The next phase of planning for Regina’s railyard renewal project — now being called the Yards Neighbourhood Plan — will commit to developing it as a net-zero community.
Council provided the directive to staff at Wednesday afternoon’s meeting following two-and-a-half hours of discussion about the concept plan for the property. Ultimately, it passed unanimously.
The concept plan would transform the vacant lot — which the city purchased after CP Rail moved its operations to the west end in 2012 — into a “pedestrian-oriented urban environment.” It would allow for residential, commercial and recreational development, but prohibit industrial uses.
The city’s executive director of financial strategy and sustainability, Barry Lacey, said the plan is flexible, but Coun. Bob Hawkins criticized it for having “no vision of sustainability.”
Hawkins said the plan would be improved if it considered green roofs, renewable energy and electric vehicles.
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“Could we integrate that kind of planning, that kind of vision, into the next step,” asked Coun. Andrew Stevens.
Staff will be looking at that, Lacey said, but noted: “At the end of the day, we do need to make it feasible for the private sector.”
“It costs money not to commit to becoming a net-zero community,” Hawkins said.
Mayor Michael Fougere and Coun. Barbara Young said they wanted to wait for the sustainability conference happening in Regina in May before making a commitment to pursuing a net-zero community on the site. In the end, both supported going ahead with the directive as an amendment.
The mayor introduced an additional amendment to have staff collaborate with the Regina Exhibition Association Limited as well as the Downtown Business Improvement District and the Warehouse Business Improvement District over the next few months.
The vacant lot is a brownfield and will require remediation.
In 2018, the railyard renewal project was granted $33.6 million in joint funding from the federal, provincial and municipal governments.
Staff said that money will go, at least in part, toward the clean-up.
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