Saskatoon Construction III

[Saskabusher]

interesting. everything is potential, and the pedestrian overpass- what else could it be, an underpass? will never be built. it's almost insulting, the road network and distance it has to cross. it seems more and more martinsville doesn't want to expand and/or connect to warman, which is obviously going to happen anyway if you look at another map, which will also connect to saskatoon sooner than later. pity, these local princes and their cocktail party, or backyard bbq desires...

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by reddo

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1000w

There is a pedestrian crossing planned, but still doesn't seem well planned out to have the city split like that with such a small overpass. To me seems like a brand new city rather than an expansion to a current one.

As for the pedestrian crossing, it looks like it's simply a walkway along the overpass. Given that it's an elevated overpass in the middle of the bald-ass prairie, it doesn't make for a very inviting walk - especially in the winter. As much as the parking lot is usually very full, Legends Centre in Warman is walkable from pretty much everywhere in town. The same won't be said of the Martensville rec centre.

[Wyku]

I know the land that the arena is supposed to sit on was gifted to the city, but I think that's a small portion of the overall development site. It would seem to be more beneficial to have planned the development on the land either North or South of the Lake Vista community area, but there is challenge with a few acreages in the way (not for just the arena though). Martensville is already an oddly laid out town/city so I'm not sure either the planned location or somewhere else would really help too much, but across the highway is a much larger physical divide.

[Wyku]

Originally Posted by Crisis

As for the pedestrian crossing, it looks like it's simply a walkway along the overpass. Given that it's an elevated overpass in the middle of the bald-ass prairie, it doesn't make for a very inviting walk - especially in the winter. As much as the parking lot is usually very full, Legends Centre in Warman is walkable from pretty much everywhere in town. The same won't be said of the Martensville rec centre.

The current (old) rink and Athletic Pavilion in Martensville are much better for walkability than this plan based on their locations.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by phone

Also -- the entire raison d'etre for Martensville is the personal automobile.

Yes, almost every adult in Matensville drives to work because that's what happens when you live in a suburb. However, every child under the age of 16 cannot drive and many over 16 may not have their license or access to a car. If the new rink has any free skate or stick and puck sessions, you can be that some kids from town will attempt to walk to the arena if they're not in school.

The footprint of the Legends Centre is 23k square metres. I don't know anything about Martensville's long-term plans, but the plot of vacant land directly to the east of the aquatic and community centres could easily fit a facility of the same size with room to spare. This location would be easily accessible by foot to any child in Martensville north of Main Street, and by bike to any child south of Main Street. It would also be centrally located for any further city expansion to the east.

[phone]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Yes, almost every adult in Matensville drives to work because that's what happens when you live in a suburb. However, every child under the age of 16 cannot drive and many over 16 may not have their license or access to a car. If the new rink has any free skate or stick and puck sessions, you can be that some kids from town will attempt to walk to the arena if they're not in school.

The footprint of the Legends Centre is 23k square metres. I don't know anything about Martensville's long-term plans, but the plot of vacant land directly to the east of the aquatic and community centres could easily fit a facility of the same size with room to spare. This location would be easily accessible by foot to any child in Martensville north of Main Street, and by bike to any child south of Main Street. It would also be centrally located for any further city expansion to the east.

I'm not defending it, I'm just pointing out that it may be foolish to set the bar higher than ankle-height for active transportation-focused urban planning in Martensville. Homeowners there are specifically buying into the car-centred suburban idea that you, with due justification, decry. I, for one, am not about to move to Martensville and petition their city council to change things.

[reddo]

The plan is for the new part of martensville to have over 10k people, maybe it'll be walkable for the west side residents? It's still very broken up and when they get to that many citizens they'll be needing even more rink space.

There's 700 acres on the west side of the highway but that's definitely going to take some time to get going.

Kind of reminds me of Stonebridge in Saskatoon, part of the city but also kind of separate. They at least had a lot of commercial going for them there. I doubt martensville will have that going for them anytime soon.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by reddo

The plan is for the new part of martensville to have over 10k people, maybe it'll be walkable for the west side residents? It's still very broken up and when they get to that many citizens they'll be needing even more rink space.

Presumably that will be the case, but... there's already 10K living east of the highway, and that number's only going to keep growing even if they try to expand West. It just seems like a terrible design plan. They haven't been able to attract any businesses to Lake Vista in five years, I don't see how they'll do any better across the highway.

[Wyku]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

Presumably that will be the case, but... there's already 10K living east of the highway, and that number's only going to keep growing even if they try to expand West. It just seems like a terrible design plan. They haven't been able to attract any businesses to Lake Vista in five years, I don't see how they'll do any better across the highway.

Is there land zoned for commercial development around Lake Vista? I think the only businesses that aren't along the main drag adjacent to the highway are the car wash and spin club to the South and the Industrial area to the North. There are large sections of commercial land still undeveloped along the highway so I'm not sure if there are plans to push any commercial development to the other side of town.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by Wyku

Is there land zoned for commercial development around Lake Vista? I think the only businesses that aren't along the main drag adjacent to the highway are the car wash and spin club to the South and the Industrial area to the North. There are large sections of commercial land still undeveloped along the highway so I'm not sure if there are plans to push any commercial development to the other side of town.

