Saskatoon Construction III

[prairieguy]

I tend to agree with you, Phone. I do want to see increased density downtown, but build up on one of the many vacant lots (or maybe the old/empty Credit Union site???)

[roryn1]

That’s good to know that tenants have moved in. Anything will help the retail ghost town known as the scotia center. If the stadium goes next to the mall in its north end parking lot it better connect to that retail center in the scotia center (maybe not a skywalk, but underground maybe since there would most likely be an expansion of underground parking over there).

[phone]

Originally Posted by roryn1

That’s good to know that tenants have moved in. Anything will help the retail ghost town known as the scotia center. If the stadium goes next to the mall in its north end parking lot it better connect to that retail center in the scotia center (maybe not a skywalk, but underground maybe since there would most likely be an expansion of underground parking over there).

If a stadium goes ahead in the Midtown North lot, a link between Midtown and Scotia Centre would certainly be helpful in creating an integrated complex that could help Scotia Centre retain/expand its tenant base. Seems to me that an underground link would be much more practical than a skywalk in that location, if only because the second floor of Scotia Centre is office space rather than a public concourse. Though even that would probably involve a year of 1st Ave being closed while cut and cover work goes on.

[4LSaskatoon]

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e432d2391...b3NlLXBlcm1hbmVudGx5LTEuNjAyMDU2Nw&ntb=1

[Echoes]

Construction crews start work on downtown Saskatoon library

[mmx]

Originally Posted by roryn1

That’s good to know that tenants have moved in. Anything will help the retail ghost town known as the scotia center. If the stadium goes next to the mall in its north end parking lot it better connect to that retail center in the scotia center (maybe not a skywalk, but underground maybe since there would most likely be an expansion of underground parking over there).

If Edmonton is Deadmonton, then Saskatoon has got to be Betelgeuse of the Prairie. Downtown is quite frankly deader than a doornail. What happened to all that momentum created by River Landing? After the shutdown faded to black I thought Toon Town would come roaring back?

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by mmx

If Edmonton is Deadmonton, then Saskatoon has got to be Betelgeuse of the Prairie. Downtown is quite frankly deader than a doornail. What happened to all that momentum created by River Landing? After the shutdown faded to black I thought Toon Town would come roaring back?

River Landing is quite separate from the rest of Downtown. For example, it is an 11-minute walk from River Landing to Una on Broadway compared to a 13-minute walk from River Landing to the Capitol on 1st. The blocks between 19th and 20th are completely dead, so those almost act like a moat between River Landing and the rest of Downtown.

Also, a lot of the tenants at River Landing (e.g., EY and MLT Aikens) were already tenants elsewhere in Downtown. So all their relocation did was remove tenants from Saskatoon Square, and I don't believe Vendasta moving in has compensated for that loss.

River Landing may have created some momentum for other construction projects like Baydo on Broadway and Downtown and the building on Main, but I don't think it did a lot to animate the downtown streets.

Saskatoon's Downtown is far too large for the city's overall density and downtown population. It will take a lot more projects like Baydo on 25th and River Landing to fix that issue.

[trunk]

Backside of the new construction on 4th and 20th (facing the Broadway Bridge) from earlier this week:

[Saskabusher]

^^^thanks for the update! they should be in good shape for the winter

[Echoes]

Committee endorses lease for new farmers' market operator
Terms would see building open six days a week, with an outdoor market twice weekly from May to October.

Bryn Levy
Aug 15, 2022

A proposed lease between the City of Saskatoon and the potential new operator of the Farmers’ Market Building at River Landing is headed to city council.

Monday’s unanimous vote by members of council’s development committee was the last step before the agreement between the city and Ideas, Inc. goes to a full council vote later this month.

Depesh Parmar, executive director of Ideas, told the committee the company wants to create “Saskatoon’s next masterpiece” at the site.

“We are not embarking on this project to make bank,” Parmar said, noting his company’s status as a non-profit. Rather, he said the goal is to bring “vibrancy and animation” to the area around the city-owned building, located at the corner of Avenue A South and 19th Street West.

Parmar said the new Gather Local Market will feature as many as 30 farmer’s market vendors on two dedicated market days between May and October in the square outside building.

