City Council in Brief - March Edition | 2020

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In brief, here are three items of public interest that were discussed during the March 2020 City Council meeting. The full agenda can be accessed here.

Please note that in line with the City of Saskatoon’s request for citizens to assist with controlling the spread of COVID-19 we encourage you to email a letter at saskatoon.ca providing comments as an alternative to attending the meeting. This meeting of City Council took place through teleconference and was recorded, as per any other City Council meeting.

COVID-19 Update

A Special Meeting of City Council was convened on March 19, 2020 to address economic relief measures for residents of Saskatoon. These measures included:

  • Suspending utility disconnections until September 30, 2020;
  • Suspending late payment charges on all utility accounts until September 30,2020;
    • To continue generating bill reminders and other related notices for customers in arrears so that they may stay informed of their current situation;
  • Allow property owners an additional 3 months (to September 30) to pay their bill without incurring any penalties on their 2020 taxes;
    • To continue to generate property tax bills for delivery in May 2020;
  • Property owners who have participated in the City’s lead pipe replacement program are allowed to have the City pay the contractor for the cost of pipe replacement in which the cost is added to the property owner’s tax bill interest-free.

Many other measures have been taken in regards to community and staff safety that do not require City Council approval (e.g. transit, playgrounds, walkways). For the most up to date information visit saskatoon.ca/covid-19.

During the March 23, 2020 City Council meeting it was confirmed that there would be a suspension of pay parking requirements. More information is available here.  

Please note that parking enforcement staff will continue to enforce safety related parking infractions, including:

  • parking in “no stopping”, or “no parking” zones;
  • parking in reserved parking spaces or accessible parking spaces; and
  • parking in alleys (unless actively loading or unloading).

 

Briarwood Neighbourhood Traffic Review (SPC Transportation)

The Briarwood Neighbourhood Traffic Review has been finalized based on traffic analysis, field observations and feedback from residents (emails, phone calls, social media, meetings, etc.). The plan came to the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation on Monday, March 2, 2020 for endorsement.
 
The report is available for review through the public agenda and at saskatoon.ca/NTR
 
Installation of the Briarwood Traffic Plan will begin as early as spring 2020. Traffic calming measures (e.g. median islands and curb extensions) will be installed temporarily and evaluated for effectiveness. Measures that are deemed effective will be prioritized for permanent installation as funding allows.
Recognizing the special considerations surrounding the Briarwood Community Centre, I moved the a recommendation to accompany the NTR that at the appropriate time, while the Administration is reviewing the posted speed limit residential review, that the Briarwood Community Center be included for consideration as a playground zone. There has been much discussion regarding speeding, snow clearing and parking linked to this site, which was not able to be addressed during the NTR. This is best addressed through the posted speed limit residential review currently underway.

Transit Corridor Parking Standards Adjustment

The purpose of this Bylaw is to amend the Zoning Bylaw to reduce the minimum parking requirements for multiple-unit dwellings along high-frequency transit corridors. This supports an implementation priority of the Corridor Planning Program and represents an early step toward encouraging transit-oriented development along the future Bus Rapid Transit network.

This amendment will reduce the minimum number of required parking spaces from the current standard of 1 to 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit (depending on zoning district), to 0.9 spaces per dwelling unit, and 0.75 spaces per small dwelling unit (56 m2 or less). The minimum number of additional spaces for visitor parking will remain unchanged, at 0.125 visitor spaces per dwelling unit.

The direction provided during the January 2020 City Council meeting was brought forward for implementation through a zoning bylaw amendment where the Corridor Transformation Plan was endorsed to guide future corridor land use planning activities as the basis for implementing the Corridor Growth Portfolio of the Growth Plan.

The full report, including the engagement results can be found here as agenda item 6.1.9 on pages 135 - 157 as part of the Public Hearings.