Two information reports were presented to Saskatoon city council on Tuesday that showed what the city’s downtown area could look like after the construction of the Downtown Event and Entertainment District.
The first report showed the results of the community engagement phase of the project.
“Phase I Engagement was designed to ask the public what they would like to see for amenities and space improvements in the District,” Dan Willems, director of the city’s technical services, transportation and construction division, said in a media release. “We gathered feedback on what people appreciate about Downtown currently and what we could improve to make the area more welcoming and accessible.”
Willems said the information will be used in the upcoming plans for the district as whole — not just the entertainment centre.
The second report looked at the market context for the area in the future.
Stantec, an engineering firm and the city’s technical advisor, projected 200 residential units will be built in downtown each year.
“This looks to grow downtown’s population to 10,000 within the next two decades,” the company said in a release.
It also said residential development in the downtown core will support and strengthen businesses, making it a more livable community.
“The analysis shows that Downtown housing growth can generate a significant increase in consumer spending in the Downtown area, creating a demand for additional retail and commercial development — that in turn supports the growing, thriving community,” said Lesley Anderson, director of planning and development.
She said the centre will draw people to the core of the city for other purposes besides entertainment.
“It helps illustrate that the Downtown Event and Entertainment District is not just about an event centre, arena, or a convention centre, but it is also about making downtown Saskatoon a place where people live as well as work; an attractive and accessible place with an economic impact that goes far beyond the district’s boundary.”
Concept plans for the event centre and public spaces will be presented to city council in 2024, including a funding draft and the first draft of the district plan.
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