Council rejects proposed lane closures
Two years of work trying to reach consensus on closing a couple of quirky alleyways adjacent to Saskatoon’s downtown failed to produce a solution city council could support.
Council decided unanimously at Monday’s public hearing meeting to reject the proposed closure of two lanes on the block southwest of the intersection of Idylwyld Drive and 22nd Street.
The administration had recommended the north-south lane connecting to 22nd be closed, as well as the east-west lane connecting to Idylwyld on the east side and Avenue B South on the west.
Two of the five private property owners who would have been affected by the lane closures opposed the idea, while two others appeared Monday to voice their support.
“I want to thank everyone who came to present tonight, and administration for two years trying to come up with a solution here and trying to see what’s possible,” Mayor Charlie Clark told Monday’s meeting. “And I know that takes time and that a consensus can’t always be reached.”
If council had approved the lane closures, the city planned to sell the north-south lane to two adjacent property owners. The east-west lane would have been transferred to the Saskatoon Fire Department, which occupies the south half of the block with its Fire Hall No. 1.
The fire department already uses part of one lane for parking. Chief Morgan Hackl said the department has run out of space for visitors parking on its property.
Had the lane closure proceeded, Market Tire, located on Idylwyld, would have been sold part of the land for $120,060 and SSEV Holdings Ltd., which owns a property on Avenue B, would have been sold another part for $150,060.
Stan Maw of SSEV told council the lane has become a problem due to people crossing the company’s property to get to Idylwyld. SSEV settled an insurance claim for people who slipped on ice, even though they were trespassing on SSEV property, Maw said.
“So this is a big concern for us in terms of security and legalities.”
David Wurmlinger, who owns the property on the corner of Idylwyld and 22nd where the Premium Home Leisure store is located, said he was surprised by the city’s closure bid.
“We didn’t support any closure of the lane,” Wurmlinger told council. “It’s crazy.”
Tim Burns of Citylife Investment Corp., which owns the property on 22nd where The Joint head shop is located, wrote to council to object to the closure.
The hour-long hearing required the use of a projected map of the block in Riversdale several times to clarify questions and concerns.
“You can tell we’re not engineers on this council,” Coun. Bev Dubois said.