Saskatoon Construction

[ReginaGuy]

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

The water feature which seems to connect to every corner of the development is interesting. It could be utilized for recreational use, maybe canoeing, kayaking in the summer, and ice skating in the winter.

I like the water feature too, but if it's like most storm retention ponds, not very many people will want to be canoeing in it, unless they circulate and filter the water.

[Ruckus]

Here's something to think about and maybe someone could provided an educated guess, How much would the proposed College Quarter development cost the University and Municipal Government?

I'm thinking $150-no more than $300 million for the U of S' portion(residence's/twin ice arena/performing and fine arts center/etc), and maybe $100-150 million for the city to put all the infrastructure and such in. I don't even think those numbers are very accurate. I'm just going off the top of my head, River Landing is around $30 million for phase 1 and 2, but covers much less area.

Some recent development costs:
"The Willowgrove neighbourhood development continues in 2007 with $13.3 million budgeted to service another 372 city lots. Another $7.2 million is required to service 125 city lots and 67 private lots in Hampton Village. Servicing the new Stonebridge subdivision continues with $11.7 million for primary water mains and the Stonebridge Trunk Sewer project. This involves the extension of the primary water mains and trunk sewers to the Stonebridge neighbourhood and will also improve storm sewer services to the Avalon and Adelaide extensions." City of Saskatoon Preliminary Capital budget 2007

Does lot servicing include the cost of roads/sidewalks/lightposts/etc, or just power/water/sewer/etc to each house?

The cost to service the College Quarter lots should be more or less similar to the new subdivisions. I'm thinking less, mainly because there's probably existing infrastructure(to some extent). However, the design/layout/features of this community might require additional funds/labor which might not otherwise be needed in the other communities. For example, I could see the water thing and the pathway surrounding it becoming a city park over the simple community park designation, this might require the city to up the municipal funding portion instead of simply charging the communities residents....so many questions, so little time.

[Ruckus]

From the City of Saskatoon website.

For Immediate Release: February 5, 2007

SASKATOON URBAN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FUNDS SECOND PLEASANT HILL SITE RENEWAL PROJECT

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan – Another site in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood will be renewed for future development with federal, provincial and municipal funding through the Saskatoon Urban Development Agreement.

The Honourable Lorne Calvert, Premier of Saskatchewan, the Honourable Carol Skelton, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, and Donald Atchison, Mayor of Saskatoon, announced funding for the $3,293,954 project today. The City will provide $1.71 million, and Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Province will provide $789,471 each.

The work includes purchasing the land, demolishing existing buildings, site preparation and infrastructure upgrades to bring the site up to commercial and residential standards. The area is at 20th Street West between Avenue O and Avenue N South. The City will acquire property on Avenue O, Avenue N and 20th Street West. Discussions on the development of the future uses of the site for housing or education purposes are underway. Today’s project complements earlier work done under the agreement that cleaned up land at Avenue K and 20th Street West.

“This initiative will make life better for families here in Pleasant Hill,” said Premier Calvert. "The revitalization that will take place can incorporate our green technologies while creating opportunities for our youth to live and work right here in one of Saskatoon’s oldest neighbourhoods.”

“Canada’s New Government builds safer, stronger and healthier communities,” said Minister Skelton. “The Saskatoon Urban Development Agreement is an excellent tool that helps rejuvenate our communities. We are giving communities the tools they need to get ahead by making their neighbourhoods a better place to live, work and do business.”

“New investment in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods is crucial to building a sustainable city,” said Mayor Atchison. “With the support of all our partners, it is the City’s hope that this project and the recently announced Station 20 project, will demonstrate that the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood is leading the way in community renewal and revitalization.”

The five-year Saskatoon Urban Development Agreement, signed between the Government of Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon, will invest $10 million in revitalizing the city’s older neighbourhoods, supporting a high standard of public infrastructure, and promoting a positive business climate that attracts innovation.

