The City of Saskatoon has two possible locations selected for a new downtown arena to replace the existing SaskTel Centre.
Residents will be able to voice their opinion on where the new arena should go with a sample survey for Saskatoon residents via the phone and an online panel survey from August 30th to September 5th. Then from September 13th to October 3rd, an opt-in online public survey for Saskatoon residents and those living in other centres will be able available online. That period of public consultation will also include an opt-in survey for local businesses and organizations.
Option A for a new downtown arena is the north parking lot across from Hudson’s Bay in Midtown Plaza. Option B is the City Yards located across from the police station.
During Monday’s regular City Council meeting, Mayor Charlie Clark explained how the new arena and entertainment district will be a gathering place not only for Saskatoon residents but for those living in other centres throughout the province.
He said that was evident on Saturday for the Backstreet Boys concert.
“The fact the Backstreet Boys concert, less than 20 per cent of the people who actually attended that sold out concert were from Saskatoon. Many, many, a significant portion were actually from outside of city and the Eric Church concert, 16 per cent were from Saskatoon.”
Dan Willems, Director of Technical Services was asked about the progress of the Bus Rapid Transit system, a service that will be vital and will need to be established prior to the opening of a new downtown arena according to City Council.
“We are working with the province currently to put together a formal application to the federal government and out hope id that we will have a response back from the federal government no later than March.”
The two arena sites were selected based on their access to the future BRT system which is expected to go online in 2025.
Willems adds SaskTel Centre currently has 4,000 available parking spots. In comparison option A, which is the spot north of the Bay, has nearly 3,600 available parking spots within the same space as the existing SaskTel Centre. Option A also has 900 additional spaces in private lots reserved for employees which could be used after hours for events.
The public consultation is expected to cost $130,000 dollars.
It’s expected Council will decide where the arena will go this November.
Below is a link to a YouTube video showcasing the City’s journey to establishing an entertainment district.
