City of Saskatoon wants to decide on downtown arena location by the end of 2019

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Saskatoon city planners would like to know by the end of 2019 where they will locate both a new downtown arena and an adjoining entertainment district, according to an update given earlier this week to Saskatoon city councillors.

Councillors decided last November that a new arena the subject of some debate in recent months should be located downtown.

Exactly where is the question.

Some observers have derided the decision, made in 1985 via a plebiscite, to locate the now-30-year-old, city-owned SaskTel Centre on the edge of the city.

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A previous facility, Saskatoon Arena, was located downtown by the corner of 19th Street and First Avenue, just north of today's Remai Modern Art Museum.

The corporation that runs SaskTel Centre hired a company to make the case for a new arena.

The report from that company stated a preference for the downtown. It also featured a map of potential city-wide areas.

See the map from that reporthere.

Specific locations were not pitched or recommended not by name, anyway. The report, released last summer, confirmed that several downtown locations were consideredbut that they"will be kept confidential."

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How the selection process will work

The process, which isto wrap up by the end of this year, will unfold in several phases, according to a city report.

First, the city wants to talk to the boards that runSaskTel Centre and TCU Place the convention centre may or may not be rolled into a new arena about a wider list of potential locations.

If any non-city-owned land is considered, the city would take steps to ensure it would be able to purchase the land if it was chosen as the eventual site. Any site purchases would require the blessing of city councillors.

The second step will see city planners pour over each potential location, looking at factors such as:

• Serviceability of site.
• Environmental analysis.
• Transportation impacts.
• Urban design issues.
• Existing adjacent entertainment district amenities.
• Parking requirements and impacts.

After that's all done, the city will take the third step of asking many groups, including the general public, for thoughts on the shortlist.

Last fall, city councillors asked that many stakeholder groups be involved in the conversation, including all of the city's business improvement districts, nearby neighbourhoods, the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of commerce and the North Saskatoon Business Association.

Finally, city councillors will hear and ultimately rule on the city's final recommendations.

The city says it will have more details on the consultation process in July or August.