Council passes Yards Neighbourhood Plan framework, body rub parlour zoning

The City of Regina now has a plan to move forward in developing its vacant rail yard lands.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Yards Neighbourhood Plan — which provides the policy framework to start the preparation of building residential, commercial and entertainment infrastructure in those areas — was unanimously passed by council.

However, that was after nearly three hours of debate.

Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins was the most vocal in the discussion, telling his fellow councillors the plan deserves a “U grade,” emphasizing that he found it lacked sustainability.

“I thought it was unexciting, I thought it was unimaginative, I thought the report was uncreative — that’s why the letter U,” Hawkins explained. “It is an exciting project with the lands, but the report didn’t have any of that buzz about it.”

After hearing Hawkins’ remarks, Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens decided to put forward an amendment — which later passed — asking that the strategy moving forward commit to making the Yards Neighbourhood Plan an environmentally friendly “net-zero community.”

In appreciation of the amendment, Hawkins seconded it.

“That sets our goal, that’s where we want to go. And it sends a powerful message to the planners that, ‘We’re not kidding about this. (Sustainability) is the new normal and you have to accept that,’ right from the first moment,” Hawkins explained, adding he’d like to see provisions for electric vehicles and greywater systems built into the new areas.

Mayor Michael Fougere agreed that sustainability is “top of mind for council,” noting there’s a conference on the topic coming up in the spring that the City hopes to get inspiration from.

“Council wants to infuse future discussions on development in different neighbourhoods with that idea in mind. What that looks like? We don’t know that yet, but a sustainable community and downtown is a critical showcase of what we can do,” he explained.

The second amendment, Fougere noted, is a more “broadly-based discussion.”

The mayor put forward the idea of creating a City Centre District, made up of the Regina Warehouse Business Improvement District (BID), Regina Downtown BID and Regina Exhibition Association Limited. It would help guide and move along the process of developing the currently vacant City-owned land, like the old Taylor Field site and rail yards.

“We’ll have the city centre working as a coordinated entity to say, ‘Let’s make sure we get this right, that we have the right staging of it and the right leadership,’ ” Fougere said.

City administration, in collaboration with the City Centre District, is set to present an implementation plan report to the Planning and Priorities Committee by the end of the second quarter of this year.

Body rub parlour zoning finalized

After months of ongoing discussions, council finalized the zoning around body rub parlours in the city Wednesday evening.

Councillors passed a one-block buffer zone between the parlours and schools, parks, daycares, enclosed rinks, libraries, community centres, places of worship, recreation centres, “sensitive lots” and other massage parlours. There will also be no grandfathering in of already-existing body rub establishments; Fougere said that would have only impacted one business known to the City.

The mayor called the final decision a “compromise,” as it includes the shorter distance but with a few added places in which the buffer zone would apply.

“We have some different perspectives on council, so I’m glad that the distances we’re talking about have been settled and they’ll be worked into the bylaw,” he said.

With the zoning element around body rub parlours now put to rest, Fougere noted council’s next and final step in the coming months is to create the licensing provisions around the establishments.

U-Pass extended to the spring, summer semesters

Council agreed to extend the U-Pass program, the University of Regina’s student transit pass, through the spring and summer semesters Wednesday night.

It comes after the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) held a referendum last March and found that it was in demand.

“For the students, the benefits are relatively straight-forward. First, a U-Pass for four months typically costs less than simply plating your vehicle for one month. Thus, the barrier-to-entry for post-secondary education can be substantially lowered,” Neil Middlemiss, operations manager with URSU, told council.

With no financial implication to the city, Fougere said it was an easy decision.

On the other hand, Hawkins — the only councillor to vote down the spring/summer U-Pass motion — said he can’t hop on board.

Although he acknowledges the benefits the university transit pass has on some students and the city alike, he said it’s not a win for everyone.

“Who’s paying for this? I’ll tell you who’s paying for it: The 50 per cent of students who never even bothered to pick up their U-Pass — they don’t need the U-Pass, yet they’re forced to pay,” Hawkins explained. “I’m not sure it makes any sense to have students who aren’t particularly well off subsidizing other students who aren’t particularly well off. I think there’s got to be a better way to do it.”

The spring/summer U-Pass is set to launch in May.