Expanding Citywide Housing Options

The City is reviewing and updating our planning policies and zoning regulations to remove barriers to housing development and enable the delivery of housing options that meet the needs of our growing city.

The Expanding Citywide Housing Options project advances five planning policy initiatives outlined in the City’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Action Plan. For more information on the City's HAF Action Plan, please visit: www.regina.ca/haf

This work has been advanced in phases over the last nine months, with the City approving amendments to the Zoning Bylaw and Official Community Plan to support the delivery of diverse housing options in all neighbourhoods. For additional details on the phases of this work, please read the posts in the News Feed below.

To keep informed of future work related to this project, please sign up at the top right-hand corner of this page.

The City is reviewing and updating our planning policies and zoning regulations to remove barriers to housing development and enable the delivery of housing options that meet the needs of our growing city.

To keep informed of future work related to this project, please sign up at the top right-hand corner of this page.

CLOSED. We are not currently accepting questions through this tool. If you would like to connect with the team, you can reach us at the email listed on the top right side of the page.

If you have questions about how these changes will affect you and your community, you can ask them here.

When does Administration plan on initiating the HAF updating/destruction of the Neighbourhood Plans that discourages home ownership? When does this "updating plan" get presented to City Council? Home-owners and potential home owners need to have an opportunity to present their side and the impact it will have on home ownership in our residential areas? We certainly don't need more wealthy and greedy corporate ownership of residences; the main thrust of HAF appears to be increasing the amount of rental properties in the residential market place under the guise of a "housing crisis". Why are you using the phrase "housing crisis" in your information text?

Rider Prider asked about 1 month ago

Thank you for reaching out. Administration plans to present a report containing proposed amendments to Neighbourhood Plans at the September 17, 2024, RPC meeting and the September 25, 2024, City Council meeting. Once agendas are confirmed for these meetings, we will inform all BeHeard subscribers through a newsletter.

The term "housing crisis" is derived from a federal statement which asserts that "Canada is in a housing crisis, and all levels of government must collaborate to incentivize the construction of new homes to make housing more affordable and attainable for all Canadians." In line with many other Canadian cities, Regina has experienced significant population growth over the past year, which has increased housing demand. To address this, the Expanding Citywide Housing Options initiative aims to facilitate the development of diverse housing types across all neighbourhoods to keep up with this growth.

Please stay tuned to the BeHeard page for updates on the meeting dates where the proposed Neighbourhood Plan amendments will be discussed.
I'm concerned that the city is going to turn Lakeview into another Harbour Landing just so you can cash in on some federal money. We'll lose our unique neighbourhoods that are safe, quiet and you have your privacy. Has the city taken into account the increased police presence that will be required once single family homes are turned into apartment complexes that house 50+ people?

reilj1 asked about 2 months ago

The amendments support the development of new and renewed housing options in all neighbourhoods throughout the city and the delivery of higher density residential development in proximity to main transit routes and hubs. This aligns with direction in the Official Community Plan and Energy and Sustainability Framework and supports access for residents to amenities and services.
Criminal activity is related to many complex factors and is not known to be tied to specific built forms of housing. The Regina Police Service is responsible for responding to criminal activities and for administering the Criminal Code.
I don’t support changing neighborhoods and allowing developments that don’t fit and could potentially reduce property values of adjacent properties. Higher density housing units should be allowed along corridors and transit routes, but council needs to retain approval for all changes to discretionary use land parcels. We don’t want unelected individuals making arbitrary decisions.

ctginter asked about 2 months ago

Thank you for sharing your perspective. The bylaw changes approved by City Council reduce the number of projects that would be considered as discretionary use.

Discretionary Uses are identified land uses or building types within a zone that are subject to the review process outlined in the Zoning Bylaw and have specific criteria for approval. Discretionary use applications that have a higher impact within a residential area or raise significant concerns through the public notice process are deferred to City Council for a decision.

All rezoning applications, inculding those that increase the potential density of land beyond what is permitted, will require City Council's approval.
I fully support the removal of the Neighborhood Plans in its entirety. Density should be for all and not for some. Neighborhood plans create bureaucratic processes and inflexible regulations, skew priorities that benefit a few rather than a broader community and highlight resistance to change amongst residents (NIMBYism)

hmcginnis asked 2 months ago

Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Given the removal of parking minimums for developments, as well as the new policies being explored to (rightfully so) enable and encourage mid-higher density developments within the city, are there any plans to increase the reliability / capacity of Regina Transit? As a large amount for project costs for mid-rise and higher are due to the need for extensive amounts of underground / surface parking, as such, transit needs to be further built into something which can serve as a reliable alternative to driving in our city. Are there any plans or studies regarding investment into transit (BRT, LRT, increasing frequencies, signal priority, segregated bus / bike lanes) being considered to further support these developments?

Cj_Cole asked 2 months ago

The Regina Transit Master Plan (adopted in 2022) provides direction and guides the City's near- and long-term actions to improve transit service and expand mobility options for residents, employees and visitors in Regina. One priority for increasing the reliability and capacity of Regina Transit is to increase service hours and frequencies for all routes, with an immediate focus on increasing frequencies on the main/express routes (Routes 30, 40, 50 and 60). These main transit routes are intended to form the basis of future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service once ridership and route frequencies increase (between 10 – 15 minutes).

Transit routes are also continuously monitored and adjusted as required to provide service to developing neighbourhoods to ensure they meet our service coverage standards.
What are the minor amendments to the downtown neighborhood plan and why aren't the minor amendments just provided rather than having to ask?

Kyle Addison asked 2 months ago

The only changes Administration has identified for the Downtown Neighborhood Plan are related to removing references to the old Zoning Bylaw (No. 9250) and references to the Transition Area Neighbourhood Plan (area south of Downtown) that is recommended for repeal. These minor changes were thoroughly considered in all plans but not included in the draft recommendations document. The draft focuses on those neighbourhood plans that are recommended for repeal while keeping certain policies as Area Specific Policies.
Once the city council finally approves the zoning bylaw amendments necessary to qualify for the HAF, what will be the areas of focus for city planning to improve housing availability for residents? When will the city actually proceed with development plans for the Railyard and Taylor field revitalization projects? These plans were used to sell everyone on building a new stadium and nothing has been communicated about these proposed plans ever since.

Ian Leverington asked 3 months ago

In addition to the adoption of the zoning bylaw amendments, the City is currently reviewing potential programs to support the development of housing in key areas. This includes inner-city neighbourhoods that are currently facing acute housing challenges and are good candidates for in-fill and higher-density developments. Both the Railyards and Taylor Field sites are undergoing continued studies as to how to best utilize these city-held lands.
When will council be considering/amending the OCP and localized neighbourhood and area plans and updating the city’s infill development standards?

cesler asked 4 months ago

City Administration are aiming to bring a report to City Council in September regarding any amendments to Neighbourhood Plans. Evaluation of the City's development standards (including infill standards) will begin in Fall 2024.
Can you share with me why the city of Saskatoon received $41.3 million and the city of Regina recieved $35 million?

324katepwa asked 5 months ago

The Housing Accelerator Fund program has a scoring system that assigns dollar values based on several factors including the number of units proposed to be built. They also have a series of affordable housing bonuses available. Because the number and type of units proposed will vary from city to city, their HAF funding will vary as well.
The city of Saskatoon initiative 6 is addressing supportive housing - does the City of Regina address supportive housing?

324katepwa asked 5 months ago

While none of the City of Regina's HAF initiatives directly address supportive housing, several of the initiatives help to remove some of the obstacles to their development.