The debate around Saskatoon’s potential Downtown Event and Entertainment District still has many residents torn on the matter, but an expert on sports venues says the city could make some money.
Mark Rosentraub, a professor of urban and regional planning based out of the University of Michigan, said he’s worked many decades with cities to get a return on their investments.
“This is not a subsidy, this is a strategic investment and a key infrastructure element, ‘How do we do it so that we’re not actually subsidizing it, but we’re getting a return on our investment?'” Rosentraub said.
He gave an example of Edmonton trying to revitalize its inner city areas.
Rosentraub said Edmonton held an experiment where it tried three approaches: an event centre, a transit-oriented development and an area where it consolidated ownership.
“And then they watched real estate development over the years. The one that’s the most successful is the arena district.”
He said there are three phases to people’s lives: the phase once we graduate and look for an urban lifestyle, the family formation stage, and then a return to an urban lifestyle if people live long enough.
“So we have these two demographic components of ourselves that we can now satisfy. That’s why it tends to work.”
He noted that the entertainment industry is dramatically changing.
“Just like the way in which we get our news, it’s not the way it was 30 or 40 years ago.”
He said if an arena were built in Saskatoon starting today it would take three to four years and would function for another 25 years after that.
“It’s not that the existing arena doesn’t work, it’s just in the wrong location and it was designed for how entertainment was delivered 30 years ago.”
It was pointed out that Edmonton has sports like the NHL to fill seats at the arena and Saskatoon doesn’t, but Rosentraub said other sports can fill that role.
“It will have sports. It won’t have the NHL, but there’s things from lacrosse. People buy sports because it is fun, exciting and competitive, and as long as you have competitive sport, it fills part of the calendar.”
“Always remember, the Oilers play 41 games a year, and if they make the playoffs you get another couple weeks of activity. To make an arena successful, you’ve got to have 150 events.”
He said every arena faces the challenge of filling those extra days of events.
Rosentraub said that’s a discussion currently underway analytically to find how cities like Saskatoon are keeping up with changes in the entertainment industry.
Reports around the potential entertainment district are being put together with the aim of city council starting to see them in early 2024.
Conceptual design, convention centre options, community benefit framework, project scope and funding strategy are all reports expected to be presented in January and February.
Other reports are expected throughout 2024, with the district plan approval report, which will delve into the results of the public engagement and design process, expected sometime in mid-2024.