Saskatoon council to vote on downtown arena principles, vision statement

Saskatoon’s city council is working to bring the planned Downtown Event and Entertainment District to life, and the project is about to take its next step.

On Wednesday, council will vote to approve the vision statement and guiding principles for the arena project.

“I’m excited that we are at the point right now where we are discussing vision and guiding principles for the entire district,” said Cynthia Block, councillor for Ward 6.

The vision statement has already gone through a number of discussions with stakeholders before reaching council.

“A safe and vibrant Downtown is a welcoming and inclusive place for all people to come together in cooperative spirit. The District supports a strong economy, strengthens our diverse community, and attracts people to live, work and play in the Downtown,” the statement reads.

Eight principles for the project will also be reviewed by council:

• Reconciliation by honouring Indigenous Peoples, histories, languages and culture
• A distinctive identity through placemaking/placekeeping
• Architectural and public realm design excellence
• Reliable and efficient transportation options
• Downtown density with a focus on housing
• Leadership in sustainability and resiliency
• A robust and diverse economy
• A healthy and safe community

Another component for the event centre is the future Bus Rapid Transit system that will allow the space be more accessible and is set to be up and running by 2027.

Lesley Anderson, Saskatoon’s director of planning and development, said the principles will be important points of reference during all stages of the project.

“Are we making decisions that are in line with those principles? And if we’re not, how can we better align to those principles? How can we advance these principles through this work?” Anderson said.

The principles won’t be entirely new to councillors in Saskatoon.

“The guiding principles have been pulled from a variety of different documents that city council has already approved over the years,” Anderson added.

“These pull together some of the key ideas and initiatives that this council has really found to be foundational for our city.”

Other projects that were based on similar guidelines include Saskatoon’s strategic plan, city centre plan, “Imagine Idywyld” project and the official community plan.

Block said she’s received a lot of feedback from her constituents on the project, mainly wondering why is this the right time to move forward when everything is costing more.

“If we don’t do something right now to plan for the future, it’s not going to get less expensive in Saskatoon,” Block said.

“This is our opportunity to drive the density into the downtown. To ensure that the property taxes that are collected in the core of our city are able to minimize the burden on property taxes more generally in our city.”

Council is also working on strategies and plans to make sure there is minimal impact on city taxes from the arena project.