Quote:
Originally Posted by rrskylar
Not to beat a dead horse but I really think Saskatoon dropped the ball by letting certain individuals sit on that parcel of land for far too long especially when you consider all the infrastructure money that was pumped into the area to accommodate a major project like River Landing.
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I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the issue at the root of this was that the City insisted on having a single "mega"-project (for Saskatoon) built on such a large site by one developer. They could've split the site into smaller, more manageable pieces of the pie.
A project of this magnitude hasn't been pulled off in our city before, and we're just not
that big, regardless of what we want to believe. We should have known that it would take time, and that any willing developer would proceed very, very cautiously. That said, there are
finally credible backers behind this project. It will be build out over time and based on the realities of the market, and not overnight like people expected (starting back in 2007).
However, this development project that we call "River Landing" often gets confused with River Landing, the comprehensive public redevelopment of our south downtown riverbank and all the related public amenities (now more than 10 years in). All the public infrastructure and amenities that have been constructed - from the new riverfront to the Farmer's Market to the Remai Gallery - stand on their own as fantastic and shape-shifting additions to our city centre. They have been embraced by the populace and the area's become a centrepiece for the city, with or without the private development. So it is incorrect to say that the public investment made was predicated only on attracting private development - although it was part of the plan - it was very much about creating an exceptional gathering place for Saskatonians. And that, I think, was a great success.
But on the private development side, the mixed-use project by LeFevre & Company out of Victoria,
The Banks, is nearing completion and is already being hailed as an incredible success. And the mixed use model of development that it embodies is a first for SK, and dare I say an exemplary project for the entire Prairies.