Western Economic Diversification Canada is the federal department responsible for administering this agreement while Saskatchewan Government Relations is the provincial department responsible for administering this agreement.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by ReginaGuy

I like the water feature too, but if it's like most storm retention ponds, not very many people will want to be canoeing in it, unless they circulate and filter the water.

It will probably have circulation, or some natural method for circulation. The storm pond in Dundonald has a pump to circulate the water, it then filters through a combination of gravel and larger rocks, maybe some kind of membrane too??? I can't remember exactly. I know the City is looking to this sort of setup more often for ensuring water from street run-off and such is clean before its put back into the river, or pumped through the wastewater/water treatment plant. Better for the environment, and allows the treatment plant do a more effective/less costly filtration process of dirty water into clean water.

[swilley]

Originally Posted by Chaps

New to the thread...read back some ways...but hard to differentiate the proposals from the approved. So what's on the horizon for Saskatoon...specifically the downtown area?

Circle sumed it up a while back, here it is...

Originally Posted by circle33

Well I'm far too lazy, but I'll start it, then whoever can add, sorta like a community quilt....

I'm sticking to core neighbourhoods. I don't do burbs. Tons going on there though.

Under Construction
Persephone Theatre - River Landing
Farmers Market - River Landing
High End Retail Space 100 Block 1st Ave. North
3 Story Office Building/ Parkade, Affinity Credit Union - Corner of 1st and 22nd.
2nd Avenue Lofts - Old bay Building reno
12,000 sq ft. Street front retail - 2nd Ave S in front of Galaxy Cinema

Proposed
?? storey Hotel/Spa - River Landing
12 storey condominium Broadway and 9th

Rumoured
Boutique Hotel/ Condominum - east side of 100 Block 3rd Ave. South

There's some more, but I don't want to hog all the glory. feel free to add/replace this list.

Because of Circle's laziness he forgot to mention "Tower 21" supposedly going up on 21st. Which I believe is a mind boggling 5 stories.

[swilley]

YXE has released stats from 06, here they are. We are inching closer towards that 1 million passenger mark.

* Saskatoon's John G. Diefenbaker International Airport handled 953,342 passengers
* Traffic increasd 5.7% over 2005
* 2005 passenger traffic increased by 12.3% over 2004
* All twelve months for 2006 saw higher passenger traffic than the previous year
* 2006 now holds the bar - eight of twelve months were new record setting months
* January, August and October each saw over 83,000 passengers in their respective month
* Our previous best year was 2005 at 902,129 passengers
* 87,674 aircraft movements in 2006 - an increase of 6.0% over 2005

[circle33]

Like to see us pass the million mark, meaningless as it really is.

Speaking of meaningless, from CKOM:

Developer Purchases Pacific Cinemas
February 07, 2007

A Saskatoon developer is making noise in Saskatoon's downtown.

News Talk 650 has learned Lawrence Rychjohn has purchased the former Pacific Cinemas on 22nd Street, across the street from the YMCA and TCU Place.

It's unknown what will become of the site at this time.

Rychjohn is no stranger to development in the city.

He's responsible for the Holiday Inn Express just off Idywyld Drive. He also put up Circle Park Mall, and has a number buildings in Kelowna. BC.

Gerald Bauman reporting.

[GMMTC]

Originally Posted by Rob D

I'm a bit concerned about the way the render is positioned relative to the tracks. The main open part appears to be facing some rundown building/railway tracks and the left side (big flat side) appears to face 20th, a bit strange because I would have expected the big open area to face 20th.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by circle33

Like to see us pass the million mark, meaningless as it really is.

Speaking of meaningless, from CKOM:

Developer Purchases Pacific Cinemas
February 07, 2007

A Saskatoon developer is making noise in Saskatoon's downtown.

News Talk 650 has learned Lawrence Rychjohn has purchased the former Pacific Cinemas on 22nd Street, across the street from the YMCA and TCU Place.

