Regina's rail lands project moves ahead with design work
8.1-hectare project would put homes, stores north of Cornwall Centre
A plan to build homes, stores and entertainment venues that could change the face of downtown Regina is chugging ahead.
It's the railway renewal project, the second phase of the city's plans to revitalize the downtown. The stadium is phase one.
The Canadian Pacific Railway land in question is 8.1 hectares (17.5 acres) north of Casino Regina and the Cornwall Centre and south of the warehouse district.
The city has previously said it will pay CP $7.5 million for the land and spend another $2.1 million for an environmental cleanup.
It was originally envisioned as a bigger project, involving another 15 acres (about six hectares), but the city decided buying that much land would be too expensive.
The city announced Thursday it has awarded contracts to a design firm and an engineering firm on the 8.1-hectare parcel.
The redevelopment is scheduled to begin next year, but the project may not come to completion until 2025 or even later.