Saskatoon Construction III

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by Ricopedra

There is a reason that most of Saskatoon is comprised of single family homes - it's not due to lack of multi-family options - it's because single family detached homes are the preferred choice of most Saskatoon residents.

Hey Crisis, can you link us to this survey result?

Nope. Specific to Saskatoon, that is only my opinion based on years of observation and interaction with people. You may have different experiences, but most people I know prefer single family homes if they can afford them.

I'm not aware of any surveys of single family home preference focused on Saskatoon, though your question did get me to search for information on the subject. While I was not able to find any data relating to Saskatoon, googling "single family home preference" did reveal a couple of results indicating a surprising (to me, at least) preference among millennials for single family homes:

http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com/10...s-generations/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/willi..._10354666.html

https://www.housingwire.com/articles...e-family-homes

[casper]

Originally Posted by Crisis

Nope. Specific to Saskatoon, that is only my opinion based on years of observation and interaction with people. You may have different experiences, but most people I know prefer single family homes if they can afford them.

I'm not aware of any surveys of single family home preference focused on Saskatoon, though your question did get me to search for information on the subject. While I was not able to find any data relating to Saskatoon, googling "single family home preference" did reveal a couple of results indicating a surprising (to me, at least) preference among millennials for single family homes:

http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com/10...s-generations/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/willi..._10354666.html

https://www.housingwire.com/articles...e-family-homes

I think the reason some people buy condos or townhomes is they don't have the time, skill or physical ability to do building maintenance.

The biggest reason is they can't afford single family homes.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by casper

I think the reason some people buy condos or townhomes is they don't have the time, skill or physical ability to do building maintenance.

The biggest reason is they can't afford single family homes.

Far from the biggest reason. I bought a condo years back, for the sole reason of location. Plus being higher up I had an awesome view. As for skills to do maintenance, I'm "very" handy with my tools

As for affordability, I paid more for my condo than a lot of the homes at the time. Granted it wasn't in Saskatoon though.

[roryn1]

Originally Posted by Dalreg

Far from the biggest reason. I bought a condo years back, for the sole reason of location. Plus being higher up I had an awesome view. As for skills to do maintenance, I'm "very" handy with my tools

As for affordability, I paid more for my condo than a lot of the homes at the time. Granted it wasn't in Saskatoon though.

I agree, I came from a large farm growing up with no neighbors and I live downtown Saskatoon because I don’t like spending my life in a car commuting to work, and stay more sane by being able to walk home for lunch and get a break. Plus I can go party at any bar I want and walk home or taking a $5 cab. I definitely feel less clostraphobic living on the 20th floor with slick sunset views every evening after work versus in a box around my neighbors in a suburb. My labradors love it because they’re next to a river that’s surrounded by ducks and jack rabbits. My condo is a lot smaller than the shack I grew up on on my family farm, so having kids would not be a problem. Anyone who looks down upon living downtown is so oblivious, and it’s so sad it’s taking so long for this city to realize how much more awesome it is to live downtown versus in the burbs. Right now the per square foot cost is equivalent to most condos in the burbs and downtown. The sad thing is that there’s minimal selection downtown. Yes I spend more money, only because I’m having so much more fun than people living in the burbs surrounded by the same 3 restaurants. I feel like I’m on vacation every day downtown Saskatoon. Love it

[roryn1]

Originally Posted by roryn1

I agree, I came from a large farm growing up with no neighbors and I live downtown Saskatoon because I don’t like spending my life in a car commuting to work, and stay more sane by being able to walk home for lunch and get a break. Plus I can go party at any bar I want and walk home or taking a $5 cab. I definitely feel less clostraphobic living on the 20th floor with slick sunset views every evening after work versus in a box around my neighbors in a suburb. My labradors love it because they’re next to a river that’s surrounded by ducks and jack rabbits. My condo is a lot smaller than the shack I grew up on on my family farm, so having kids would not be a problem. Anyone who looks down upon living downtown is so oblivious, and it’s so sad it’s taking so long for this city to realize how much more awesome it is to live downtown versus in the burbs. Right now the per square foot cost is equivalent to most condos in the burbs and downtown. The sad thing is that there’s minimal selection downtown. Yes I spend more money, only because I’m having so much more fun than people living in the burbs surrounded by the same 3 restaurants. I feel like I’m on vacation every day downtown Saskatoon. Love it

My building is the exact opposite of people living with mobility issues. I’d say the people living in my building downtown are more active than most people living in the burbs. Living downtown creates more active lifestyles when you can walk everywhere. Anyone who says that living downtown is just for retirees is a silly goof.

