City of Saskatoon unveils more design concepts for proposed downtown arena

The City of Saskatoon has shared more design concepts as it pushes ahead with its plans for a new arena and surrounding entertainment district.

The city said the proposed project in the city’s downtown core would create “a centre of commerce, tourism, services and entertainment,” including shopping, restaurants, conventions, nightlife and more.

The city said the arena and surrounding district would connect to the rest of Saskatoon through a planned bus network.

Residents got a close look at the vision for the project on Thursday when new design concepts were shared during an event at TCU Place.

“This is an opportunity for people in Saskatoon to really see how the vision for the District could become reality,” Dan Willems, director of the city’s technical services, transportation and construction division, said in a statement.

“Up until now we have been talking about the District in very abstract terms, but these images help put context and meaning to the idea of an active space that is open to all.”

A design concept for the city’s downtown arena project. (City of Saskatoon/Submitted)

In the design concepts, the arena is labeled “Saskatchewan Place,” and the summertime image also includes a large Ferris wheel.

Willems emphasized that the design images shared on Thursday are “by no means the final designs of the arena,” but said they offer a chance to visualize the conceptual design for the facility and surrounding area.

“These renderings really help illustrate that the District is much more than just an event centre and convention centre – it is to be a community gathering place in any season,” Willems added.

Here’s the new rendering of the proposed arena. @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/tV9Myu1JQE

— Lara Fominoff (@LaraFominoff) February 8, 2024

“They show the potential of the public spaces, with places for events, amenities and open areas where visitors and people from all parts of the city can meet and share unique experiences.”

The city’s governance and priorities committee will discuss more about the design of the project at its meeting on Wednesday, the city noted.

“We need to be thinking big about the future,” Mayor Charlie Clark said at the event.

“We need to create a thriving urban centre that our children see a future in, and so we need to be ambitious – ambitious about being a great city.”

The land where the arena would sit has already been purchased by the city. The initial land purchase for Midtown Plaza’s north parking lot added up to $25 million, with an additional $17.3 million spent to purchase more surrounding land.

Last month, the city began its search for a potential private partner on the project in order to help manage the proposed arena and explore ways to secure more funding for the project.

The city said it will work with “people, businesses and other orders of government” to develop a funding plan for that project that has only a minimal impact on future property tax increases.

In 2024, property taxes in Saskatoon were hiked by 6.04 per cent. A 5.64 per cent increase is expected in 2025.

Coun. Cynthia Block, who’s on the the DEED advisory committee, said a new arena is not a “nice to have,” it’s a must for the city.

“I worry what will happen if we don’t do this project,” she said. “I don’t want to be a fly-over city.

“If we truly care about the future of this city, and our ability to have an affordable city, it is paramount that we drive important amenities to the core of our city where infrastructure and services already exist.”

Coun. Troy Davies echoed those comments, adding that because Saskatoon doesn’t have more up-to-date and spacious facilities, some events are bypassing the city.

“Our roof at SaskTel Centre is 52 feet (from the floor). We’ve been told by all major concerts that 90-foot ceiling height is what’s needed for moving forward for a major concert,” he said.

He also said it’s a vision for “tomorrow, not today.”

“We’re not looking to raise taxes to build this tomorrow. This is a plan and a vision we need to have for the future — eight to 10 years (or) whatever that may be,” he said.

He added that it’s important for the city to be ready if and when funding from the provincial and federal governments becomes available, and when a private investor is found.

“It’s a process where we have this plan in place so when those opportunities present themselves, we have this plan shelf-ready and we can hand that binder over,” he added.

Block said more details on the preliminary costs would likely take some time.

“That is in preparation. That will be coming to us in the coming weeks and months. You should anticipate learning more about that soon,” she said.

Several reports on the projects including a request for councillors to approve an $8.5-million YMCA land acquisition, and the conceptual design report have been publicly released. You can find them here and here.