Arbutus Properties Ltd. says that its 244-unit rental project can continue after the required sewer infrastructure project in Saskatoon’s Rosewood area was completed.
The development project at 2775 Meadows Parkway was put on hold due to a city and developer dispute, but Arbutus says the project is set to be complete by early 2024.
An appeal to a Saskatoon city council decision was brought forward to the Saskatoon Development Appeal Board earlier this year from Arbutus, which resulted in success for the developer.
Get daily Saskatoon news
The appeal was brought forward after the city refused to lift a holding symbol in November 2022 on an affordable housing project that Arbutus said was forcing a delay on both the housing project and the downtown Pitchfork market project.
“Saskatoon is desperate for more affordable housing and we are very pleased to do our part to provide a significant number of new units. The City placed a construction hold on much of our development until this lift station project was completed, and we are pleased that those holds can now be released and we can proceed with building affordable housing,” said Murray Totland, director of planning for Arbutus Properties.
Arbutus announced that the first phase of another affordable rental project will soon break ground as well, adding that a $65 million 400-unit building will be built on the corner of Taylor Street and Meadows Parkway.
“We have an acute housing shortage in Saskatoon and we welcome government efforts (such as the federal government’s recent GST and provincial government’s recent PST construction announcements). We challenge municipal governments to also look at what it can do to support housing construction in Saskatoon.”