Parking, hotels and space: How Saskatoon city council will pick a downtown arena site

Saskatoon City Council has approved the criteria to be used in selecting a site for a downtown arena and convention centre.

"This is going to be a big discussion," Mayor Charlie Clark said at Tuesday's council meeting.

"I think having a transparent process to lay that out and to find the best ways to work with the community, given the timelines we have and the summer, it's going to be really critical that we're as clear as we can with the public and creative in how we engage with them and ensure people understand the direction we're heading and can weigh in on what they believe is going to be necessary to make this as successful as possible."

The city hired two external advisory firms to gain insight into design and technical considerations, according to an administration report to council.

Administration then landed on a list of criteria to rank site options:

• Available land area to support a new arena and supporting infrastructure
• Strength of the transportation network to support an arena facility
• Opportunity for influencing adjacent development/infill and alignment with city plans and long-term vision for the downtown
• Distance from an updated convention centre or potential new convention centre, which would be adjacent to TCU Place
• Proximity to existing hotels, entertainment establishments and businesses
• Potential effect on residential areas and properties
• Proximity to future Bus Rapid Transit stations
• Proximity to existing parking facilities
• Projected site servicing and development costs

Each arena site option will be assessed on whether it would be big enough for a modern 15,000-seat bowl capacity arena, the report says. Those determined to be too small would be eliminated from further consideration. The remaining sites would be ranked in accordance with the evaluation criteria.

The results of this evaluation process will be included in the information presented to the public as part of the engagement process set to start in July.

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"The development of an animated event and entertainment district, anchored by a new arena and convention centre, and linked to the rest of the city by the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, will stimulate the economy and bring renewed energy and life to Saskatoon’s downtown," the report says.

"Therefore, the selection of the site of the future downtown arena should consider an array of factors that will have a real influence, not only on the physical location of a new arena, but also support animation of an event and entertainment district, and be a shared public space where residents feel welcome and have a sense of belonging."

When council makes the final decision on location, the information presented will include both the technical evaluation as well as the feedback obtained through public engagement, the report says.

New parking facilities must be built regardless of which site option council chooses.