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COMMUNITY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMITTEE – JUNE 13, 2019
The following addressed the Committee:
- Bobbi Stadnyk, representing Child Poverty Concern Group;
- Austin Stadnyk, representing Coronation Park Flood Concern Group;
- Connie Buchan, representing Off Leash Dog Park User Group (OLD PUG);
- Nelson Bryksa;
- Lynda Schofield;
- Bernice Tees, representing Coronation Traffic Group; and
- Nicole Bryksa.
The Committee adopted the following resolution:
1. That Option #2, Seniors’ Assisted Living Plus Recreation Facilities be approved as the preferred option for the redevelopment of the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands.
2. That Administration bring an implementation and financing plan to City Council for consideration through the 2020 budget process.
3. That the Executive Director, Financial Strategy and Sustainability be delegated authority to begin the land subdivision and sale process and report back to City Council as required.
Recommendations #4 and #5 do not require City Council approval.
Councillors: Andrew Stevens (Chairperson), Lori Bresciani, Sharron Bryce (non-voting member), John Findura, Jerry Flegel and Jason Mancinelli, were present during consideration of this report by the Community and Protective Services Committee.
The Community and Protective Services Committee, at its meeting held on June 13, 2019, considered the following report from the Administration:
RECOMMENDATION
1. That Option #2, Seniors’ Assisted Living Plus Recreation Facilities be approved as the preferred option for the redevelopment of the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands.
- That Administration bring an implementation and financing plan to City Council for consideration through the 2020 budget process.
- That the Executive Director, Financial Strategy and Sustainability be delegated authority to begin the land subdivision and sale process and report back to City Council as required.
- That City Council provide direction for the inclusion of any of the proposed additional recreation elements identified in this report in the final design.
- That this report be forwarded to the June 24, 2019 City Council meeting for approval.
CONCLUSION
Administration has created four redevelopment options for the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands, which are presented in this report for Community and Protective Services Committee’s consideration (Appendix A). The options are based on extensive community engagement including outcomes of the April 2019 open house and on-line engagement, February of 2018 community design workshop, two 2017 community engagement sessions and on-line surveys, and; a 2015 community recreation needs survey. Design direction was also taken from Council-approved policy documents including Design Regina: The Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2013-48 (OCP) and the Recreation Master Plan. In addition to the designs, Administration has developed a high-level cost estimate and policy alignment analysis for each option. Administration’s recommended option for the redevelopment of the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands is Option #2, Seniors’ Assisted Living Plus Recreation Facilities.
BACKGROUND
The Regent Par 3 Golf Course is an underutilized municipal golf facility at the southern edge of the Coronation Park Neighbourhood along McKinley Avenue. The 4.89-hectare (12.08 acre) site has nine holes with sand greens, a decommissioned clubhouse and is currently unirrigated. The site was identified in the Recreation Facility Plan 2010-2020 for redevelopment into a neighbourhood hub facility to meet the contemporary recreation needs of this growing community. This recommendation remains consistent with the Recreation Master Plan, approved by City Council in January of 2019. Planning work to respond to this direction has been underway since 2015.
Administration informed City Council by memo in 2015 of its intention to explore the merits of selling all, or a portion, of the site for housing to meet OCP infill development and housing goals and to generate revenue, which would then be used to fund the planned neighbourhood recreation hub upgrades on the remaining golf course lands to quickly meet the existing recreation needs of the community.
DISCUSSION
In February of 2018, Administration hosted a Community Design Workshop where residents worked with facilitators to design options to redevelop the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands. Groups were given scale templates of recreation facilities and housing types identified during previous community engagement activities. Working in small groups, residents were asked to create options for the site that balanced their desires for new recreational amenities along with the potential to generate revenue through infill housing, which could be used to offset the cost of the new amenities.
The Community Design Workshop generated 21 submissions, which were grouped into five options by Administration. Upon preliminary analysis of the options, the Status Quo option, retaining the golf course, which was very popular among the event participants, was set aside for the following reasons:
- The City of Regina’s (City) four remaining golf courses have significant excess capacity, rendering the Regent Par 3 surplus.
- The Council-approved Recreation Facility Plan 2010-2020 recommended developing a land-use plan for the area and creating a neighbourhood hub (recommendation 23, p35).