It's unknown what will become of the site at this time.

Rychjohn is no stranger to development in the city.

He's responsible for the Holiday Inn Express just off Idywyld Drive. He also put up Circle Park Mall, and has a number buildings in Kelowna. BC.

Gerald Bauman reporting.

Interesting news for more speculation.

[macca]

So the home builders association is up in arms, stating the city needs to service more lots ASAP. Population numbers continue to grow, the ecomony is hot, immigration is up, out-migration is down, and all signs point to BOOM. Yet, aside from a few projects (the long awaited MOB, 2nd Ave Lofts, Fairbanks, T. Eaton, Riverront), there is relatively little residential action going on in the core.

Think of it this way: we (Saskatoon SSP nerds) are pretty hardcore about development in Saskatoon. We sniff out rumors and post them here and are constantly on top of what is and may be happening in our city. Imagine you're new to the city, or even a long time resident who doesn't have the same lust for development news that we do. It would appear that there is, essentially, nowhere within our core to live. Aside from the two realistic projects (Fairbanks, Riverfront) that sold out very quickly, and the one that appears to be going nowhere (2nd Ave Lofts), there are few options (and two sold out projects are hardly options). There is little in the way of speculation, rumor, or signs from developers that something may be coming. In larger centres (as is my understanding), renderings, brocuhres and even sales offices are set up long before a developer has any intention of putting a shovel in the dirt. Even if the project ultimately doesn't go through, I believe it creates some awareness. Awareness that development is feasible, positive, wanted, and happening. Granted, Saskatoon is a small market with historically (at least, in the last few decades) conservative developers.

Look at the Tower 21 proposal. Nothing seems to be happening with it, and it may very well remain a 12 car parking lot for the foreseeable. But I'm sure that one little sign genereated some interest, some excitement, some basic idea that development can and will occur here, and if you wanted to locate your home or office in downtown Saskatoon, that might actually be a possibility. Sorry for the lengthy rant, but I think that at some point the dam is going to burst and developers will start to turn potential into profit and parking lots into... ANYTHING. I feel like that will happen this summer. I have nothing to base this on but my own optimism and frustration with the idea of another summer of waiting for the cranes. Here's hoping...

[ReginaGuy]

are there any renderings for MOB or Tower21 yet?

[circle33]

No and yes.

Here's Tower 21.



Not very towering, but it would make for some nice infill if it ever gets built. The left portion of the building (under the logo) already exists.

They did dump a big pile of dirt on the MOB site today, no doubt to fill the hole that was the basement of the Northern Paints building. Not sure if that represents progress or just some ass covering for liability reasons. My gut feel is that this one will start construction this spring. Go guts.

[Thrill Seeker]

I think we're all a little frustrated at how slow things seem to going... what can I say? It's been a very long winter. But like Macca said, all signs are pointing to BOOM - we're being hailed as Canada's next market to explode, so where are the fireworks? I'm interested in buying a (new) condo downtown or on Broadway but like the housing inventory in this city, nothing is available. Judging by how fast Riverfront sold out (I was actually hoping to look at purchasing a condo there this spring - I didn't realize it was no longer an option) and at how quickly housing prices are rising in this city (9% since Jan. 1!), I think if developers started to put some drawings together there would be a ton of interest. I too have the feeling that 2007 will be the year of the cranes.

[BrannyMuffin]

Originally Posted by Thrill Seeker

I think we're all a little frustrated at how slow things seem to going... what can I say? It's been a very long winter. But like Macca said, all signs are pointing to BOOM - we're being hailed as Canada's next market to explode, so where are the fireworks? I'm interested in buying a (new) condo downtown or on Broadway but like the housing inventory in this city, nothing is available. Judging by how fast Riverfront sold out (I was actually hoping to look at purchasing a condo there this spring - I didn't realize it was no longer an option) and at how quickly housing prices are rising in this city (9% since Jan. 1!), I think if developers started to put some drawings together there would be a ton of interest. I too have the feeling that 2007 will be the year of the cranes.

