Saskatoon Construction II

[Cicero]

"hopefully, with your support, we will be in the ground this summer" - Dr. Nasser

council unanimously supports it.

[Dillweed]

Whats been going on with this project at 612 Main St. if anything. Any shovels turning as yet?

[S'toon guy]

Originally Posted by circle33

That Willogrove Village square has been on the drawing board for years. There doesn't appear to be even a whiff of interest.

The Willowgrove square development is out for rfp right now, due back in the new year. It calls for ground level commercial with a storey or two of residential on top. As far as I know, this is the first time the city has gone out for proposals.


http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...l_RFP_2011.pdf

[dsim249]

River Landing megaproject gets zoning changes


BY DAVID HUTTON, THE STARPHOENIX
NOVEMBER 21, 2011 8:06 PM


The $200-million megaproject planned for River Landing now has the potential to be the tallest development in Saskatchewan at 95 metres or 27 storeys — and will include more condos, offices and a larger public plaza than previous plans for the site.

On Monday, city council unanimously approved a series of zoning changes for Karim Nasser’s Victory Majors Investments Corp.’s massive showpiece south downtown office-hotel-condo-retail project.

“I think it’s wonderful for the community,” said Mayor Don Atchison, saying the goal is for the tax base at River Landing to cover its operational costs. “Hopefully, in the end, taxpayers will end up at a break-even point on River Landing project. I can hardly wait to get to the point of the project fully completed.”

The approval is the first in a series of steps to get a shovel in the ground by the summer for the long-delayed development.

...

Source

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by dsim249

Has anyone mentioned/heard of a larger scale reno in the Bessborough?

A friend of mine mentioned that the restaurants were going to be completed gutted. So the Samurai would be no more. Which may be a good thing as I've heard it's gone downhill these past couple years.

Earlier this fall there was a tender package out for major mechanical/electrical upgrades to the Bess. Included in that work was the replacement of all of the fume hoods & exhaust fans in the Samurai. I was under the impression that the restaurant was going to remain as the Samurai, though. Following that work, all of the guest rooms are scheduled to be renovated over this winter.

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Dillweed

Whats been going on with this project at 612 Main St. if anything. Any shovels turning as yet?

answer is

Originally Posted by Crisis

The building is still to be tendered yet. It will be anchored by Kindrachuk Agrey Architects and McDougall Gauley law firm. They may be waiting to secure another tenant prior to pulling the trigger on this one.

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Cicero

New Northridge development proposed for the vacant acres of land north of Montgomery. This area used to be an off leash area. I have shaded the area in with blue.
.........

Also, the area directly west of Montgomery is currently for sale (and has been for months now). 5.9 million dollars. Any takers?

When we lived in Montgomery there was talk of developing this area along the same lines as Montgomery. Large lots with the feel of country living in the city boundaries.
Now that our population is growing there may be more of a demand for this type of property.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by dsim249

River Landing megaproject gets zoning changes


BY DAVID HUTTON, THE STARPHOENIX
NOVEMBER 21, 2011 8:06 PM


The $200-million megaproject planned for River Landing now has the potential to be the tallest development in Saskatchewan at 95 metres or 27 storeys — and will include more condos, offices and a larger public plaza than previous plans for the site.

On Monday, city council unanimously approved a series of zoning changes for Karim Nasser’s Victory Majors Investments Corp.’s massive showpiece south downtown office-hotel-condo-retail project.

“I think it’s wonderful for the community,” said Mayor Don Atchison, saying the goal is for the tax base at River Landing to cover its operational costs. “Hopefully, in the end, taxpayers will end up at a break-even point on River Landing project. I can hardly wait to get to the point of the project fully completed.”

The approval is the first in a series of steps to get a shovel in the ground by the summer for the long-delayed development.

...

Source

This is exciting! Yes it's far from anything and I don't want to get my hopes up, but atleast the city is approving higher heights. Perhaps other developers will be more inclined to build d/t now since they can build up. It would be great to see alot of the old 1-3 story 60's-70's buildings knocked down and rebuilt. Even though heritage structures, keep the facade and build up behind it!

[Morogolus]

I heard Atch on CKOM this morning and he was discussing have a "minimum building height" to increase density downtown.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by Morogolus

I heard Atch on CKOM this morning and he was discussing have a "minimum building height" to increase density downtown.

Did he specify what that height would be? I really think Saskatoon could handle a minimum height of 25 floors for a condo tower. They really aren't feasable otherwise. They just become luxury condos while a larger presents the opportunity for a lifestyle condo which is what people want and need in an urban environment!

[circle33]

Yeah, that would really kick start development; build it 25 stories or take a walk. [/sarcasm]

[c@taract_soulj@h]

Minimum heights...now we're talking!

While talking about the area near the Via Stn...any thoughts about if it would be a wise decision to relocate it, or was the city just waiting to expand that far? On another note though, I love the openess of the neighbourhood. The streets are wide, treelined and it just looks natural. The way "real" suburbia should be

I always thought the Via Stn would be extremely convenient if it was brought downtown, perhaps in due time?

[CCF]

Originally Posted by kgc087

Did he specify what that height would be? I really think Saskatoon could handle a minimum height of 25 floors for a condo tower. They really aren't feasable otherwise. They just become luxury condos while a larger presents the opportunity for a lifestyle condo which is what people want and need in an urban environment!

Except the problem with a minimum of 25 stories you would have maximum 1-2 buildings in the immediate time frame. As much as I'm all for promoting density, particularly in the core, you are restricted with the demand for that type of a housing in a city the size of Saskatoon.

I think a minimum of lets say four stories for any time of development would be more reasonable. Greater opportunity for more development across the entire downtown (not soaking up the demand in one development) while still using the land efficiently.

