FAQs

An Official Community Plan (OCP) sets out a municipality’s long-term strategic direction for growth and change.

An OCP provides a policy framework to guide a city’s physical, economic, social and cultural development.

The OCP also helps a municipality to manage its growth and development over the long term. For example, to set goals, objectives and policies that a council can use to plan for and manage land use, subdivisions, municipal services and public utilities.

The City of Regina’s OCP includes Growth and Phasing Plans which outline phases of growth, including new neighbourhoods, industrial employment areas and redevelopment opportunities in mature areas of the city like the City Centre.

The current Growth Plan directs 30% of new residential growth to occur through redevelopment (or “intensification”) in established neighbourhoods and 70% to occur through the development of new neighbourhoods near the edge of the city.

The Phasing Plan sequences the development of new neighbourhoods over three phases. OCP policy requires that 75% of new neighbourhoods in a particular phase must be approved before the development of neighbourhoods in the next phase can begin.

The City approved the current OCP in 2013. It was intended to manage the City of Regina’s growth to a population of 300,000 and set the stage for longer-term growth and change.

The City has grown differently and more rapidly than was anticipated in 2013 when the OCP was approved.

Since our current population is expected to reach 300,000 by 2039, we need to develop an updated plan to guide growth and development over the next two and a half decades.

The City uses the Growth Plan to identify which areas will be new residential neighbourhoods or industrial lands, as well as which existing areas should be targeted for intensification and development.

The Phasing Plan provides further direction on the order in which new neighbourhoods are to be developed.

The City also uses the Growth and Phasing Plans to plan and coordinate new infrastructure (e.g. wastewater trunks), services (e.g. transit), amenities (e.g. recreational facilities) and other investments.

This helps ensure that investments are made in a strategic and cost-effective manner.

According to a recent Statistics Canada estimate, Regina’s population as of July 1, 2024, is approximately 255,395.

Based on a recent Growth Study, Regina is projected to grow to a population of 369,600 by 2051.

In addition to the anticipated population growth, the Growth Study projects that by 2051, the city will have 68,200 jobs and 56,900 additional housing units compared to the 2021 Census.