See, that doesn't make much sense to me...the biggest problem in a city like Calgary is that they weren't prepared for that much growth. Saskatoon won't grow as quickly as Calgary, but you would think they'd want to get a bit of a head start? It would certainly look good on the city.

I'm not a big fan of that Tower 21 building...actually, I should say, I don't mind the building but I really don't like the fuschia.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by BrannyMuffin

See, that doesn't make much sense to me...the biggest problem in a city like Calgary is that they weren't prepared for that much growth. Saskatoon won't grow as quickly as Calgary, but you would think they'd want to get a bit of a head start? It would certainly look good on the city.

I'm not a big fan of that Tower 21 building...actually, I should say, I don't mind the building but I really don't like the fuschia.

If you saw the lot, you'd wonder how they were planning on fitting any sort of liveable building in there.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by macca

So the home builders association is up in arms, stating the city needs to service more lots ASAP. Population numbers continue to grow, the ecomony is hot, immigration is up, out-migration is down, and all signs point to BOOM. Yet, aside from a few projects (the long awaited MOB, 2nd Ave Lofts, Fairbanks, T. Eaton, Riverront), there is relatively little residential action going on in the core.

Think of it this way: we (Saskatoon SSP nerds) are pretty hardcore about development in Saskatoon. We sniff out rumors and post them here and are constantly on top of what is and may be happening in our city. Imagine you're new to the city, or even a long time resident who doesn't have the same lust for development news that we do. It would appear that there is, essentially, nowhere within our core to live. Aside from the two realistic projects (Fairbanks, Riverfront) that sold out very quickly, and the one that appears to be going nowhere (2nd Ave Lofts), there are few options (and two sold out projects are hardly options). There is little in the way of speculation, rumor, or signs from developers that something may be coming. In larger centres (as is my understanding), renderings, brocuhres and even sales offices are set up long before a developer has any intention of putting a shovel in the dirt. Even if the project ultimately doesn't go through, I believe it creates some awareness. Awareness that development is feasible, positive, wanted, and happening. Granted, Saskatoon is a small market with historically (at least, in the last few decades) conservative developers.

Look at the Tower 21 proposal. Nothing seems to be happening with it, and it may very well remain a 12 car parking lot for the foreseeable. But I'm sure that one little sign genereated some interest, some excitement, some basic idea that development can and will occur here, and if you wanted to locate your home or office in downtown Saskatoon, that might actually be a possibility. Sorry for the lengthy rant, but I think that at some point the dam is going to burst and developers will start to turn potential into profit and parking lots into... ANYTHING. I feel like that will happen this summer. I have nothing to base this on but my own optimism and frustration with the idea of another summer of waiting for the cranes. Here's hoping...

Virtual pat on the back for macca
All of us SSP nerds are waiting for the dam to burst and my own foolish optimism also says this summer will be an exciting one. We shall see.

[ReginaGuy]

I kinda like the tower21 building, is it office or residential? is it just proposed? Approved? under construction?

Sorry, I should probably just read through the thread, but I'm lazy

[circle33]

No problem. I relate to the lazy part.

As far as I know Tower 21 is no more than a sign in front of a parking lot. It was on the ICR Commercial Realty website for about a week then taken off. It's intended to be a commercial/office condominium, and if the sign is to be believed it will be completed in 2007.



Contrary to a previously expressed opinion, I think there is plenty of room on the site for it. As you can see the left side of the building is already there, it'll just need to be re-skinned.

[macca]

Circle, I can't tell from that picture, but what does it say along the top portion of the sign, the white lettering on the green background? I was by the site the other day and it said "Build to Suit". I'm sure it used to say something else. Could be an indication that they neccessarily plan to build Tower 21 anymore.

[circle33]

Not sure. I have a higher res version of that pic at home that I might be able to read. I'll go have a look later this evening.