City council takes step toward changing Regina's density bylaws as $36M hangs in the balance

Regina city council has approved a motion that would allow builders to make new residential buildings more dense and add more units to existing buildings.

It helps clear the way for the City of Regina to secure up to $36.2 million from the federal government's housing accelerator grant program, which would be used to drive 1,100 permit approvals for housing units in Regina by 2026.

The 1,100 permits would be on top of the usual number of housing units.

All councillors in the chamber supported the motion on Wednesday. Ward 4 Coun. Lori Bresciani recused herself due to her family's development interests and Ward 8 Coun. Shanon Zachidniak was absent. 

The plan is to make the city centre more dense, address gaps in middle-income housing in neighbourhoods, cut housing-related red tape for some applications, and support the conversion of non-residential buildings to residential use.

The city also plans to remove parking minimums for developments near main transit routes.

"I can see the wisdom in [the motion]," said Ward 9 Coun. Jason Mancinelli. "This hits a lot of the right strokes, so I'm in."

All of the changes will need to be approved by council at a later date in the form of bylaw amendments.

As staff members repeatedly told councillors, the proposed changes will be transformational to neighbourhoods and to the process staff will follow to approve development. 

Broad support from delegates

The majority of the 10 delegates who addressed council on Wednesday spoke in favour of the motion.

They included Vanessa Mathews, a professor at the University of Regina who researches urban space and urban planning, and has been following the city's densification efforts for just over a decade.

People should understand that this type of motion will support middle-income housing density, like multiplexes, she said. 

"These are spaces that quite often fit in quite seamlessly into our neighbourhood," said Mathews.

"If we continue to develop outward without having the growth that's taking place in core areas, then we're going to end up really paying the price, and the costs are going to go up for servicing these areas in the future."

Organizations including the Saskatchewan Realtors Association, Regina & Region Home Builders' Association and the National Affordable Housing Corporation also spoke in favour of the proposed changes, along with developers such Terra Developments Inc. and the Argyle Development Group. 

Other delegates, like Jim Elliott — who has run to become Regina's mayor in the past three elections — were somewhat opposed. He said he agrees with the intent, but not the city's planned execution.

He proposed using the Taylor Field area for development rather than opening up buildings for more units.

"Because the Taylor Fields yards are under the city's control, they have a lot more potential to say, 'OK, we're going to do this,'" he said.

"[And] hopefully, in many cases, you could actually see housing built within the next two or three years."