Officials from the City of Edmonton and the Katz Group shed a little light Wednesday on what the new downtown arena will look like once it's built, although several weeks will pass before new drawings are released.

A representative from the Katz Group told CTV News the new arena will be built completely above ground, not recessed the way Rexall Place was built.

"It must provide world-class fan experiences, and take entertainment in the capital region to a new level," Bob Black with the Katz Group said.

Executive Director of the project, Rick Daviss said the plan to build the arena above ground will not only mean bigger concourses for fans, but also save money in the construction of the facility, because the project would not require extensive excavation.

At a seminar held at Northlands Wednesday morning, representatives from the Katz Group and the City of Edmonton said the project is moving along well.

Another detail shared Wednesday is the arena will stand about 12 stories tall – about half as high as Edmonton's CN Tower.

Drawings of the arena plan are to be presented to city council in May.

"We're putting the finishing touches on it," Daviss said. "We want to make sure we don't come out with something that we can't economically put in place, or isn't technically going to work."

As far as a $100 million funding gap in the project, Daviss said the city has been proceeding with talks with the province to secure that funding – but the discussions are in a preliminary stage.

"This facility won't just benefit Edmontonians, but the entire northern region, so we are still pursuing discussions with the provincial government, hoping that we can achieve funding support."

Ground is expected to be broken on the project next spring, with the arena officially opening in late 2015.

With files from Sean Amato