New Saskatoon Arena
  New Saskatoon Arena Location within Saskatchewan  New Saskatoon Arena New Saskatoon Arena (Canada) | |
| Location | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°07′48.4″N 106°40′00.2″W / 52.130111°N 106.666722°WCoordinates: 52°07′48.4″N 106°40′00.2″W / 52.130111°N 106.666722°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| Owner | City of Saskatoon |
| Capacity | 15,000 (planned; with room for expansion) |
| Website | |
| https://www.saskatoon.ca/business-development/major-projects/upcoming-projects/downtown-event-entertainment-district | |
The New Saskatoon Arena is a proposed arena to be constructed in Midtown in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The arena will replace the SaskTel Centre and TCU Place as the city and province's main entertainment venue and convention centre. It is planned to have 15,000 seats with room for expansion[1] and will be part of Saskatoon's New Downtown Event & Entertainment District.[2]
History
Previous arenas
Saskatoon Arena
The Saskatoon Arena opened on October 30, 1937 and was a wooden arena constructed in downtown Saskatoon. It had a capacity of about 4,000 and hosted many hockey games, concerts and Remembrance Day services. The structure was nicknamed "The Barn" and became infamous for its leaky roof. Saskatoon Arena was demolished in 1989.
SaskTel Centre
SaskTel Centre opened on February 9, 1988 as Saskatchewan Place (renamed Credit Union Centre in 2004 and renamed to its current name in 2014) and was built in the Agriplace Industrial Park northwest of the city. It opened with a capacity of 7,800. A few years before, Bill Hunter, a local sports promoter, attempted to purchase the St. Louis Blues NHL team, relocate it to Saskatoon, and build a new 18,000 seat arena. However, the NHL was unwilling to leave St. Louis and the deal fell apart.
The arena is known for having an unpopular location for most Saskatoon residents. SaskTel Centre has been accused of being inaccessible to seniors and those with limited transportation. While hotels have been built and the surrounding area has expanded over the years, the lack of nearby bars and restaurants still remains.
The arena's capacity was increased in 1990 to 11,330 and in 2009 to 15,190. SaskTel Centre currently hosts three professional teams: the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the CEBL, and the Saskatchewan Rush of the NLL.
Development
In 2018, a study commissioned by SaskTel Centre and TCU Place, a convention centre in downtown, suggested that a joint arena and convention centre built in the downtown area would be the best option for the City of Saskatoon. The estimated cost for such a project was estimated to be between 330 and 375 million C$. The study concluded that the two facilities were quickly approaching the end of their useful lives, risked the ability for Saskatchewan to be able to attract large-scale events and did not meet modern standards in many categories. Renovations on the two facilities would be significantly cheaper; but the problems with SaskTel Centre would still remain.[3]
In August 2022, the city council held a meeting on determining the location for the new arena/event centre. In the beginning, five areas in downtown were evaluated. The city council then eliminated three, leaving a site of the city yards north of downtown, and the north parking lot of the Midtown shopping mall. The Midtown site was the highest-scoring according to technical criteria.[4]
On November 16, 2022, the city officially chose the Midtown site for the new facility. The city yards were turned down because they would have to be relocated if the arena/event centre was to be built there, which would be expensive for the city. The Midtown site is close to shops, hotels and restaurants but parking is still a concern, which the city hopes to fix by improving public transit. The city hopes this new entertainment district will make downtown Saskatoon more vibrant and make the city a destination in Western Canada. The parking lot will cost the city 25 million C$ to buy. The city hopes to release the costs for the new entertainment district and arena/event centre in summer of 2023 as well as a payment plan, and they estimate it will take about six years before the project is completed.[5]
References
- ↑ Patterson, Dayne (November 2, 2022). "What could a new downtown arena do for Saskatoon's economy?". CBC. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ↑ "Downtown Event & Entertainment District | Saskatoon.ca". www.saskatoon.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ↑ "New downtown joint-use arena, convention centre 'most practical, profitable option': report". thestarphoenix. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ↑ "Future downtown Saskatoon arena site whittled down to two possibilities - Saskatoon | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ↑ CBC SK News: Saskatoon chooses its downtown arena site, the teams are here and ready for Grey Cup, retrieved 2023-03-28
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