New developments will revitalize Broadway, downtown, says Saskatoon planner

A lot of changes are coming to Broadway and downtown in Saskatoon and Alan Wallace, former director of planning and development with the City of Saskatoon, says they will be good for the economy.

The empty spot on Broadway where the Royal Bank used to be might be a spot for a "mixed use rental apartment," according to a rendering online by Baydo Development Corporation.

Prairie Sun Brewery plans to move a restaurant and microbrewery onto what used to be the Farnam Block on Broadway.

And Nutrien has just announced it is building the province's highest office tower at River Landing.

"Everyone loves to be at River Landing," said Wallace, who is now a planning lead for Saskatchewan with V3 Companies of Canada.

"It's going to become a very, very active area."

With people staying in the new hotel, living in the condos and working in the office buildings, Wallace said he expects to see more restaurants, bars, and stores opening nearby, creating an economic spin off.

Wallace said this is what was envisioned for River Landing from the beginning.

"Parcel Y sat vacant for a long time and had a number of developers who had concepts for the site, but none of them took hold. Now this finishes Parcel Y."

Parcel Y will be fully built out by 2022.

'The character of Broadway'

While nothing is officially confirmed yet, the Broadway Business Improvement District has confirmed Baydo Developments is interested in developing a mixed-use building at the site of the old Royal Bank on Main Street and Broadway Avenue.

This type of development would benefit the entire neighbourhood of Nutana, Wallace said.

"Plain and simple, the restaurants that thrive, the nightclubs that thrive, the entertainment uses that thrive are based on customers," he said.

"Broadway will benefit from having more people."

He also said Broadway is the only street in Saskatoon that has its own "comprehensive urban plan" for how the street should look.

Buildings are required to have a street presence, with taller buildings set back from the street.

"What this does is it creates and maintains the character of Broadway," Wallace said. "The character of Broadway is the two-to-three story buildings, they're very pedestrian oriented."

In 10 years time, Wallace said he doesn't expect to see many high rises, but he does expect to see more redevelopment.

"It's only a matter of time before those surface parking lots fill in and the strip malls give way to a more mixed use building. That's a really popular form of development that hasn't really taken hold in many places in Saskatoon."