[mitchellk12]

Originally Posted by roryn1

I agree, I came from a large farm growing up with no neighbors and I live downtown Saskatoon because I don’t like spending my life in a car commuting to work, and stay more sane by being able to walk home for lunch and get a break. Plus I can go party at any bar I want and walk home or taking a $5 cab. I definitely feel less clostraphobic living on the 20th floor with slick sunset views every evening after work versus in a box around my neighbors in a suburb. My labradors love it because they’re next to a river that’s surrounded by ducks and jack rabbits. My condo is a lot smaller than the shack I grew up on on my family farm, so having kids would not be a problem. Anyone who looks down upon living downtown is so oblivious, and it’s so sad it’s taking so long for this city to realize how much more awesome it is to live downtown versus in the burbs. Right now the per square foot cost is equivalent to most condos in the burbs and downtown. The sad thing is that there’s minimal selection downtown. Yes I spend more money, only because I’m having so much more fun than people living in the burbs surrounded by the same 3 restaurants. I feel like I’m on vacation every day downtown Saskatoon. Love it

i side with you on some things with the downtown,

why so much highrises throughout the 70's-80's when the population was half of what it is now, and then nothing for 30+ years? ( if anyone can answer that im curious to know why )

the fact that theres walking distance to everything, and great energy with the new restaurants.

being close to the river is a plus. along with the events during the summer no worrying about parking.

whats keeping me from moving downtown is the fact that there is no grocery store, thats really it. i can deal with parking because i love to walk and exercise, but id like to do that from my condo/apt to the store to get my milk etc... once some grocery retailer or the city plans right so someone could build a store, then id consider living downtown.

[Wyku]

Originally Posted by mitchellk12

whats keeping me from moving downtown is the fact that there is no grocery store, thats really it. i can deal with parking because i love to walk and exercise, but id like to do that from my condo/apt to the store to get my milk etc... once some grocery retailer or the city plans right so someone could build a store, then id consider living downtown.

I'm always a little curious why the lack of grocery store is such a major reason for people either not wanting to live downtown or developer's not thinking people want to live downtown--does everyone walk to the grocery store that doesn't live downtown now? It's not like our downtown is so huge that it's an hour drive to a grocery store, there are multiple options within around a 5km radius depending on where you are. Obviously it would be nice to be able to walk to a grocery store, but having to drive 10 minutes to do a big grocery store trip doesn't seem that unreasonable and like it should be THE reason for avoiding wanting to live somewhere.

[roryn1]

Originally Posted by Wyku

I'm always a little curious why the lack of grocery store is such a major reason for people either not wanting to live downtown or developer's not thinking people want to live downtown--does everyone walk to the grocery store that doesn't live downtown now? It's not like our downtown is so huge that it's an hour drive to a grocery store, there are multiple options within around a 5km radius depending on where you are. Obviously it would be nice to be able to walk to a grocery store, but having to drive 10 minutes to do a big grocery store trip doesn't seem that unreasonable and like it should be THE reason for avoiding wanting to live somewhere.

There are in fact two small grocers downtown on 5th and 6th that sell fresh fruit and vegetables and all of your basic amenities. I have never before been closer to my local pharmacy for prescriptions and I've lived in 4 different areas of Saskatoon in the last 7 years before settling downtown. I don't know many people would take a shopping cart to get a full load of groceries that's walking distance. The grocery store is a terribly weak excuse which makes going to Sobeys or Walmart 7 minutes away in Preston Crossing a small problem. I personally like going to the grocers out in the burbs because they have everything I need thanks to their size - that isn't something any downtown anywhere really has.

[jigglysquishy]

Most people who want to move downtown want to go car free

[prairieguy]

As someone who has moved in the last 5 months from the burbs to a more "core neighborhood" for the specific reason of location and walkability, I would like to add my personal opinion and experience on this discussion.

I now live in Varsity View area....5 minute walk to commercial area of Broadway and 15 minute walk to downtown core. We moved to this area because we wanted to be close to Broadway, River and Downtown. Had been looking for many years for right place for us. We had to pay more to live in Varsity View (asking price and taxes) versus what we received for home in Nutana Park.

