The City of Saskatoon’s Transportation Committee will consider a property developer’s request on Monday for roadway changes around Midtown Plaza in order to pave the way for a full service grocery story with a restaurant and take-out at the downtown mall.

Arbutus Properties is proposing a PitchFork Market + Kitchen Store in the space which was going to be occupied by now-scuttled-plans for a Mountain Equipment Co-op.

There is already a PitchFork Market in The Meadows on the east side of Saskatoon just off Highway 16.

The report from administration recommends installing a full traffic signal at the intersection of Auditorium Avenue and Idylwyld Drive, removing the median on Idylwyld Drive between Auditorium Avenue and 22nd Street, and installing a traffic island at the intersection of 21st Street and Idylwyld Drive. These changes had all previously been identified in the Imagine Idylwyld project plan. The cost of the infrastructure changes is $220 thousand.

The developer has also asked for a tax abatement.

A study by USask and the City of Saskatoon at the end of last year examined the factors which would attract more people to live downtown and the two most significant barriers were perceptions of safety and lack of a grocery store.

The study involved an online survey of 470 people, including those in downtown Saskatoon and ten other neighbourhoods. There were also five focus group discussions as part of the initiative funded by Research Junction, which is a joint effort between the city and USask.