The application proposes to close a portion of Osler Street between 11th Avenue and Saskatchewan Drive, as depicted in Appendix A-1 and subsequently rezone from DCD-D - Downtown Direct Control District Zone to I - Institutional Zone. The purpose of the application is to accommodate the land assembly required for the expansion of the Regina Police Service (RPS) headquarters.
This proposal has been reviewed under the applicable provisions of the Regina Zoning Bylaw No. 2019-19 (Zoning Bylaw) and Design Regina: The Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2013-48 (OCP).
Financial Impacts
The subject area currently receives a full range of municipal services, including water, sewer and storm drainage. The applicant will be responsible for the cost of any additional or changes to existing infrastructure that may be required to directly or indirectly support the development, in accordance with City of Regina (City) standards and applicable legal requirements.
The applicant will be required to grant all necessary easements or pay the cost associated with utility relocations where required.
Policy/Strategic Impact
The proposed development supports the following OCP goals/policies:
· Section D4, Goal 1, 6.1 Design, construct and operate infrastructure to comply with relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
· Section D4, Goal 3, 6.6.3 Optimize use of existing infrastructure to minimize financial and environmental impacts of growth.
· Section D5, 7.18 Require major institutional areas to be accessible and well served by transit and provide a high-quality public realm.
Accessibility Impact
Required number of accessible parking stalls shall be provided as per the Zoning Bylaw at the time of development and building permit application.
Other Impacts
The proposed closure and rezoning will have a minimal impact on traffic flow or pedestrian circulation in the immediate area. This street is not required for access to any adjacent parcels. Accordingly, the street is determined to not be needed for use by the travelling public.
There are no environmental, risk/legal, or other implications and considerations.
An alternative option would be:
1. Approve the application with amendments to the plans.
2. Refer the proposal back to Administration. If City Council has specific concerns with the proposal it may refer it back to Administration for further review. Referral of the report back to Administration will delay approval of the development until requested information has been gathered or changes to the proposal have been made.
3. Deny the application. Denial of the application would prohibit the expansion of Regina Police Service facilities as planned.
The applicant and other interested parties will receive a copy of the report and notification of their right to appear as delegation at the Council meeting when the application will be considered. The applicant will receive written notification of City Council’s decision in accordance with The Planning & Development Act, 2007.
The applicant and owner, City of Regina Land and Real Estate Management Department, has applied to close a portion of Osler Street between 11th Avenue and Saskatchewan Drive, as depicted on Appendix A-1; and to rezone the properties located at 1700 11th Avenue and 1734 Osler Street from DCD-D – Downtown Direct Control District Zone to I - Institutional Zone. Pending approval of the closure of Osler Street, the properties will be consolidated as shown on Appendix A-2 through the subdivision approval process, which is delegated to Administration.
The existing RPS headquarters is zoned as I - Institutional Zone and the future expansion site located west of Osler Street (the former Saskatchewan Transportation Company building) is zoned as DCD-D – Direct Control District Downtown Zone. Rezoning those properties to I-Institutional is required to ensure one consistent zone is applied to the entire site. Closure of Osler Street along with rezoning of the properties is required to accommodate broader property need for the expansion of the RPS headquarters, which includes the former Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) depot building. Functional architectural studies of RPS needs have identified the requirement for the existing headquarters building and the former STC building to be connected by a building addition across Osler Street. RPS also requires additional compound space for fleet and other activities to meet functional needs, which will be accommodated on site.
The surrounding land uses are 11th Avenue to the south, existing Regina Police Service Headquarters to the east, Saskatchewan Drive to the north and an alley and Broad Street to the west.
As Regina’s population continues to grow, so do resourcing needs of RPS. RPS headquarters has exceeded capacity to accommodate all employees, maintain functionality and efficiently deliver service. RPS requires functional and well-designed facilities so that it can efficiently deliver services to the community and respond to growth.
Administration recommends approving the application because:
1. The proposed development is consistent with Goal 2 – City Centre Maintain and enhance the City Centre as the primary civic and cultural hub; Goal 5 – Office Development Support the Downtown as the city’s primary business centre; and Goal of the OCP.
2. The closure of the Osler Street and subsequent rezoning of adjacent properties will allow the expansion of RPS headquarters into the former STC depot building.
3. The closure will have a minimal impact on traffic flow or pedestrian circulation in the immediate area since the majority of on street parking is being used by the general public requiring services from the RPS. The future development shall confirm with The Regina Zoning Bylaw, 2019 parking requirement.
4. Additionally, this street is not required for access to any adjacent parcels.
Building development on the property would be subject to development and building permit application and would need to confirm to the I - Institutional Zone standards and applicable policies of the OCP Part B.4, Regina Downtown Neighbourhood Plan. The Core Neighbourhood Sustainability Action plan supports mixed use development along 11th Avenue, which connects to the Downtown. There are no immediate plans to physically alter the south edge of the property fronting 11th Avenue, which consists of parking areas and buildings of heritage significance. Therefore, this application will have no direct impact on the character of 11th Avenue.
Letters were mailed out to property owners in the vicinity, and statutory notice will be published in the Regina Leader-Post. The Heritage Community Association and the Downtown Business Improvement District were advised of the application. The Applicant met with the Heritage Community Association’s representative to discuss the process and explain the future development requirements. Administration received comments from the Heritage Community Association regarding the consolidation of the Old Fire Hall No.1 parcel with the rest of the development and its potential impacts to their lease.
Regardless of the consolidation, leases are separate and are not related to consolidation of the property. Additionally, the applicant intends to consolidate all parcel including the lot where the old Fire Hall is situated to simplify the management of the property owned by the City. Furthermore, the Zoning Bylaw defines a lot as a parcel or contiguous parcels of land in one ownership, and in this case the all parcels are owned by the applicant and will be treated as single lot for any future applications.
Administration attempted follow up contact with the Downtown Business Improvement District but did not receive a response prior to the deadline for submission of this report. A more detailed accounting of the respondent’s comments and the Administration’s response is provided in Appendix B.
A related subdivision application is being considered concurrently in accordance with Bylaw No. 2003-3, by which subdivision approval authority has been delegated to the Administration. The proposed subdivision is intended to consolidate respective portions of the partial street closure with the adjacent properties as depicted in Appendix A-2. The copy of the plan of proposed subdivision is attached for reference purposes only.
In November 2017, the City’s bid to purchase the Saskatchewan Transit Company (STC) bus depot/head office and parking lots for $16.25 million was accepted. The City took possession of the properties on February 15, 2018.
City Council’s approval of the rezoning is required pursuant to Part V of The Planning and Development Act, 2007 and City Council’s approval of the street closure is required pursuant to The Cities Act.
Respectfully Submitted, Respectfully Submitted,
{Signature}
Prepared by: Binod Poudyal, City Planner II