Bertrand Bartake didn’t want to wait for the City of Saskatoon‘s suggestions for the site of a new downtown arena, so he tweeted out his own.
The Saskatoon architect identified six places he thought would suit a new arena and potential convention centre.
The sites include the former location of the farmers’ market, the parking lot north of Midtown mall and the city yards.
He said the best spot for an arena is the Toys “R” Us property.
“I think it has the best connections to surrounding neighbourhoods, it has the best connections to existing bars, restaurants … not just downtown but also in Riversdale and Broadway,” Bartake said on Tuesday.
“It’s really about moving the location of an arena, or event centre, from a suburban context where everyone has to drive and there’s no other amenities for people to stick around with, to an urban context.”
He said his locations were determined by factors like public transit, available parking and proximity to local restaurants and small businesses.
Bartake cites a 2016 city study that counts 20,000 parking spaces in the downtown core, but says the new arena should take advantage of the forthcoming Bus Rapid Transit system and boost local business.
The city doesn’t own all of the properties in question and said in a statement that, once announced, the public will be able to provide input on all the potential sites.
Bartake said he tweeted out the map of suggestions to further the conversation.
The city’s shortlist of sites is expected in a few weeks.
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