Location for new downtown arena in Saskatoon narrowed to two options

It has been an ongoing discussion for years: When will Saskatoon build a downtown arena, and where will it go?

A city council committee has begun working to answer those questions, and has decided on two potential locations where the rink and event centre could potentially be built.

The first is in the Midtown mall’s north parking lot. The second is the Saskatoon City Yards near the Saskatoon Police Service headquarters on 25th Street East.

Five different locations were considered, but those two were considered the only viable options, as the others did not meet the size requirements for a new event centre.

Of those two locations, the one closest to the shopping centre is the best option according to Dan Willems, the city’s director of technical services.

“Based on the technical criteria, the Midtown location is the highest-scoring site and affirmed by two external consultants,” Willems said.

Davies said council met with other experts and builders behind some of the other world-class facilities and arenas around the world, including the Ice District in Edmonton.

The arena would allow the city to attract major events and bring in people from outside of the city, Davies said. At a recent Eric Church concert at Sasktel Centre, he said, only 27 per cent of those in the sold-out crowd were from Saskatoon.

Public consultations will be going forward if the two sites are approved by city council on Monday. If the options are approved, the city will seek input through a phone or online survey for residents which will run until Oct. 3.

But, Clark noted, the survey won’t be a vote on which site residents prefer.

“We want to hear the opportunities and challenges of each, but we’re not asking for a vote on the sites per se,” the mayor said.

Businesses will be able to give feedback starting in September.

The new event centre and arena is expected to be the anchor of the city’s downtown revitalization plan, and the city’s future Bus Rapid Transit system will help connect residents to the area.

Design renderings will be unveiled on Monday, when the report is presented to council.