Pause of downtown bus plan pleasing to some businesses

(Chad Hills / CTV News)

No matter how they got there in the end, businesses on 1st Avenue were pleased to see downtown concerns become public knowledge.

Anthony’s Fashion, located at the southern edge of conceptual plan for 1st Ave South, says the process isn’t sitting well with everyone.

“I don’t think anybody’s really happy about the situation,” Owner Anthony Graham-Cutts said.

“I think the concept’s great, but the implementation is sorely lacking, and the amount of space that they’ve decided that they need to take up for it is, is way more than it needs to be.”

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With a sold-out private parking lot above his business and no alleyway access, Graham-Cutts is reliant on the few parking stalls in front of the store for customers and deliveries. He says the city’s plans of constructing four transit stations while removing 61 parking stalls and reducing traffic has him worried.

Graham-Cutts is used to hearing sirens from parked cop cars almost daily, and he says he doesn’t want that stretch 1st Ave to become an extended bus mall, with jaywalkers and other people affecting commerce in the area.

“I think that it’s not going to be a good look for the stores that are along the street,” Graham-Cutts said.

“Adding this front and center, which is supposed to be the flagship shopping center in Saskatoon, it’s not the best image right out front if we get that ripple effect that we did from the 23rd Street bus mall.”

Shawna Nelson, the executive director of Downtown Saskatoon, said some pause might be required to ease concerns.

“Some of the questions that were asked and some of the reports and some of the information that we want are pretty important when it comes to safety and snow removal, when we’re talking about a main corridor coming through your downtown,” she said.

The $262 million Link transit upgrade is scheduled to launch in 2028.

Council has voted to send administration back to form answers on high-level operational plans about snow removal, emergency vehicles and how breakdowns will be handled before the 1st Avenue concept plan can be considered again.