New rules may be on way for riverbank
A proposal for a new zoning district along portions of the east riverbank is working its way to Saskatoon city council.
An administration report headed to a Tuesday meeting of the city’s municipal planning commission points to two areas where new buildings, additions to homes and certain landscaping would have to meet new requirements, if approved by council.
Kara Fagnou, director of building standards for the city, said the proposed regulations were developed following studies of what’s done in other cities, as well as reviews of geological data and ongoing monitoring of the riverbank.
“What the regulations are aimed at is ensuring that homeowners obtain current geological assessments and engineering advice so that their future developments are designed for a factor of safety with respect to the property in the area.”
The administration is calling for a special district comprised of two zones. The first zone would include properties between Mcpherson Avenue and Victoria Avenue. The second zone would run from the University Bridge to Victoria Avenue and from Eighth Street East to just past Hilliard Street. Both zones are confined to within 30 metres of the top of the riverbank.
Property owners in both zones would be required to pay for geotechnical reports before proceeding with larger projects, such as building new dwellings, additions with an area of more than 10 square metres, or attached garages. Site grading in Zone 1 would also be subject to a geotechnical report, while grading in Zone 2 could be done without one. Inground swimming pools would be prohibited outright in both zones.
Smaller projects, such as decks, sheds and raised patios smaller than 10 square metres in Zone 1 would also require either a geotechnical report or an engineer’s letter assuring that the work wouldn’t contribute to slope failure. No report would be needed in Zone 2 for detached accessory buildings, raised patios, or decks smaller than 10 square metres.
Fagnou said proposed regulations were crafted following consultations with homeowners, real estate agents, developers and engineers. She said an average geotechnical assessment would cost around $10,000, subject to change depending on the project and on the specific conditions of a site.
Ward 7 Coun. Mairin Loewen took part in portions of the consultations. While she stressed she couldn’t speak to areas outside her ward included in the proposed zoning district, she said she hadn’t received any pushback from property owners so far. She noted residents would have a chance to speak both at Tuesday’s planning commission meeting and before any final council vote on the proposal.
“I’m pleased with the process that’s been followed,” she said of the consultations leading up to the report.
The administration report stated there’s been no recent significant movement of the slope in recent years. It also found that groundwater in the area has receded since 2012, the year when the slope of the riverbank along 11th Street shifted an estimated 1.5 metres, destroying a portion of one homeowner’s stone patio and damaging a power line in the alley between 11th Street and Saskatchewan Crescent East.
Fagnou said the administration’s proposed regulations would provide a clear standard for property owners, but said slope failure remains an unpredictable phenomenon that could still reoccur in the future.