The next-to-last step in the creation of the Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) Planning District was taken August 16 when Corman Park Council gave third and final reading to a bylaw approving its establishment.
Ministerial approval from the provincial government is still required. If approved by the province this fall, the new planning district may be implemented by the P4G’s target date of January 1, 2022.
The P4G Planning District will replace the existing Corman Park-Saskatoon Planning District, which has been in place for many years and oversees land use and development for specified areas of the RM that are close to Saskatoon’s city limits.
The boundaries of the P4G Planning District, however, will be larger than its predecessor, encompassing areas around three other urban municipalities: Warman, Martensville and Osler.
The new planning district also includes the creation of a new 13-member P4G District Planning Commission, with representatives from all five municipalities as well as the public.
Recruitment for membership onto the new P4G District Planning Commission is expected to begin in mid-September.
The new planning district is needed in order to implement an overall vision for the region that officially began in 2014 when the municipalities of Saskatoon, Corman Park, Warman, Martensville and Osler agreed to work in partnership to develop a long-term strategy for rural and urban land use, servicing and development to grow the region to a population of one million people.
In the fall of 2020, the P4G partner municipalities approved a joint Official Community Plan (OCP) to address future land use development and servicing within the P4G Planning District and to provide a coordinated approach to growth among all P4G municipalities.
The P4G Planning District Zoning Bylaw assigns proposed zoning districts and contains proposed standards to regulate the development and use of land in those zoning districts as a means of implementing the high-level policies in the P4G District OCP.
Corman Park Planning and Development Director Rebecca Row said the adoption of the P4G Planning District Zoning Bylaw is a big step, but it’s just the most recent in a long journey for the municipal partners.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Row. “One way to look at it is the road has been built up, and now we’re applying the pavement.
“The P4G OCP and Zoning Bylaw are living documents, so they’re always going to be subject to change, but what it does is provide policies and direction regarding land use in order to minimize potential conflict and provide services in the most efficient way.”
Row said the P4G Land Use Map included in the joint OCP provides a guide to future growth areas in the region.
“They’re not meant to be hard and fast boundaries,” said Row. “But they are meant to show which areas are good locations for commercial or industrial development, for example.
“The land use map helps municipalities and developers move forward and focus on the next steps in the approval process including more detailed planning and engineering work.”
She said having the three smaller urban municipalities involved in the planning commission will inject new perspectives into the process.
Row said there is a misconception that under P4G, landowners in the RM of Corman Park who are looking to develop property or even do small renovations will now have to get approval of all five municipalities.
“That is one myth I would like to dispel,” said Row. “The only case where all five councils are involved is where there is a proposed major amendment to the land use map or a text amendment to the OCP or Zoning Bylaw.
“The cases where all five municipalities have to approve something will be rare. In all other cases, such as discretionary use applications for home-based businesses, for example, Corman Park Council has the final say.
“If a proposed home based business is located in a proposed future urban area, we may ask the urban municipality’s administration for comments but those comments get considered and included in the report for the P4G District Planning Commission and RM council. No pre-vote by an urban municipal council is needed.”
Row said one of the objectives is to “minimize the administrative red tape” for landowners.
“In practical terms, for the average ratepayer in the RM of Corman Park, there will be no significant change in the application process.
“It all boils down to what they wish to do when it comes to developing their property,” she added. “There is a lot of benefit under P4G, because people will have more ability to do more things than they do currently.”
Martensville Planning Manager Bonnie Gorelitza said the P4G Planning District provides an opportunity for all five municipalities to work collaboratively.
“We all have the same development pressures,” said Gorelitza. “And we all want to work together to grow the region, which ultimately will benefit all the partner municipalities.”
Gorelitza said being part of the P4G Planning District will be a new experience for Martensville, Warman and Osler.
“It will provide an opportunity to work within a larger context,” she said. “Being part of the P4G District Planning Commission will help build capacity within our municipalities.”