- Retaining and reinvesting in a golf course on these lands is not consistent with direction provided in the following City Council-approved policies:
a. Design Regina: The Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2013-48
b. The Transportation Master Plan
c. The Recreation Master Plan
d. The Comprehensive Housing Strategy
With the elimination of the Status Quo option, the four remaining options were:
1. Recreation Only
2. Seniors’ Assisted Living plus Recreation Facilities
3. Townhouses plus Recreation Facilities
4. Seniors’ Assisted Living & Townhouses plus Recreation Facilities
The four options dedicate varying amounts of land to housing and recreation facilities in different configurations.
· The Recreation Only option dedicates all the former golf course lands solely to recreation facilities.
· The Seniors Assisted Living plus Recreation Facilities option includes apartment style housing and care facilities occupying an area of approximately 1.3 hectares in the northwest corner of the site, with access off 1st Avenue North. The proposed development includes approximately 110 apartments offering a continuum of care from light housekeeping to 24-hour nursing care.
· The Townhouses plus Recreation Facilities option includes the development of 38 townhouse units on a 1.3-hectare block along an extension of Queen Street on the western edge of the site. Access in this option would be provided from McKinley Avenue and 1st Avenue North, extending the local street grid.
· The Seniors’ Assisted Living & Townhouses plus Recreation Facilities is a hybrid of options 2 and 3 dedicating the largest amount of land to housing (1.85 hectares) along the western and northern edges of the site with access from both McKinley Avenue and 1st Avenue North.
· The concept drawings in Appendix A are intended to illustrate, to scale, the potential form, scale, massing and location of the housing types proposed in the different development options, along with size and location of the proposed recreation elements. The housing illustrations are not intended to be architecturally prescriptive.
All four redevelopment options contained the same recreational amenities when they were presented to the public for feedback and review from April 15-25, 2019. This included a multi-use sports field, a destination spray pad and accessible play structure, picnic areas and multi-use pathways. Elements included in each of the options, but noted as ‘future’ due to cost or other factors, were a pedestrian bridge to connect the new neighbourhood recreation hub amenities to the housing and commercial area across the storm channel and a small washroom building, which would help to make the new recreation facilities an all-day destination.
FEEDBACK FROM PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Administration received almost 1,200 responses to its in-person and on-line engagements between April 15 and 25, 2019, a pdf of all of the responses has been added to the project website on Regina.ca/planning. The engagement invited residents to respond to two questions about each of the redesign options:
· What elements of this concept do you like?
· What elements of this concept would you change?
Housing Options Feedback
A significant portion of the feedback received was against housing of any sort. The strongest opposition was against the redevelopment options that included townhouses. Much of the feedback was based on assumptions among many respondents that this form of housing would be ‘affordable’, its construction quality would be low, and it would deteriorate rapidly through hard use. While there was mixed support and opposition to housing in general on the site, the response to seniors’ housing was the most positive. Of note is that much of the positive feedback on seniors’ housing identified the need for it to be ‘affordable’, rather than high-end or luxury.
Recreation Options Feedback
Based on the feedback received during this latest round of engagement, Administration has undertaken cost estimates for additional recreation amenities that were raised as desirable additions to the final option.
1. Disc Golf
Disc Golf baskets could be added to each of the design options. For the Recreation Only option nine baskets could be included in the final design, creating a city-wide destination facility for this activity at an additional cost of $10,000. For the three options which dedicate a portion of the site to housing, a smaller number of baskets could be added as space permits, creating a neighbourhood-level disc golf practice facility for a cost of $3,000 - $5,000.
2. Pedestrian Bridge
The proposed pedestrian bridge, providing an active transportation connection from the Regent Par 3 lands to the north side of the storm channel, was recommended to be part of the design at a cost of $250,000, rather than a future consideration. This option requires Council to grant Delegated Authority to Administration to negotiate an easement with adjacent landowners north of the storm channel to allow pedestrians and cyclists to connect through private property to 3rd Avenue North.
