the current Toys R Us site is the best spot in the city for a new rink. We need one since the current location is just plain terrible. We've seen essentially zero investment because of SaskPlace (other than a hotel and gas station). A rink downtown would spur condo development and dozens of restaurants.

Plans can be changed. Has this city ever stuck to a development plan?

[EpicPonyTime]

Unless the province is going to be kicking in a majority of the money, I don't see how a new facility for pro lacrosse and minor league hockey is ever going to be built in this city. This isn't exactly the Winnipeg situation.

[scrolling]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

There's already plans for North Downtown and it's very very unlikely that a rink is added to the plans.

I still maintain the current Toys R Us site is the best spot in the city for a new rink. We need one since the current location is just plain terrible. We've seen essentially zero investment because of SaskPlace (other than a hotel and gas station). A rink downtown would spur condo development and dozens of restaurants.

I can picture that Gordie Howe statue being moved once again if that were to happen.

Original unveiling - September 25th, 1993


Source http://ontroutlake.blogspot.ca/2010/11/mr-hockey-gordie-howe.html




Sasktel Centre's wiki page has a history lesson about dashed hopes and dreams.

In the early 2000s, Saunders Avenue, which is a street leading into the parking lot of Credit Union Centre, was renamed Bill Hunter Avenue in honour of Bill Hunter, who died in 2002. This was considered ironic by many Saskatonians, given Hunter lobbied for the facility to be built in another location. The city then transferred the 'Saunders' name to a new street in the River Landing redevelopment area—running through the former site of the Saskatoon Arena.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SaskTel_Centre

[nook]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

Unless the province is going to be kicking in a majority of the money, I don't see how a new facility for pro lacrosse and minor league hockey is ever going to be built in this city. This isn't exactly the Winnipeg situation.

They use that arena for way more than lacrosse and hockey.