Yes, our objective (like many looking to move downtown...which likely will be our next move down the road to a condo/apartment style unit downtown) was to walk/bike more and be less reliant on our car. We have been very successful in that and have found especially in the spring/summer/fall seasons we have walked a lot more and drove a lot less. The reality is we still drive for our groceries, even though there are grocery store options relatively close to us on 8th and Broadway....but we still do the once a week stock up type shopping as this would be more then we could carry on foot or on our bike. This is not an issue for us....if we can maximize our daily living on foot or active transport and have to hop in a car every 7 to 10 days for groceries, we think that is a great compromise!

All this to say, is that I have to now agree that the "excuse" of the lack of a grocery store downtown being the root cause of lack of development and densification may be just an easy excuse. Yes....there are some who want to be 'totally' non dependent on the car, but I believe there are a LOT of people like us, who realize that we still need a car for some things in Saskatoon but can consciously choose to walk and bike more, given our proximity to amenities (pubs, restaurants, shops, parks, river, etc.).

The biggest obstacle for us when looking to move closer to downtown/broadway was the absolute lack of new inventory to pick from. Our budget was not huge, but as stated, we were prepared to "pay more" then the value of our 2 story burb house to downsize to the right area/property. We ended up just north of the $500,000 mark but are super happy with our choice. It would have been nice to have some decent inventory downtown in that price range.

This was a VERY long post, but I have often been one of the ones whining about the lack of a grocery store downtown and that if we had one it would change everything! But our new reality that we are living is that we probably would still drive to a grocery store, but choose active transportation for as many other activities as possible. So, put a nice little boutique food market downtown to make people feel better, but realize that most will choose to drive to "stock up" at the big grocers.

I am hoping that No1 Riverlanding will spur some much needed condo development downtown and that it will not be dependent on a grocery store "first", as that is unlikely to happen.

[mitchellk12]

any info on the world trade centre? i was expecting at least demolition of the credit union before the end of 2017. wouldnt shock me if its on hold, scaled down more or cancelled. Atch sure likes to take his time with things...

[Echoes]

^ Hey prairieguy, I know that you've been posting here for some time saying that you've wanted to make the leap to a more urban, walkable area. I just wanted to say: Congratulations! Varsity View needs fewer NIMBYs and more YIMBYs like I'm sure you are.

As for my own experience, I live near downtown and having a grocery store in the immediate area would be an incredible amenity and improvement to my quality of life, not to mention rocket fuel for encouraging downtown living. That being said, as it stands I'm driving about the same distance to go for groceries from my current locale as I did from my previous suburban residence years ago. I'm close to a convenience store where I can get milk, cheese, eggs, bread, and snacks when I'm in a pinch.

My car use is absolutely lower living where I do, given the means of active transportation that are available to me to commute to work, head to pubs and restaurants, etc. But I'm not anywhere near the point where living car-free in Saskatoon seems feasible for me (as personally desirable as it sounds). I do have friends who make being car-free in this city work, but it's definitely not easy. They have to be very intentional about where they can live, what services they need nearby, and planning out their days and routes (walking or biking, hopping a bus, or getting a ride from a friend).

[casper]

I lived in City Park (a Boardwalk Highrise) for a number of years before Willowgrove and then back to the west coast.

For the first year I was in Saskatoon I tried to do it without a car. Did not work, after about a year I picked one up. I have to admit that I walked about as much in Willowgrove as I did downtown. However the number of venue was relatively less. The one problem with that entire university hights is who ever does the street planning assumes some people will walk but the people who do the layout of the commercial plots do not. Is it to much to ask for a sidewalk that connects the parking lot to the sidewalk around the perimeter. Without that you end up cutting across the grass and in the spring thaw you track in a lot of mud into thous stores.

I think the grocery store issue is changing. Online grocery ordering is growing at about 15%. Conventional grocery is just not. More

[jrochest]

Originally Posted by casper

I lived in City Park (a Boardwalk Highrise) for a number of years before Willowgrove and then back to the west coast.

For the first year I was in Saskatoon I tried to do it without a car. Did not work, after about a year I picked one up. I have to admit that I walked about as much in Willowgrove as I did downtown. However the number of venue was relatively less.

