Saskatoon downtown arena project compared to Roman colosseum in public information session

The City of Saskatoon continued its pitch to the public about the planned downtown arena at a community information session at the Roxy Theatre Tuesday evening.

During the meeting, the city’s technical advisor on the project discussed the trend of centrally-located activity zones in many cities across North America.

“From ancient times to roughly the mid-twentieth century, the colosseum, theatre, arena and similar gathering places were in the centre of the city or town,” Simon O’Byrne, Stantec senior vice-president of community development said in a city news release.

“We saw a suburban arena development trend in the last half of the twentieth century that did not support the area in a larger way. That has reversed with downtowns again benefiting from more animation, amenities and both population and business growth.”

For Saskatoon’s arena, Stantec is partnering with HOK and LN, who have experience in similar entertainment district projects including Rogers Place and Edmonton’s ICE District, the Seattle Convention Centre and the Calgary BMO Centre Expansion, the release said.

“The district will broaden the perspective of downtown development,” Councillor Cynthia Block said in the release. Block is the city council’s strategic lead on downtown development and co-chair of the advisory group.

“It will be a destination for our city, our province and beyond. It is also a strategic plan to drive density to the core and help Saskatoon become a more efficient city.”

The city said a more detailed design would be discussed later this year.

• Get the CTV News app for Saskatoon area breaking news alerts and top stories 

A private partner is being sought for the project, and alternative funding models, so the arena will not impact property tax, the city’s news release said.

“Developments like the one we’re planning will help rejuvenate downtown and other traditional business areas, creating jobs and opportunities,” said Dan Willems, director of technical services.