Saskatoon Minute: Noise Extensions, Bus Barns, and Minimum Parking Eliminated

Saskatoon Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatoon politics

This Week In Saskatoon:

• The ​​Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services will meet on Tuesday at 9:30 am. The Committee will discuss extensions to the Noise Bylaw for several outdoor events. These include concerts by Blue Rodeo and George Thorogood, the Rock the River festival, Makerspace DJ Party, Saskatchewan Latin Festival, Movie Night in the Park, and Pumpkins After Dark. Later in the day, at 2:00 pm, the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation will meet. The Committee will discuss funding for the Assiniboine Drive CN Rail Pedestrian Crossing, as well as using a collections agency to recoup $6.1 million in outstanding parking tickets. Finally, at 4:00 pm, the Development Appeals Board will meet.
  
  
• On Wednesday, at 7:30 am, the Downtown Event and Entertainment District Advisory Group will meet. Much of the meeting will be held in-camera (in secret). The Standing Policy Committee on Planning, Development and Community Services will meet later in the morning, at 9:30 am. The Committee will consider a couple of applications for the Vacant Lot and Adaptive Reuse Incentive Program before receiving a report on the potential for the City to partner with community-based groups in planning for an indoor skate park facility.
  
  
• At 2:00 pm on Wednesday, the Standing Policy Committee on Finance will meet. On the agenda are tentative agreements with SaskTel for the lease of City land and road right of ways for cell towers. Also up for discussion is the sale of land to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency for a Cancer Patient Lodge project. The sale depends on approval from the Ministry of Health and the Cancer Agency needs more time to get this approval. The Committee will discuss extending the conditions of the sale agreement until December 31st, 2025, with a possible further extension until December 31st, 2026, if needed.

Last Week In Saskatoon:

• Council approved a bylaw change that eliminates minimum on-site parking requirements for new developments. The change aims to reduce unnecessary parking construction and allow the market to dictate parking needs. Despite support from many speakers and City officials, some residents and community leaders expressed concerns about potential parking shortages and conflicts. While minimum parking requirements are removed, regulations for accessible stalls, parking access, and visitor spaces will remain.
  
  
• The federal government is providing $36.3 million for affordable housing projects across Saskatchewan, including $23.6 million for a Saskatoon project focused on Indigenous people. This funding will support 788 homes in 53 different projects, with a significant portion allocated to the Hart Road project in Saskatoon, operated by Camponi Housing Corporation and SaskNative Rentals Inc. Hart Road will feature a 73-unit community tailored for Métis and First Nations Peoples, including culturally enriched day-care and community spaces.
  
  
• Council approved the redevelopment of Saskatoon's former bus barns in Caswell Hill. The site at 321 Ave. C North, used as City bus barns until 2017, faced delays due to environmental testing and remediation from industrial contaminants. In 2023, the property was sold for $2 million to the Caswell Bus Barns Group, a consortium of developers and investors. The redevelopment plan includes repurposing the existing building and adding a three-storey, 30-unit residential building along with a five-unit office condominium. With the rezoning approved, construction is expected to start this fall, with major renovations completed within a year.