Discretionary Use Proposal

District Builders Ltd. has applied for Discretionary Use approval to develop a Residential Care Home - Type II at 103 Ells Crescent in the Kensington neighbourhood. The proposed care home would accommodate a maximum of 15 residents and two staff members at any given time. Five on-site parking spaces are required and will be provided on the property’s driveway and attached garage (as outlined under the Site Plan tab). 

This site is zoned R1B - Small Lot One-Unit Residential District under Bylaw No. 8770, The City of Saskatoon Zoning Bylaw (Zoning Bylaw). This zoning district permits small lot residential development in the form of one-unit dwellings as well as related community uses. A Residential Care Home - Type II is considered a Discretionary Use in the R1B District.

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Site Plan

What is a Discretionary Use?

All property in the City of Saskatoon is assigned a zoning designation. Within each zoning designation, specific land uses are either permitted, prohibited, or discretionary. A Discretionary Use is a land use that is generally consistent with the permitted uses in a zoning district. As per Section 4.7.2 of the Zoning Bylaw, a Discretionary Use may be allowed either at the discretion of City Council or City Administration. Either approving authority can approve, approve with conditions, or deny a Discretionary Use application. The approving authority for a Residential Care Home – Type II on a pre-designated site in the R1B District is City Administration.

The Planning and Development Department evaluates Discretionary Use applications on a case-by-case basis considering the site itself, as well as the surrounding context including nearby land uses. A Discretionary Use approval is applied to a specific site, not the applicant. Any change in size or intensity of the use approved would require a new Discretionary Use application.

What is a Residential Care Home?

The Zoning Bylaw defines a Residential Care Home as a “licensed or approved group care home governed by Provincial regulations that provides, in a residential setting, 24 hour care of persons in need of personal services, supervision or assistance essential for sustaining the activities of daily living or for the protection of the individual”. Type II is defined as a “residential care home in which the number of residents, excluding staff, is more than five and not more than 15”.

Process for Reviewing and Approving a Discretionary Use Application

When a Discretionary Use application is received by the Planning and Development Department, it is circulated to internal Civic Departments to identify conformance or conflict with the Official Community Plan, the Zoning Bylaw, and any other applicable policies and regulations.  Departments that review the application include Planning and Development, Transportation & Construction, Environment & Utilities, Fire & Protective Services, and Building Standards.

Once the application has been reviewed by internal Civic Departments, public consultation on the application is undertaken.  Registered property owners typically within 150 metres of the subject site and the Ward Councillor are notified of the proposed Discretionary Use application as per the City’s Public Notice Policy.  When considered necessary, a public information meeting may be held to provide information to area residents on the Discretionary Use application, answer questions, and receive feedback.

Information collected from the internal review and public consultation processes will be considered by City Administration.  The application may then be approved, approved with conditions, or denied.