This is a terrible city to live in without a car. I had lived without a car for most of my 20s and 30s: I was born in Vancouver, and lived there and in Toronto, NYC, London and Paris. When I got here I'd been living in Toronto for about 13 years, between grad school and sessional teaching at U of T, and because I'd always walked, biked and taken the TTC I'd just let my old BC drivers license lapse. No real reason to have one, since I never needed to drive anywhere and I certainly wasn't about to buy a car. So when I first got to Saskatoon I hadn't driven for at least a decade, and I decided to live the way I always had -- walking and taking transit. I lived here without a car for 5 years, and it was dreadful. The only neighborhood I could live comfortably in was Nutana; Broadway has groceries, bakeries and coffee shops, bars and restaurants and stuff like shoe repair and dry cleaning. Any other location required a once or twice weekly hour or two hour long bus ride or a constant dribble of cab fares. My experience of the city became much more enjoyable when I bit the bullet and went through the stupidly long graduated licensing program. I'm now selling my house in Caswell and moving to Varsity View -- and am hoping to walk and bike a great deal more than I do now.

[casper]

Originally Posted by jrochest

This is a terrible city to live in without a car. I had lived without a car for most of my 20s and 30s: I was born in Vancouver, and lived there and in Toronto, NYC, London and Paris. When I got here I'd been living in Toronto for about 13 years, between grad school and sessional teaching at U of T, and because I'd always walked, biked and taken the TTC I'd just let my old BC drivers license lapse. No real reason to have one, since I never needed to drive anywhere and I certainly wasn't about to buy a car. So when I first got to Saskatoon I hadn't driven for at least a decade, and I decided to live the way I always had -- walking and taking transit. I lived here without a car for 5 years, and it was dreadful. The only neighborhood I could live comfortably in was Nutana; Broadway has groceries, bakeries and coffee shops, bars and restaurants and stuff like shoe repair and dry cleaning. Any other location required a once or twice weekly hour or two hour long bus ride or a constant dribble of cab fares. My experience of the city became much more enjoyable when I bit the bullet and went through the stupidly long graduated licensing program. I'm now selling my house in Caswell and moving to Varsity View -- and am hoping to walk and bike a great deal more than I do now.

I agree I lived in Saskatoon for 12 years, worked on the university campus. . Great being able to walk to walk to work and the only problem with the bus service is it is crowded with all the students. Back then there was an Extra Foods downtown. That said, after a year I bought a car.

[mitchellk12]

spoke to my landlord who manages the mall im in. She flew down from edmonton and was attending a meeting where the topic was growth in saskatoon, and the discussion was more primarily on public transit and infill development--more in city centre. She mentioned to me there were people from vancouver and toronto to give specific advice and recommendations on how to develop better transit/infill strategies to accomodate our growth to 500,000, since those 2 topics have been a focus since Clark took over.

i guess basically the plan is to not force people out of their cars, but investing more into public transit and finding ways for people to utilize it more than now, than prior. BRT was a topic, too and having those reps from toronto/vancouver for advice on how to infill right and basically telling us to do more infilling now before our sprawl becomes more of an issue than it already is. My landlord did say our city council/planners have this "old school mindset" and we cant seem to change our ways, hence another reason why the reps flew over. i completely agree with her too.

not really a construction related post, but just found it interesting how there was a meeting just for those 2 topics, and how it was stressed that more investment is needed to develop those areas the most.

( ex ) ideas were thrown out there like our current city hall as a BRT main station...since its on a big lot. wasnt a proposal, but it was just mentioned. what do we do with this big lot - it should be a (?) type tower. those types of talks.

thoughts regarding a meeting like this?

[prairieguy]

we have already paid so much tax payer $$$ on consultations and plans....enough talk, let's do the walk! I do not think it is any secret that the success of BRT requires infill and residential/commercial hubs along the BRT lines. There are plenty of best practices already in existence for Saskatoon to model itself after.

I am encouraged that there is still motivation around core development and rapid transit, but remain skeptical and pessimistic on any "real" action....

[prairieguy]

Hydro Power on River
I was pleased to see this story. I know it is only an agreement of understanding, but at least this is not dead in the water (pun intended). It does sound like at least they will proceed with a full feasibility study on this now.

Would be nice if the white water park is included in this study.

http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local...tation-to-weir

[n8o]

I see the stonebridge Boston pizza is now hiring. Anyone know the opening date?

[The Bess]

Looks like 1 condo left in Shangri-la and 11 left in the banks, time for another condo downtown.