Groundwork is set to lay out the Regina of the future
The city was buzzing last summer and fall as the citizen engagement phase of the Design Regina process was underway, and on March 27 the Design Regina project team shared the final draft community priorities at several Design Regina public information meetings held in the Cathedral area. The City of Regina staff worked very hard over the past year to capture feedback from Regina citizens and stakeholders, and did a great job of communicating the results of that process at the public information events.
The Design Regina project team explained how the community priorities will lay the ground work for determining the city’s new Official Community Plan which will guide growth and development in our city for the next 25 years. This is the plan that will determine what our future Regina will look like.
The project team came up with the following list of community priorities: Develop complete neighbourhoods; Embrace and invest in arts, culture, sport and recreation; Support the availability of diverse housing options; Create better ways of getting around; Promote conservation & environmental stewardship; Achieve financial sustainability; Foster economic prosperity; And optimize regional cooperation.
These priorities will be submitted to City Council for approval on April 30 and if approved, Phase 4 of the Design Regina process will involve translating these priorities into policy development.
Having looked at the Official Community Plans of many municipalities across North America one thing is clear. They all look very similar. Individuals and families have similar aspirations no matter where they live. The home building industry is supportive of the community priorities that have come out of the public engagement process. The vision laid out in these priorities and that of the residential construction industry are well aligned.
Take the priority of developing complete communities for example. This is defined as creating safe and inclusive neighbourhoods that are easy to get around and that have a mix of housing choices, amenities, and services. A study that was conducted last summer on Regina’s newest neighbourhoods noted that many of our community developers are already incorporating these ideas in their new community designs. Developers are embracing these ideas in plans for their future new neighbourhoods as well.
The same was found for the priority of supporting the availability of diverse housing options. This same study found that our community developers and home builders are striving to provide innovative new housing forms — everything from lane product to multi-unit complexes to new housing forms with reduced front yard setbacks like we are seeing in the next phase of development in Harbour Landing — innovative forms that are more affordable and appeal to all lifestyles and many income levels.
All of this despite the fact that the current Official Community Plan is actually working as a deterrent to innovation. This is one reason why a new OCP is so desperately needed. Our current OCP is so badly outdated, that it is actually stifling innovation. The City of Regina understands this and is in agreement with the industry on this point.
Where concern from the industry arises is in the execution of the new OCP. Many questions were asked by both private citizens and stakeholder groups at the March 27th event about what opportunity there will be for continued input from citizens and stakeholders. These were very good questions and the industry shares the community’s’ concerns about a continued process of collaboration with the City.
We are the industry that builds our city’s new homes and neighbourhoods. The OCP impacts our industry directly.
Through the Design Regina process, the City of Regina has left us with the impression that they want to hear what stakeholders and citizens have to say. But will this translate into continued collaboration when policies are transformed into bylaws and regulations? How this administration manages the details of the implementation is everything. Will they continue on with the spirit of collaboration, or, will they take a paternalistic and prescriptive approach?
A prescriptive approach will have a negative impact on the growth and development industry. With this type of approach, municipalities assume the role of ‘experts’ who must define the ‘right’ way of doing things, and then need coercion to ensure people follow the rules and regulations. This approach will result in an antagonistic relationship between the municipality and the building industry and will also have the effect of stifling innovation. The home building industry requires flexibility in coming up with innovative designs that meet the ever-changing needs of the market.
Our sleeves are rolled up and we are ready and able to work toward achieving a shared vision — a vision that is shared with citizens, and the City of Regina. We can do this best through collaboration and by continuing to be involved and heard in the process. The City of Regina assures us and Regina citizens, that we will all continue to be included in the process that defines the growth and development of our city. We are one stakeholder group that is prepared to hold them to it.