3. Seasonal Washroom Facility
The washroom facilities were also proposed to be moved from future’ to part of the base design at a cost of approximately $95,000. Provision of a seasonal washroom adjacent to the playground, spray pad, multi-purpose field and picnic areas would allow users to extend their stay in the park. Inclusion of the washroom would provide the only such public facility along the length of the North Storm Channel multi-use pathway system, which when complete will extend from Patricia Park in the east to Westhill Park in the west. Provision of a seasonal washroom will require on-going operational funding of $9,000 annually to support daily operations and maintenance of the facility.
4. Accessible Off-Leash Dog Park
Based on recent Council direction and a large volume of comments during the public engagement, a neighbourhood scale (approximately .25Ha), accessible off-leash dog park could be added to each of the design options. This accessible facility would include 1.2m high perimeter fencing, secure entry, benches and accessible pathways as appropriate and would be integrated into each of the designs in order to meet the needs of all park users. The inclusion of an accessible off-leash dog park would come at an additional cost of $60,000.
5. Toboggan Hill
In response to requests for additional winter activities on the site, a small toboggan hill could be added to each of the design options at a cost of $85,000. Additional winter activity elements, such as cross-country ski trails could be added to the site if user-groups wanting to establish and maintain such elements come forward.
RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT OPTION
Based on the feedback received during the public engagement phases of this project, consistency with Council-approved policy and overall cost and potential revenue, Administration recommends the Seniors’ Assisted Living Plus Recreation Facilities option to Council as its preferred option for the following reasons:
· This option is tied for most consistent with City policy with concept #4 (seniors + townhouses) option
· The public feedback on this option was more consistently positive with those in favour either strongly supporting it from a housing provision perspective or from a financial perspective or recognizing a seniors’ assisted living development on a portion of the site as a compromise that they can live with to preserve the majority of the land for recreation amenities.
· This option retains the most land for recreation of all the housing options
· This option requires the least investment in, and on-going maintenance of roadway infrastructure of all the housing options
· This option generates the second highest potential revenues from land sales of the four options
· This option does not include townhouses which a strong majority of the respondents expressed opposition to.
Administration further recommends that the following additional recreation elements be added to the preferred option based on recent public feedback, either to the base cost of the project or on a phased basis through the 5-year capital budget:
· 3-5 disc golf baskets to create a neighbourhood level practice facility ($5,000)
· Seasonal washroom facility to support all-day use of the park ($95,000) + $9,000 per year for operations and maintenance
· Neighbourhood-level accessible off-leash dog park ($60,000)
· Toboggan hill to increase winter activity at the site. ($85,000)
In addition to the above, if Council would like Administration to pursue the addition of the pedestrian bridge, Council must delegate authority to the Administration to negotiate with adjacent landowners north of the storm channel to provide an easement. This would allow for the construction of a pedestrian bridge to provide an active-transportation connection from 3rd Avenue North to the new recreation amenities. Once an easement has been negotiated, Administration will return to Council with detailed cost information and proposed timing on the bridge and connecting pathways.
RECOMMENDATION IMPLICATIONS
Financial Implications
Funding for this planning process was dedicated by City Council in 2014 from proceeds of the Pasqua Recreation Centre land sale.
The land value estimates provided for the redevelopment options in Appendix A that include housing are high level and are based on the 2015 land valuation of the Ken Jenkins School site, which was reaffirmed in 2017. Actual value of any land sales would be impacted by the proposed development type and density. Further work needs to be completed, including a professional appraisal of the site to confirm actual value once a final development option has been established.
The recommended redevelopment option, Seniors’ Assisted Living Complex plus Recreation Facilities is estimated to cost $2,380,000, while generating land sales of $2,730,000 resulting in a net revenue of $350,000. Should Council elect to include some, or all of the proposed additional recreation facilities identified during the final public engagement up to an additional $495,000 will be required.
The net costs or revenues of the other redevelopment options are identified in Appendix A.
Actual costs for the construction of the proposed recreation facilities will be based on their final design and the results of a public tender process.
Operations and maintenance costs of the redeveloped recreation space are estimated to be $50,000 per year, not including washroom operations, an increase of $30,000 per year over current investment in the site.
Based on Administration’s evaluation of the site, the surrounding neighbourhood, and the feedback received through the public engagement process it is Administration’s assessment that the proposed recreation facilities are required early in the 5-year budget cycle. This is due to neighbourhood population growth, demographic shifts and an existing deficit of quality recreation facilities within an acceptable walking distance of the site, as well as the continued deterioration of the Regent Par 3.
