The Redevelopment Concept

In December 2006, nearly 60 residents, stakeholders, school and faith-based reps and key civic administrators met to undertake a comprehensive planning process. Facilitated by Kelley Moore of the Regional Intersectoral Committee (RIC), and lead by staff of the Community Services Department, the objective was to participate in teams and develop a new concept plan for the revitalization project.




By this time, two more adjacent properties had been put up for sale and the City began the process to acquire these sites. This meant the redevelopment area could be as large as 13 acres.


Each team started with a blank outline of the redevelopment area and a team facilitator. By the end of the day, five redevelopment plans were developed by the teams.



From these five redevelopment plans emerged 8 redevelopment principles:

1. Variety of Housing - Provide for a range of housing types which will meet the needs of families and seniors, consistent with the Pleasant Hill Local Area Plan.


2. Foster Community - Create a unique sense of place, which is safe and fosters a sense of community.


3. Add Park Space - Develop more park space which is safe, attractive and promotes a healthy lifestyle.


4. Walkability - Promote walkability while maintaining accessibility.


5. Mixed Uses - Include mixed uses to support and strengthen the existing 20th Street West corridor.


6. Value Added Density - Ensure appropriate density with quality design at key locations to ensure a critical mass of people, create vitality and support potential new local services including education.


7. Attractive - Create an attractive environment, recognizing potential compatibility issues with the adjacent existing residential and industrial development.


8. Safety - Foster the safety and comfort of residents and promote liveability by incorporating Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles into the concept plan and more detailed development plans for park space and development sites.

The resulting redevelopment concept was finalized by Edwards Edwards McEwen Architects, presented and adopted by City Council in June 2007, followed by the Board of Education for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools in December 2008.

Plans were set in motion to begin the process of redevelopment, starting with demolition, environmental screening and remediation of the land.