[....]

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/committee-endorses-lease-for-new-farmers-market-operator

[Echoes]

Renderings of the Gather Local Market: https://pub-saskatoon.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=169811

[phone]

Love the concept and am excited to visit in person, but couldn't they come up with a better name than "Gather"? Sounds like something you'd see on decals tacked onto the kitchen wall of a budget-tier suburban showhome 15 years ago. They might as well have called it "Live, Laugh, Love"... I wonder whether it is some kind of reference to the Gathercole building? Wouldn't make it any better, but might explain it. If they are so stuck on the idea, maybe they could have used the Cree word for "gather", which I see is "mawasakon" or "mawasakona" (not sure whether the animate or inanimate form would be appropriate, or if this is even really the correct work to use). Now that I think of it, Mawasakona Market doesn't sound too bad.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Echoes

Renderings of the Gather Local Market: https://pub-saskatoon.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=169811

Yuck. Those renderings are so stale and boring.

[phone]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Yuck. Those renderings are so stale and boring.

I tend to agree, but the tenant base looks good. Would like to have seen either more wood, or a better tribute to the industrial character of the building. All black everything and cues ripped out of some knock-off IKEA catalogue look staid already, and will age incredibly poorly.

The concept is good, and there appears to be good buy-in, but Ideas Inc. really needs to reconsider the execution on its end.

[Saskabusher]

I'm so excited to hear the farmer's market will be back, and licenced! great news. the statement from the 'ceo' is positive, too. But to think that someone got away with that 🞵🞵🞵🞵 job pile of renders and it got through even one meeting, let alone released to the public, is depressing. any free software can do a better job. This is, unfortunately, a bad sign for how the operation may be run by folks in charge of the funds....

[prairieguy]

Whew....I am glad I am not the only one with a high level of disappointment of the renderings. It does not create any sense of excitement or anticipation of what is to come...rather it raises red flags.
This needs to be a landmark destination location and service provider....maybe the concept is on the right track, but I hope these early renderings were pulled from a 1990's website page and not what they really have planned!
Good luck to them....hoping for success.

[Temperance]

I agree that those are some terrible renderings. Dark, ugly, and bland.

Looks like they are moving towards a The Forks type of deal. Not a bad model to emulate, but I hope there is some indoor space preserved for small vendors, homemade food, and artisans (especially in winter). Come to think of it - how about a Christmas market (like in northern Europe) and special summer night markets with food trucks (like in Tahiti and parts of India)?

[hunter12]

Proposed office building on 12th street just off Broadway

https://www.saskatoon.ca/engage/509-12th-street-east

I like the building and project but definitely not that location. I vote Yes to the project but NO to the location. Jammed between two current condo buildings and the proposed third condo, the Highpoint project. Land is currently a green space/community garden area. I think it should remain that way.

There are plenty of parking lots downtown where this project would be a perfect fit. How about 4th ave and 20th as one possibility, it is just across the river.

[phone]

Originally Posted by hunter12

Proposed office building on 12th street just off Broadway

https://www.saskatoon.ca/engage/509-12th-street-east

I like the building and project but definitely not that location. I vote Yes to the project but NO to the location. Jammed between two current condo buildings and the proposed third condo, the Highpoint project. Land is currently a green space/community garden area. I think it should remain that way.

There are plenty of parking lots downtown where this project would be a perfect fit. How about 4th ave and 20th as one possibility, it is just across the river.

Renderings look nice. I'm not entirely comfortable with an apparently nascent trend of Nutana out-downtowning downtown. And personally speaking, I'd miss the Remai community garden. That said, if its going to happen, this is among the best case scenarios for this type of development. It's appropriately scaled, and is a fairly good looking and architecturally interesting building (should it match the renderings). Nice finishes on the parkade level, and pleasant looking balconies on most of the floors.

The report refers to a proposed tenant looking to expand their Saskatoon office presence. Any guesses?

[YXE]

Very interesting how in and around Broadway has become/is becoming Saskatoon's "downtown".

Stunning building but would have loved to see this at least along Broadway, or on one of the aforementioned parking lots downtown. This would have been a great project for the vacant parking lot across from River Landing.