Since 2021 we have been working with residents, businesses and other stakeholders on what a re-imagined College Corridor could look like. The team hosted a come-and-go event on September 20th where we discussed changes to land use and zoning for the area, and considered how the new Corridor Zoning District regulations align with the vision for the College Corridor Plan area.
The display boards and online feedback form are provided below for those interested:
Note: For information on the series of public engagement sessions later this year on Corridor Land Use Planning for other corridor areas across Saskatoon, please visit the Corridor Land Use and Rezoning engagement page.
Archived Presentations
We have created a dedicated playlist on YouTube that will host all our previous presentations so you can review all the background information to date in one convenient place.
Accessible versions of reports in Wordformat are available upon request.
Previous Discussions
Please see the sections below for presentations and documents that were shared during each stage of this project.
Public Realm
Public realm refers to the publicly accessible places and spaces that are intended to be accessed by everyone. Public realm includes an area’s streetscape - including sidewalks, pathways, boulevards and the look and feel of the streets - as well as open space - including green spaces, parks and recreation uses.
In 2022, the team conducted two rounds of engagement and gathered valuable input from the community on improving the public realm within the College Corridor Plan area. Through a number of workshops, meetings and surveys we have gained a better understanding of the public's preferences on open space locations and streetscape improvements. We used the feedback from the first round of engagement to inform the second round, which involved priority surveys. This information will be used to help us create a plan that meets the needs of the community and supports the overall vision for the development of the area.
A summary of community feedback on public realm for the College Corridor Plan.
Public Realm Discussions, Round 1 (Spring 2022)
In spring 2022, the team worked with stakeholders, community groups, people who live, work, study or visit the College Corridor area and interested people from around Saskatoon to help determine what is important to people about the public realm on College Drive and Preston Avenue – what it looks like now and what it could potentially look like in the future. The team hosted a series of virtual public meetings and surveys on different public realm topics.
Open Space and Recreation - February 9, 2022
This meeting focused on existing open spaces and possible new open spaces in the area, such as parks, outdoor plazas, sports fields or other open spaces where people can relax and gather. Presentations:
This meeting focused on the connections to, and along, the College Drive and Preston Avenue corridors for people walking and rolling (e.g. cycling, wheeling, mobility aids, etc.) - and the infrastructure that may be needed to support this. Presentations:
This meeting focused on things that affect how College Drive and Preston Avenue look and feel, such as the design of the front of buildings, street furniture and amenities like benches, and styles or themes that could be incorporated into the design of the streetscape. Presentations:
Feedback themes pertaining to different locations in the study area were also presented in the map below. (Click on the map to see the full size version.)
Public Realm Discussions, Round 2 (Fall 2022)
We used the earlier public realm feedback to develop a list of potential open space and streetscape improvements for the College Corridor area. Surveys in fall 2022 asked community members to identify their priorities and preferences for where resources should be focused when the team develops the plan for public realm improvements. A hybrid in-person/virtual guided walkthrough event for these surveys was held on November 21.
We will be re-visiting land use in summer/fall 2023 as part of zoning discussions.
Land use refers to the types of homes, businesses and other buildings that can be built in an area. When land uses are determined, it does not mean that buildings will automatically be built. It is property owners who decide what to do with their land – whether to keep it as it is, or to develop something new.
Land uses are set out in a general way through the Official Community Plan (OCP) – the legal document that lays out the collective long-term vision for Saskatoon. While land uses can be applied to parcels of land in order to accommodate future development, they do not strictly regulate the development that may or may not occur; this is the role of zoning.
On November 3 & 4, the project team discussed the concept of land use and presented preliminary ideas on land use and density changes for the College Corridor area.
The team then used community input and technical planning considerations to create different land use scenarios, which were presented in a meeting on November 24 and survey for public feedback to develop a more detailed land use concept.
The team developed preliminary land use maps for the College Corridor Plan area at the end of 2021 using community input from the land use discussions. The preliminary land use maps are not considered final until work on other considerations, like utility connections and public realm, are complete.
September 2021 marked the public launch of the College Corridor Plan with an introductory public information meeting and survey.
Introductory Meeting and Survey (September 2021)
The team presented background information on the College Corridor Area and asked the community about opportunities and challenges. A baseline conditions report and heritage inventory is available on the Background tab. The recording of the meeting is available below:
The map below outlines the area being studied for the development of the College Corridor Plan. The College Corridor Plan study area follows College Drive from the South Saskatchewan River to Preston Avenue and also follows Preston Avenue along University of Saskatchewan owned lands from 14 Street East to the Canadian Pacific Rail line. Temperance Street is the southern study area boundary in the Varsity View and Nutana neighbourhoods. We do not expect that all lands within the study area will see changes. The focus will be on the College Drive and Preston Avenue corridor. Properties included in the study area just means they are a part of the overall vision for the corridor.
A larger PDF version of the above map is available here.
Corridor Growth Area Interactive Map
The interactive map linked below shows the College Corridor Plan study area, as well as the other corridor plan areas across Saskatoon that will be the subject of future corridor plans.
The project team has completed a report on existing or ‘baseline’ conditions of the College Corridor as an initial step in the process to develop the College Corridor Plan. This document summarizes existing conditions and characteristics related to the area’s history, contemporary plans, demographics, current land use, transportation and mobility, housing and neighbourhoods, parks, trails and open space, and recreation and community facilities.
The Saskatoon Heritage Society also compiled a report on properties of interest in the area. This inventory can be found here and will be referenced when considering aspects regarding land use and public realm as part of the College Corridor Plan.
The purpose of the Corridor Planning Engagement Strategy is to outline the City’s goals and processes for working with community members throughout the Corridor Planning Program. It was created by talking with a variety of representative stakeholders and partners in spring 2021. More details on the feedback received, and how it informed this strategy and the Corridor Planning process, can be found in in the Corridor Planning Preliminary Engagement Summary and Preliminary Engagement Report.
