City Hall not ready to release possible downtown arena locations

Saskatoon residents will have to wait longer to learn the leading locations for a proposed downtown arena and entertainment district.

City Hall has committed to releasing the list to the public sometime in 2020. A report released Thursday said the City remains “optimistic” the site selection process would wrap up this year, but offered no firm date for its release to the public.

The City said negotiations with private landowners have taken longer than anticipated and more time is needed to complete the search.

“Based on the lessons learned from other cities, additional technical factors need further consideration before a site decision is made,” Dan Willems, the City’s interim chief strategy and  transformation officer wrote.  “Although positive progress continues to be made, final agreements are not yet in place.”

City-owned land in Riversdale is one potential landing spot for an arena the City is considering. This week, a local architect came out with his top six choices.

Meanwhile, the City is working with two firms with recent experience designing and developing arena projects.

View Group and Katz Group/Shugarman Architecture visited the city in December, touring existing facilities and potential sites.

In addition, City Hall staff and officials from SaskTel Centre and TCU Place staff have toured Edmonton and four mid-sized U.S. cities to study their facilities.

“The purpose of the tours was to meet key contacts and learn from the successes and mistakes in each of their respective recent downtown entertainment projects,” said the report.

In November 2018, the city committed to start planning the replacement of the aging SaskTel Centre with a new downtown arena. A study pegged the cost at between $172 million and $178 million. The cost almost doubles for a combined arena and convention centre.

City Council will discuss the report at their meeting on Monday. The next update on the site selection process is not expected until March.