The Official Community Plan

The Planning and Development Branch is responsible for preparing and maintaining the City of Saskatoon Official Community Plan and corresponding Land Use Map. The Official Community Plan is a legal bylaw to ensure that land development "takes place in an orderly and rational manner, balancing the environmental, social, and economic needs of the community" (Official Community Plan, Section 1.2). The Official Community Plan contains specific definitions and policies for the development of land, which helps to define land use, separate incompatible land uses, and manage growth and change.

The Official Community Plan sets policy for corporate programs, and under the authority of The Planning and Development Act, 2007, guides City Council in making development decisions using “a comprehensive policy framework to guide the physical, environmental, economic, social and cultural development of the municipality” (Planning and Development Act, Section 31). This includes managing land use, utilities, conservation, municipal facilities, housing, new community development, neighbourhood renewal, and the "coordination of municipal programs relating to development” (Planning and Development Act, Section 32).

Residential Land Use Policy

The City of Saskatoon Official Community Plan states that the objective in applying residential land use policy is "to develop sustainable neighbourhoods that offer a quality living environment, meeting the needs of a variety of household types and incomes, in an efficient and environmentally sensitive way" (Official Community Plan, Section 5.1). In conjunction with this mandate, the Planning and Development Branch has developed and maintained a number of projects and programs to ensure that residential neighbourhoods in Saskatoon are comprehensively planned to maintain community efficiency over the long term.

Commercial Land Use Policy

The Planning and Development Branch acts to facilitate community economic development through regulations that are both clear and flexible.

Partnerships have been formed between the Planning and Development Branch, Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA), the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and several other interests groups to develop and facilitate community involvement in revitalization strategies, and to share knowledge that helps support measures to attract greater human and capital investment in Saskatoon and its region.

In compliance with the Official Community Plan, commercial land use policies exist to "maintain a hierarchy of planned commercial focal points throughout the community, including a strong Downtown and appropriate allocations of commercial activity in other nodes and corridors based on defined trade area requirements and locational policies" (Official Community Plan, Section 6.0.1). The Planning and Development Branch has implemented a number of programs, policies, and activities which support and encourage commercial development in the City of Saskatoon.

Industrial Land Use Policy

The City of Saskatoon Official Community Plan contains policies to guide industrial land use and development. The Development Plan states the following objectives:

• “To promote economic development by providing an adequate supply of industrial land, in locations and in industrial use categories that are consistent with market requirements; and
• To ensure that industrial activity is consistent with maintaining a high quality built and natural environment over the long term.” (Official Community Plan, Section 7.0.1)

 The Official Community Plan contains four industrial land use designations:

1.       Business Park, which is a high quality business and industrial park environment.

2.       Light Industrial, which is mainstream industrial development that does not create land use conflicts in the normal course of operations.

3.       Heavy Industrial: which includes manufacturing and processing, and has the potential to create land use conflicts in the normal course of operations.

4.       Environmental Industrial Park: which includes the safe storage, handling and processing of dangerous or hazardous products.

Comprehensive Land Use Policy Development

The Planning and Development Branch regularly undertakes broad reviews of the policies of the Official Community Plan, with input from residents and from stakeholder groups including community associations, business groups, school boards, and government.  These initiatives give all participants the opportunity to better understand the fabric from which Saskatoon is made, so that the social, economic and environmental policies of the Official Community Plan best reflect the needs of the community as a whole.