Blairmore mall goes big Big-box developer plans two giant stores for west-side location   Nickel R 2008, “Blairmore Mall Goes Big”, the Star Phoenix, November 28, 2008 The biggest store in Saskatoon may be under construction next year as part of the city's next regional big-box mall. SmartCentres has applied for its development permit from the city and filed its site plans for the 31-acre Blairmore location it owns at the city's west edge. The plans don't identify which stores are included, but the anchors are expected to be Wal-Mart and a building supply outlet. At 183,000 and 152,000 square feet, the anchors would dominate the site and stretch typical expectations of store dimensions. The larger store would be 63 per cent larger than the footprint of Credit Union Centre and significantly bigger than the Stonegate Wal-Mart, currently Saskatoon's biggest store. The shopping centre and its "super-huge" anchors will balance west-side development with the rest of the city, said the ward's councillor, Maurice Neault. The shopping centre would include a proposed 375,000 square feet of retail space including the anchors and six smaller buildings. "I'm excited about the retail," Neault said. "If you ever go shopping to the (Confederation) mall and Superstore, Canadian Tire area, any evening or Saturday, Sunday, you take your life in your own hands. That suburban centre is just jammed." The Blairmore big-box mall will be south of 22nd Street and east of an undeveloped site earmarked for a hotel, office space and multi-unit housing. Along with stores, the shopping centre can include a long list of uses, such as pharmacies, clinics, gas bars and up to two freestanding restaurants. Neault expects those to be major restaurants, not fast-food outlets. Movie theatres, car dealerships and nightclubs are among the prohibited businesses. SmartCentres is planning to create 1,785 parking spaces, slightly more than required. Vehicle access to the site is expected to be off Betts Avenue and Hart Road. SmartCentres officials didn't return phone messages Friday. The developer, which also built the Stonegate shopping centre, hasn't informed the city of how soon it plans to build the shopping centre, or whether it will build the anchor stores in stages. The original plan was to build the big-box mall this year and next. The developer could opt to build it all next year, said Randy Grauer, manager of city planning and development services. The next step is for council to approve SmartCentres' development permit, as early as Dec. 1. After that, the developer would prepare construction drawings to go to tender. The city is planning a traffic interchange at the junction of highways 14 and 7 but it won't likely be built in time to serve the shopping centre's opening, Grauer said, unlike the Circle and Clarence interchange that the city fast-tracked to accommodate Stonegate. SmartCentres helped fund that interchange but won't have to pay part of the next interchange. "The traffic situation is quite different," Grauer said. "The quality of the intersection at Circle and Clarence was totally incapable of handling that development (without an interchange)." Blairmore's construction will give the city three retail sites intended to serve the region within an hour's drive, along with Stonegate and Preston Crossing. The city is also tendering for sale 23 acres of land in University Heights. Neault expects the Confederation Mall, which recently sold, to be viable even if it loses Wal-Mart to Blairmore. A new type of zoning approved by city council this year allows malls to add residential highrises. That's the route Market Mall is going as it competes with Stonegate. A big-box mall on the west side is inevitable, said Terry Scaddan, executive director of The Partnership downtown business improvement district. He said retail in the core is strong enough to stand its ground. Grauer agrees, despite the global economy's continued slide. "Saskatoon's retail sales have outperformed almost every other city in Canada in terms of absolute growth in the past few years," he said. "We have a lot of confidence."   Shaw Centre - Phase I January 2008 Source: http://www.saskatoon.ca/org/news_releases/detail.asp?id=2670

The Shaw Centre is a civic leisure facility integrated with Bethlehem Catholic High School and Tommy Douglas Collegiate, and is located at 122 Bowlt Crescent in the Blairmore Suburban Area. Phase I is now open and includes: Hamm Fitness Centre (shared weight/fitness room) with two floors of equipment featuring a new cardio theatre (entrance through Tommy Douglas Collegiate) Two shared gymnasiums (one located in each school) Child-minding (preschool) room The Phase II of the Shaw Centre is scheduled to open in summer 2009. Hours of operation for the Shaw Centre are: Monday to Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. For complete information on programs and services offered at the Shaw Centre, please refer to the drop-in schedule and registered program opportunities listed in the Winter 2008 Leisure Guide (pages 22-33), on the website at www.saskatoon.ca (look under ‘S’ for Shaw Centre), or call the Shaw Centre at 975-7744. Media, for more information:   Dianne Wright Shaw Centre, Site Administrator 975-7744

Flood-Proofing Westside Saskatoon

City officials hope a four million dollar effort will prevent future flooding of some westside residents.
Saskatoon Council has given the green light for reserve funding to dig a storm water retention pond near "Charlottetown Park".
Another project will see a backup sanitary sewer system built near Confederation and Laurier Drive, but Infrastructure Manager, Murray Totland says it's still in the design stages.
He says other neighbourhoods haven't been forgotten, but it'll take several years to reach everyone.
Totland says funding will be the biggest issue going forward.

New Primary Health Centre Officially Opens on Saskatoon's West Side

New Primary Health Centre Officially Opens on Saskatoon's West Side

Source: :
http://www.usask.ca/events/news/articles/20060428-2.html

Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) and the University of Saskatchewan's
Department of Academic Family Medicine opened Saskatoon's newest primary
health centre, the "University of Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Health Region
West Winds Primary Health Centre", on Saskatoon's west side at 3311 Fairlight Drive.

The Department of Academic Family Medicine relocated from Royal University
Hospital to West Winds. Saskatoon Health Region has relocated complete
health provider groups to the Centre including Public Health Services
(West), Healthy Mother Healthy Baby, and Healthy and Home. A number of
individual health professionals have also joined the West Winds team
including Chronic Disease Management, Client/Patient Access Services,
Clinical Health Psychology, Home Care, KidsFirst, Mental Health and
Addictions; a Nurse Practitioner, a Pharmacy Educator, Public Health Dental
Clinic, Social Work; and Therapies.

As identified by recent SHR and U of S studies, the west side of Saskatoon
is one of the least well-serviced areas from a health needs perspective.
"We hope that the West Winds Primary Health Centre will help reinforce the
University's commitment to its communities, to socially accountable health
care education and research, and to the improved health of residents living
in west-side neighborhoods surrounding the new Centre. We are pleased to be
partnering with Saskatoon Health Region service providers in this exciting
new interdisciplinary venture," said University of Saskatchewan President
Peter MacKinnon.

West Winds Primary Health Centre is located in the former Union Centre at
3311 Fairlight Drive.

For more information, please contact:

Tina Merrifield
University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2213

Kerilyn Voigt
Corporate and Public Affairs
Saskatoon Health Region
(306) 655-3386