There is, yes. The empty stretch of land between Lake Vista and Main Street is intended to be commercial development. I believe Martensville even came out with proposals for the spot showing one major tenant and multiple minor ones, similar to the current setup around Canadian Tire. It would have been perfect for something like a Shoppers, but I doubt that's in the cards now that Warman has one.

Martensville cannot keep containing commercial development to Centennial Drive. It creates congestion, doubles down on the unappealing layout of the City, and honestly just does a disservice to the many people who now reside on the other side of town that cannot even go to a convenience store easily since they're all located on a single side of the City. I have no clue why they've failed so spectacularly at attracting business to Lake Vista, but it's going on six years with no development there. It's just embarrassing at this point, to be honest.

[Wyku]

That area would definitely be good for a strip mall-esque development with a convenience store and other small businesses with something as large as a Shoppers as a starting point like you say--perhaps something like the small business area around Shoppers in Hampton Village in Saskatoon. Looks like that's what's being suggested on a couple listings for that area--not sure how long they've been up for:
https://www.collierscanada.com/en-ca...ada/can2006695

https://www.collierscanada.com/en-ca...ada/can2009635

ETA: This one has a larger Lake Vista development map included: https://www.collierscanada.com/en-ca...ada/can2000494

Centennial in is awkward to navigate at times with the center turning lane, and trying to turn left from a parking lot on either side, which will only get worse as the City continues to grow and more businesses go in along the strip.

[phone]

The University has confirmed that Sask Polytech will be building its new campus on Preston Ave near Innovation Place. Not much in the way of details but obviously major project with huge implications for Saskatoon.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by phone

The University has confirmed that Sask Polytech will be building its new campus on Preston Ave near Innovation Place. Not much in the way of details but obviously major project with huge implications for Saskatoon.

Do we know what the plans for the existing campus are?

It would have been cool if some sort of pedestrian/bike/transit only connection from 33rd to Research Drive had been built to facilitate easier movement between the UofS and Polytech campus.

[roryn1]

“Some farmers are having their best years ever. Commodity prices are at all-time highs,” said Andrew Williams, CEO of North Prairie Developments Ltd. in Saskatoon, noting that potash and uranium companies are also holding their own in the stock market.

“We can’t build the stuff fast enough in our marketplace to keep up.”

This company is a riot / they’ve been sitting on the old credit union land for 12 years now? And that beautiful corner lot by the university. Biggest vacant lots in the downtown? lol

Last time there was a boom they said they couldn’t build because of a labour shortage, and then they said they wouldn’t build because of a downtown.

https://www.westerninvestor.com/sask...demand-6019700

[macca]

Originally Posted by phone

The University has confirmed that Sask Polytech will be building its new campus on Preston Ave near Innovation Place. Not much in the way of details but obviously major project with huge implications for Saskatoon.

link to announcement?

[Echoes]

STC is moving its wellness centre from downtown to 415 Fairmont Drive (former JW Kingdom Hall in Fairhaven). I also understand they'll be absorbing the last of the Lighthouse shelter beds in the new facility.

[phone]

Originally Posted by macca

link to announcement?

It was sent out in an email to University staff.

[mmx]

Today is the 85th Anniversary of the state of the art Arena Rink which in 1937 hosted the New York Rangers and New York Americans of the NHL on opening night. Hopefully the next iteration will be better than SaskTel Centre. But if built like the preliminary drawings I venture to say we'll be calling the new barn "Mini-Mosaic Stadium."

[drm310]

Developer pauses downtown grocery over rejected request in Rosewood
"You couldn't pay me to do another project in the city of Saskatoon right now."

The StarPhoenix
Author of the article: Bryn Levy
Publishing date: Nov 02, 2022



The developer behind a proposal to build a grocery store in downtown Saskatoon says the project is now delayed indefinitely due to a recent city council decision.

“You couldn’t pay me to do another project in the city of Saskatoon right now. We’re going to finish what we have, and we’re going to look elsewhere,” said an audibly exasperated Jeffrey Drexel, president of Arbutus Properties.

Drexel spoke to Postmedia on Tuesday by phone from Vancouver, where Arbutus is headquartered.

Council on Monday evening voted 8-1 to reject a request to remove what’s known as the holding symbol on a parcel of land in Rosewood where Arbutus wants to build an apartment tower. The hold blocks work on the building until the lot is serviced. Arbutus is required to put in $7 million worth of sewer infrastructure as a condition of allowing work to proceed.

[...]

Full article: https://thestarphoenix.com/news/loca...st-in-rosewood

[chrisniel]

Originally Posted by drm310

Developer pauses downtown grocery over rejected request in Rosewood

I just watched the council debate on this an it's laughable that administration said no development has ever been allowed to proceed prior to full development of the utilities. The new developments on Claypool Drive won't have a permanent sewer for years.

The removal of the "Holding" designation should have been approved, full stop.

If it had been removed, administration has options to make permit approvals conditional on the completion of the lift station which is already well underway. Plus it isn't like there is no incentive for them to complete it given the remaining land is Rosewood is also subject to the removal of the "Holding" designation before development. This city sometimes...