Dedication of a portion of the lands to housing development is expected to result in annual tax revenues of between $75,000 and $120,000 per year depending on the value of the resulting development.
Administration will bring an implementation and financing plan for Council’s preferred redevelopment option through the 2020 budget process.
Environmental Implications
Redevelopment of the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands will have an impact on existing trees on the site. Efforts will be made to relocate existing trees where possible and additional trees will be added as part of the recreation improvements. Exact numbers of trees impacted by the redevelopment will not be known until a final option has been determined. Administration’s intention is that any trees removed from the site will be replaced on a minimum 1:1 basis, either directly on site or within the immediate area.
Policy and/or Strategic Implications
Redevelopment of the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands to include a mix of new neighbourhood level recreational facilities and seniors’ assisted living housing is aligned with the following Council approved policies:
Design Regina, The Official Community Plan (2013)
The proposal is consistent with the policies contained within Part A of the OCP with respect to:
Section C: Growth Plan
Goal 1 – Ensure that sufficient developable land is protected for future city growth.
2.3 Direct at least 30% of new population to existing urban areas as the City’s intensification target:
Section D6: Housing
Goal 1 - Housing Supply and Affordability: Increase the housing supply and improve housing affordability.
8.2 Leverage the City’s land assets to increase the supply and diversity of housing.
8.3 Decrease the number of vacant, non-taxable and underutilized lots within the city that area appropriate for residential development.
8.8 Support residential intensification in existing and new neighbourhoods to create complete neighbourhoods.
Goal 3 – Diversity of Housing Forms: Increase the diversity and innovation of housing forms and types to support the creation of complete neighbourhoods across Regina.
8.13 Expand areas where apartments and multi-unit buildings are permitted uses.
Section D7: Parks, Recreation and Open Space
Goal 1 – Open Space and Recreation Principles: Maintain, enhance and extend and interconnected and accessible open space system.
9.1 Develop the OPEN SPACE SYSTEM generally in accordance with Map 7 – Parks, Recreation and Open Space and adhere to the following principles:
9.1.3 Minimum standards for quantity and quality will guide the management of the open space system, including where population densities are increasing in existing neighbourhoods.
9.1.5 Appropriate requirements for structures and unstructured recreation needs.
9.3 Co-locate or cluster parks and open space, where possible, with activity centres or other community resources.
9.4 Connect neighbourhoods where possible, via active transportation routes to multi-use pathways, regional trails and the natural system.
9.5 Integrate public safety considerations into the planning and design of parks and recreation facilities.
Goal 2 – Access to Recreation Programs and Services: Ensure access to a variety of recreation programs and services in all neighbourhoods.
9.6 Develop and manage recreation facilities, programs and services such that they adhere to the following:
9.6.1 Multifunctional parks and open space will be strategically located to provide convenient access and designed to accommodate diverse and changing needs and interests.
9.6.3 Minimized barriers to the use of municipal facilities, programs or services.
9.6.4 Recreation programs will consider the needs of the most vulnerable populations.
9.6.5 Parks and open space will be designed for year-round use, whenever possible.
The Recreation Facility Plan, 2010-2020 (2010)
Policies: Develop a site-specific plan to rebuild the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands as a neighbourhood hub facility that satisfies contemporary needs through a community consultation and visioning process.
Recreation Master Plan (2019)
The redevelopment of the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands is supported by the values of the Recreation Master Plan to cluster recreation elements where appropriate to achieve efficiencies, expand use and maximize the provision of sport, culture and recreation opportunities at centralized locations. The elements included in the options presented, coupled with those already in Regent Pool Park reflect not only some of the top priorities noted by the community as part of the engagement process for this project, but also nine of the top eleven outdoor priorities of the Recreation Master Plan (p. 46).
Transportation Master Plan (2017)
Policies: TMP Cycling Priority Network shows a multi-use pathway/boulevard trail along the north storm channel through the Regent Par 3 Golf Course lands and Regent Pool Park, connecting to the North Storm Channel multi-use pathway in the west and connecting south-east to the downtown via Pony Park and the Canadian National Railway right-of-way.
