Mayor, Councillors to discuss roadmap for future Downtown development: City Centre and District Plan at GPC next week

At its September 11 meeting, the Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) of City Council is set to discuss the roadmap for planning Saskatoon’s Downtown and surrounding area. The City Centre and District Plan (Plan) lays out a guide for the land uses, public realm and transportation required to revitalize Downtown. The Plan identifies actionable items, that in partnership with private investment and community, will help make Downtown a more vibrant, safe and livable area.

“The ultimate outcome for Downtown is to be a place that reflects all of Saskatoon – now and into the future,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development.  “A safe and vibrant Downtown is a welcoming and inclusive place for all people to come together in a cooperative spirit. This Plan supports a strong economy, strengthens our diverse community, and is intended to attract people to live, work, play and learn in the Downtown.”

Anderson says the Plan outlines strategic directions for the City of Saskatoon, civic partners, rightsholders, stakeholders, and the public to take the vision of the Plan from abstract to action. It establishes the Downtown Event and Entertainment District (District) within Saskatoon’s broader City Centre and also updates the City Centre Plan. City staff, in consultation with technical consultants and incorporating input from the community, incorporated the decisions that have been made since approval of the existing City Centre Plan in 2013.

“While the event centre-arena and expanded convention centre are anchors for the District, the City Centre and District Plan is the much broader geographic and thematic plan to revitalize the entire Downtown through land uses, connections, green spaces and other approaches,” Anderson says. “It will be important with or without the anchor facilities as a platform for creating the conditions needed to create a vibrant Downtown Saskatoon.”

Outlined in the Plan is guidance and direction for designing streets, creating new plazas and park spaces and shaping land-use policy for the District and the broader City Centre. It includes strategies to improve connectivity and mobility as well as a framework to promote safety, heritage and culture to foster an inclusive, accessible City Centre and District.

Developing and re-envisioning Downtown Saskatoon has been identified as a priority area in the City’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.

The full report can be found on the GPC agenda at saskatoon.ca.