Downtown arena plans should also consider entertainment district, say Saskatoon councillors

Saskatoon city councillors want any planning for a new downtown arena and convention centre to also look at an adjacent entertainment district.

Councillor Troy Davies got support for the idea Tuesday from all his fellow councillors — except one.

Self-described "lone wolf" Sarina Gersher expressed reservations about Davies' approved suite of recommendations, which also called on the city to factor an arena into any future downtown planning. 

"One thing I've heard a lot about, more door knocking than recently, is the amount of capital projects that we have undertaken," said Gersher. 

"I appreciate the comments from my colleagues about the need for planning... I still feel like there is information missing to alleviate my hesitation on how much we will be relying on the mill rate or debt financing to do [fund an arena]."

'Only so much borrowing bandwidth' 

Where a downtown arena falls within the current list of downtown priorities — which could include a new central library branch and "maybe even a downtown grocery store," as councillor Cynthia Block put it — was a frequently cited concern Tuesday.

That's why councillor Mairin Loewen also insisted that the city report back on how to weigh those potentially competing goals.

"When we're talking about capital projects in the downtown that require reasonably large footprint, there's only so much real estate, borrowing bandwidth, et cetera that can accommodate all of those," she said. 

Councillor Darren Hill has suggested a new arena and library be built in the same building, in order to alleviate those concerns about prioritizing and to cut down on costs.​

• City report says new arena should be part of any future downtown plans

• Build new arena, convention centre and central library all in 1 place, says city councillor

City manager Jeff Jorgenson said the city has not considered that option. 

Councillor Hilary Gough said a multi-purpose building would require some discussion. 

"Eventually we'll have to talk about what does this building accommodate other than the main attraction?" she said. "Those things can conflict. So we need to be having those conversations early."

Maximizing local benefits 

Davies' idea about an entertainment district was broached by the city in a report last week. 

The city wrote that locating a downtown arena in an area with existing restaurants, hotels and other businesses "has the potential to create more active streets."

That's instead of including such amenities inside the new arena, an arrangement the city warns could have a negative effect.

"If the goal of creating new facilities is to be a catalyst for other new development, careful consideration should be given to how to maximize the benefit in the local area, as opposed to solely creating options for enhanced spending within the facility itself," the city wrote.

'The benefit of time'

SaskTel Centre doesn't need to be replaced or renovated for about another eight years, which is when the 30-year-old arena is expected to reach the end of its lifespan, according to Davies.

"We have the benefit of time on this project," he said, mentioning other downtown city projects such as a bus-rapid-transit (BRT) system that need to be planned in tandem with any new arena.

Davies also suggested a new district could get a distinct name.

Asked by fellow councillor Darren Hill if he was thinking in terms of how Vancouver has a "Gastown," Davies nodded affirmatively.

Getting feedback from all business districts

Councillors also agreed that all business districts, not just the downtown one, should be involved in the city's arena planning.

That amendment came after Randy Pshebylo, the executive director of the Riversdale Business District, asked that his BID be involved, even if the city believes a new arena should be located downtown.

"We were unanimous and strong in our belief that that approach was best," said city manager Jeff Jorgenson of the downtown option.  

Even though the final decisions — on whether to build a new arena and where to do so — are many years off and likely to become a 2020 election issue (according to Hill), the current city council should not shy away from the issue, said councillor Ann Iwanchuk.

She said she's worried residents in the future will see the current council as "not having a vision."

"We're not making a commitment today but we need to be ready to go," she said.

Hill asked the city if it's considered holding a referendum to decide key arena questions. 

Jorgenson said he's confident city staff can equip councillors with the information they need to make those decisions.