You don't build great urban environments with tall buildings. You create them with pedestrian scaled forms. That's the debate in Toronto right now, they are worried that all these tall buildings are having a detrimental effect at the street level.

Just my two cents.

[jigglysquishy]

I'd make the argument that the ideal height for a building is 5-7 stories. Look at Paris, Manhattan between the downtowns, London, Rome, Tokyo etc.

The successful urban environments are tightly packed 6 story buildings with pedestrian emphasis.

I'm also of the belief that any residential downtown should be mandated mixed use. A lot of the condo towers in northern downtown Saskatoon are scary bad at how unurban they are. No ground floor retail. Huge parking lots. Its a mess. Fixing that is far more important than a height restriction.


On the VIA station. As long as the only route is Edmonton and Winnipeg the station doesn't really serve a practical function. If and when VIA gets its shit together in Western Canada then we need to look at relocating the station downtown.

Speaking of which, VIA really needs to do something about its service over here. Taking the train to Edmonton is expensive and no faster than driving. There is no service to Regina or Calgary. If VIA were to fix this it could change the entire culture in the prairies.

[The Bess]

Actually at the moment Saskaton does not have a big foot print for downtown area like other cities, so 4 story apartments would be a waste of space,once there up they would be there for a long time. I would suggest minimum 12- 16 stories, if they bring on the city yard land then it might be feasable to have 5 story apartments with retail on street level.

[The Bess]

If you get rid of the parking lots and mandate that new develpments have underground parking then I would assume that the condo unit would have to be taller to make it economical to put up.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by The Bess

Actually at the moment Saskaton does not have a big foot print for downtown area like other cities, so 4 story apartments would be a waste of space,once there up they would be there for a long time. I would suggest minimum 12- 16 stories, if they bring on the city yard land then it might be feasable to have 5 story apartments with retail on street level.

I would argue that an attractively designed, mixed use 4 storey building is a better use of land than a vacant lot that will likely remain in that state for years.

If there was a huge demand for downtown land then I would agree, but as of right now total new developments in the downtown are minimal .

[Cicero]

Yeah, I would prefer a lot of mid-rise mixed use buildings in the downtown, filling it out, getting more people there at all hours of the day, and making it a more attractive place to live and do business. After it becomes a more attractive place, high-rises could follow. But I wouldn't say no to them now. Almost any activity at this point would be a good thing.

Originally Posted by c@taract_soulj@h

On another note though, I love the openess of the neighbourhood. The streets are wide, treelined and it just looks natural. The way "real" suburbia should be?

I had the opportunity to grow up in Montgomery, and it really is a wonderful neighborhood. One of the nicest things about it, oddly enough, are the many back alleys. The massive trees lining them provide relief from the heat in the summer and shelter from the cold in the winter. The sound of the leaves as the wind roars through them is like listening to waves pound an ocean shore. A lot of people take pride in their backyards (although few 1/2 acre yards remain, most are about 60x180~ in size) and have beautiful gardens and well landscaped backyards to look at as you walk by in the back alleys. The parks, green space, and alleys that fill the area make it fun to explore when you are a kid on a bike. ANd the little corner store (used to be two) that has its own bakery feels fairly unique as well. A lot of people dislike the lack of sidewalks, but there's very little traffic and what traffic does occur is a lot slower than in other neighborhoods. I love Montgomery and always keep my eye on developments happening in and around it. It is a great place to raise a familya if you want to be in a suburban area.

Speaking of which, VIA really needs to do something about its service over here. Taking the train to Edmonton is expensive and no faster than driving. There is no service to Regina or Calgary. If VIA were to fix this it could change the entire culture in the prairies.

The train is typically as expensive or more expensive than a plane ticket. I don't get it. I've had friends take the train simply because they feel it is better for the environment, but until the train is AT LEAST a bit cheaper, most regular people won't take it. That the service is limited and the station is in the middle of nowhere makes it even less desirable.

[The Bess]

your opinions don't make sense for low rises, if you put them now what are you going to do with them later when there is a need lets say 10 years, bulldoze them down. No there is a place for everything and downtown is for highrise. CCF you should know that being from Regina and all the talk there about it, I maybe missed you disgreeing with the proposals there.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by The Bess

your opinions don't make sense for low rises, if you put them now what are you going to do with them later when there is a need lets say 10 years, bulldoze them down. No there is a place for everything and downtown is for highrise. CCF you should know that being from Regina and all the talk there about it, I maybe missed you disgreeing with the proposals there.

By right, a developer in Saskatoon could build as many one storey buildings as they want right now. As per the zoning bylaw, they have that ability. That's not happening because the demand for downtown development is still relatively small at this time (versus the price of the land). I'm not suggesting anything that can't already be done in downtown Saskatoon. Increasing the minimum height to something like 25 stories is going to further decrease any demand for downtown development. You aren't going to get to a point in the downtown where there is no developable land. Every building in the downtown is at a different stage in its lifecycle due to age, condition, demand, etc. If you build 10 4 storey buildings, there would still be plenty of other opportunities for development on vacant land or redevelopment of other properties.

In downtown Regina there are minimum building heights as well as maximum building heights, as per the new downtown plan. The minimums (4 storeys) ensure that the land is being used effectively and efficiently. The maximums protect against issues relating to wind, sight-lines, loadings/unloading, etc but as well as ensuring that all the demand is not being taken up with one new development. The concept that downtown revitalization should come from a mega project is a thing of the past - most literature speaks to smaller developments having a greater impact.

I've said previously I would rather have five 4 storey buildings than one 20 storey building downtown. That's how you make a great urban environment and a downtown that is exciting and vibrant. Dubai is not known for its vibrant downtown, it's known instead for it's over the top building sizes. The choice is yours what you want downtown Saskatoon to be.