2.11 Ensure neighbourhood transportation planning provides integration of multiple modes within neighbourhoods and connectivity between adjacent neighbourhoods.
2.20 Leverage infill development in existing neighbourhoods to address transportation needs and gaps and to expand multi-modal transportation options.
4.12 Expand the current multi-use pathway network. Priority should be placed on creating pathways to destinations such as schools and activity centres and improving connections between the pathway network and on-street facilities.
Comprehensive Housing Strategy (2014)
Strategy 2: Leverage the City’s land assets to increase the supply of rental, affordable and special needs housing, promote the diversity of housing and support the creation of complete neighbourhoods.
Open Space Management Strategy (2007)
The Coronation Park Neighbourhood has sufficient neighbourhood level open space for its current population. Reclassifying the municipal golf course lands as neighbourhood open space and redeveloping them into a community recreation hub will increase the neighbourhood level open space and improve the overall quality of Coronation Park’s open spaces.
Other Implications
Each of the development options comes with a different level of risk and reward. Administration’s recommended redevelopment option, Seniors Assisted Living plus Recreation Facilities has the following risks and potential rewards.
Risk:
The scale of the project requires a national level private developer/service provider or the Provincial Housing/Health Authorities. A preliminary market sounding identified that providers are looking for properties; however, they did not have interest in a similarly sized site to the west at the former Ken Jenkins School, though this may have been due to other factors like zoning. The development process for this type of facility is therefore likely to be slower than standard market housing.
Opportunity:
Net revenue from land sales for this property may be higher than all of the other options on a per square metre basis due to the type and density of development and the limited amount of public right-of-way necessary to support the development.
The Regent Par 3 lands are currently located at the centre of a neighbourhood lacking in play opportunities. While there are swings, a slide and teeter-totters adjacent to ACT Ball Park, which appear to have been installed in the 1960s, the nearest modern play structures to these lands are located at St. Peter and Kitchener Schools 1.0 and .9km walking distance respectively. Redevelopment of the golf course lands into a neighbourhood park and establishment of a large accessible play structure in this location will fill an existing gap in access to play space, bringing all properties between McKinley Avenue and Sherwood Drive into conformity with the Open Space Management Strategy’s Guidelines for a Reasonable Walking Distance to a Neighbourhood Park.
Parking was raised as a significant concern by several respondents to the design options. To better understand whether parking was likely to be an issue at this location, Administration compared the available on-street and off-street parking at the Regent Par 3 and Regent Pool Parks combined, with available parking at the Northwest, South and Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centres. As indicated in the table below, available parking at the Regent Par 3 / Regent Pool site exceeds the parking provided at two of the City’s three leisure centres. Combined with the minimum parking provisions required by the Zoning Bylaw for new housing and the planned provision of multi-use pathway, future on-street bikeways and existing sidewalk connections to the site, Administration believes that parking provision at the Regent lands will be sufficient to meet users needs without negatively impacting adjacent residents.
Location | On-street Parking | Off-street Parking | Total Stalls |
Regent Par 3 / Regent Pool Park | 150 | 40 | 190 |
Northwest Leisure Centre | 49 | 190 | 239 |
South Leisure Centre | 40 | 100 | 140 |
Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre | 0 | 155 | 155 |
Accessibility Implications
Access to the park space along with design elements such as the spray pad, playground, picnic areas, pathways and a potential off-leash dog-park will be designed to be accessible, increasing city-wide access to such facilities for persons with disabilities.
COMMUNICATIONS
Since 2015, Administration has engaged with residents in a variety of ways, including: conducting an online recreation needs assessment, two public workshops, two online surveys, a community design workshop and an on-line and in-person review of proposed development options. Mailouts were sent three times to over 9,000 households each time inviting public feedback. Social media, and social media advertising along with a project web page were also used to reach out to the community. The most recent engagement process which sought feedback on the four redevelopment options resulted in 1189 individual pieces of feedback which can be reviewed along with prior project updates and engagement reports on Regina.ca.
Stakeholders were notified when this report was posted online and invited to attend the Community & Protective Services Committee meeting on June 13, 2019.
DELEGATED AUTHORITY
The recommendations contained within this report require City Council approval.
Respectfully submitted,
COMMUNITY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMITTEE
{Signature}