A report is being presented to the Saskatoon City Council on Monday saying there are two possible sites for the new downtown event centre-arena.
The first site is located at the Midtown Shopping Centre north parking lot, and the other is located at the North Downtown/ City Yards.
Five sites were initially studied as possibilities, but three were eliminated after evaluation.
Council will also be receiving an engagement plan for approval, as public engagement wasn’t possible until one of the sites was available following lengthy real estate discussions.
“Based on the technical criteria, the Midtown location is the highest scoring site and affirmed by two external consultants,” said Director of Technical Services, Dan Willems.
“The public engagement will be an opportunity to hear from residents, businesses and other community partners on the opportunities and challenges of both potential sites. The public feedback, along with the technical rankings, will give city council the information it needs to make the final decision on the event centre/ arena location.”
Public consultation begins on Tuesday, and will run until Oct. 3.
From Tuesday until Sept. 5 gathering input from Saskatoon residents will begin with phone calls. From Sept. 13 to Oct. 3 an opt in public online survey will be available for Saskatoon residents and local businesses and organizations.
The City said results from these surveys will be made available in November as part of the final decision on the site.
“The vision of an event and entertainment district is one of a shared public space where everyone feels comfortable and welcome,” said Willems.
If the report is approved, the city said more information on the project will be available on the city’s website.