Edmonton media were given the chance to tour the 10-hectare downtown Ice District redevelopment Tuesday morning. Reporter Juris Graney tagged along to see how the site is taking shape.

How’s it looking out there?

Construction work at Canada’s largest mixed-use sports and entertainment district is busy. Very busy. And that brings a lot of joy to Glen Scott, president of Katz Group Real Estate.

“There is nothing like this in North America or the world that I’ve seen,” Scott said.

Scott said demand has been strong right across the board for all their real estate products from the recently completed Edmonton Towers (combined office and retail is now over 90 per cent leased) to the Legends Private Residences above the JW Marriott on the southwest corner of 104 Avenue and 102 Street.

Of the 261 available units in Legends, 246 have already been sold. Ranging from 500-square-foot one-bedroom suites to a 4,500-square-foot penthouse. Prices start at about $700 per square foot.

“We believe this is going to be the most luxurious condominiums in Alberta and indeed western Canada,” Scott said.

The JW Marriott, the city’s seventh four-star hotel, features 356 rooms, and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2019. Residents will start moving in to Legends in May 2019 and continuing into the fall.

What else is happening?

Construction at Stantec’s new mothership is slightly ahead of schedule meaning that fixture work will begin early next month, Scott said.

Soon to be Edmonton’s tallest tower, the Stantec building has enough space to accommodate 3,500 people and staff are expected to move in by next October. A gourmet food hall with 14 tenants will be located on the second level of the two-storey retail podium, Scott said.

Levels 30 to 66 in the Stantec tower will house almost 500 residential units starting at $300,000 for a one-bedroom abode. Residents will get access to an 11,000-square-foot rooftop patio and a 9,000-square-foot indoor amenity space including outdoor fireplaces and an oversized hot tub.

What’s the next big thing to come online?

The next significant noticeable construction milestone will be the commercial topping off of Stantec Tower in October. Expect a soft opening of the JW Marriott in January 2019. In November 2019, the Sky residences are expected to open. A month before that happens, however, the development’s three-level retail podium, which will include a sports bar and supermarket, is slated to open.

“It is amazing to see Ice District take shape,” said Tim Shipton, Oilers Entertainment Group senior vice-president of communications. “I recall, both for Rogers Place and Ice District, standing a few years ago on what literally was just an asphalt parking lot right in the heart of our city. I think it was a symbol of some of the opportunities that may have been missed over the years in this city.

“Ice District really is a symbol of what our city can be — a destination for people from all corners of the city, country and the world.”