The City of Yorkton recently unveiled a draft community plan for the city, named Our City, Our Future. Jim Walter with Crosby and Hanna recently presented the plan a Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch held in the city.
The document is based on the expectation that Yorkton's population will double by 2036, which will mean 6-8,000 new housing units in that period. Walter says that the plan involves the principles of smart growth, which he says is a recent trend in urban planning which help a community become healthier.
A goal for the city is to keep travel distances low, and Walter says one of the ways to do that is to promote intensification of current infrastructure, in areas such as the city's downtown core. He says that there needs to be ways to encourage higher density development and use of currently serviced areas, to minimize the cost of infrastructure and use less land.
When it comes to neighborhood design, Walter says that having a variety of lot sizes is a priority, as well as varied density of housing, to accommodate a wide spectrum of people. He notes that the city also needs to keep natural features, and that it must embrace the current trend of maintaining wetlands rather than filling them in for the sake of development. Maintaining wetlands allows them to function as an additional flood control mechanism, and recently municipalities have seen the value of keeping these areas.
Some changes suggested would be alterations to the bylaws concerning secondary suites, to encourage basement, garden, and garage suites. Walter says that feedback on that area would be welcomed. The city is also looking for feedback concerning signage, including regulations surrounding billboards and the location of portable signs. Walter emphasizes that consultations are vital to get the community travelling in the direction people want.
One area which caused controversy was the proposal for a minor reduction in the minimum size for parking spaces, reduced from 2.75 meters to 2.70 meters. Attendees at the event suggested that with the relatively large segment of the population driving large trucks, it makes sense for Yorkton to have a larger than average parking spot requirement, given the difficulty of parking such vehicles. Walter said that while the goal was to align the Yorkton bylaws with the rest of the province, this might be a suggestion that gets revised given the feedback.
The consultation process is ongoing, and people can still have input into the overall plan. Residents can currently view the plan online at yorkton.ca.
