Saskatoon airport plans for gas station, industrial district

Things are going to be looking pretty different in –and around –Saskatoon’s airport starting this year, with multiple projects in the works.

On Mar. 11, YXE Saskatoon Airport President and CEO Stephen Maybury discussed plans to build a, “gas station at the corner of 45th and Airport Drive” along with a new Tim Horton’s.

The new fuelling site “will accommodate local residents, hotel guests on Airport Drive, airport businesses, airport staff and, of course, the travelling public,” he said.

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It’s the first phase within a larger plan to develop airport lands, according to Maybury.

The second phase of the land development plan involves leasing between 40 to 60 acres of airport lands, building an industrial district.

This land is located along the south perimeter of the airport at 2100 Claypool Drive and the long-term land lease extends until 2079.

YXE is partnering with Colliers for this phase of its plan, with the company marketing the acreage.

This map pinpoints the site of the land being leased at 2100 Claypool Drive. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)

According to Keith Webb, vice president of Colliers, this will be the first commercial development opportunity on the airport’s lands, creating “the foundation of a new hub of economic activity.”

“This site is ideally situated for aviation, logistics, ag business and tech users seeking large format space,” he said.

The search is on for a developer, but Webb is confident there’s demand for this type of space in Saskatoon.

“We’ve got such a low vacancy rate (for) industrial at this time that there’s going to be someone that will want to step up and do this,” he said.

Plus, according to Webb, the groundwork has been done to make sure the city is on board.

“So, when we go out to the development community, they know that we’re good to go,” he said.

Smaller scale projects

Beyond the land development plan, Maybury said construction on the airport’s arrivals hall is forecast to begin June 2026.

Currently, the project is in its final planning stages but once work starts on the $12 million dollar project, it will be built in multiple phases over a span of 18 to 24 months to minimize disruption.

The design, which includes a renovated car rental area, is inspired by Saskatchewan nature, according to Maybury, reflecting the sun, river and prairie grasses in visual flooring cues and potentially large digital walls.

According to Maybury, from a guest experience the renovated arrivals hall is the “most critical” of the various projects. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)

“I’m not putting down the existing space, but we want it to have an identity and to represent Saskatchewan, such that when, for example, international guests arrives, that it reflects the type of experience they can expect here,” he said.

Also slated for construction is the Saskatoon airport’s fire hall, with its redevelopment set to start this year at an estimated cost of $6 million.

“That facility has reached its end-of-life cycle or the appropriate time in which to step in and modernize it,” Maybury said.

The renovations will expand living quarters for firefighters and first responders and bring in new technology, ensuring the “most effective on site emergency response possible,” according to Maybury.