The Varsity View Local Area Plan (LAP) continues to move forward toward adoption by City Council.
The tentative schedule includes:
• Municipal Planning Commission – Tuesday, March 18th (noon – Committee Room A – City Hall),
• Neighbourhood-wide come & go open house – Wednesday, March 19th (4:30pm-7:00pm – Brunskill School Library),
• Planning & Operations Committee – Tuesday, March 25th (noon – Committee Room A – City Hall),
• City Council – Monday, March 31st (7:00pm – City Council Chambers – City Hall).
Tag Archives: neighbourhood
U of S College Quarter Recreation Plan
The University is undertaking a Recreation Plan to further develop concepts for the development of the College Quarter. The College Quarter Master Plan, adopted in 2009, sets the framework for the development of College Quarter over the coming years to create an academic and mixed-use village that will welcome both campus users and the surrounding community. A University is not only a place of learning. It also has a role to play in the social, physical and emotional well-being of the community, students, faculty and staff that call it home. The Recreation Plan for College Quarter will complement the existing development plan, creating spaces for movement, sports, play and socializing.
The College Quarter Master Plan integrates athletic fields, student amenity spaces, Griffiths Stadium, PotashCorp Park, the GreenWay and the Saskatoon Field House with new buildings. The University is now working with the community, city-wide stakeholders and campus user groups to refine this plan and add to it – identifying needs, sharing ideas
and brainstorming options for large and small, indoor and outdoor, active and passive recreation options.
How can the plan accommodate a broad range of year-round activities within College Quarter that appeal to a variety of users?
How can it foster a healthy life-style, play and interaction?
How can it provide spaces that draw people outside to sit, unwind and get to know one another?
Some ideas for the Recreation Plan that have been suggested include:
• Trails and cross-country ski loop
• Disc Golf Course
• Bouldering/rock climbing
• Community gardening
• Shaded/protected picnic tables
• Outdoor classrooms
• Skating
• Outdoor adult fitness and child play equipment
• Open air amphitheatre
• Cricket pitch
Complete the Online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RecPlan
Join us at the Ideas Fair
February 27, 7-9 p.m.
Room 224-225 Main Floor, Williams Building 221 Cumberland Avenue North
See PDF.
More info at: http://www.usask.ca/corporate_admin/real_estate/#Quarter
Varsity View Neighbourhood Traffic Review
The City of Saskatoon (COS) hosted the first in a series of traffic review meetings on January 21st at the Albert Community Center. The purpose of this meeting was to collect resident and stakeholder feedback on new and existing traffic concerns in the Varsity View area. This is the first of three meetings that will occur between the City, residents and stakeholders, with follow-up meetings being planned for spring and fall 2014. It should be noted that this review is considering the Varisty View area, but not the Grosvenor Park area, as Grosvenor will have it’s own separate review.
During this session, residents and stakeholders were asked to give their feedback and suggestions on current traffic issues and potential solutions. COS traffic engineers were in attendance to offer up suggestions on how other areas have overcome traffic issues. Many issues and concerns were brought forward, but paramount to all these seemed to be the topic of pedestrian safety. There was much discussion around the idea of lowering speed limits in the neighbourhood, as well as employing certain types of traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, curb extensions, and diverters to name a few. It was pointed out that COS installed yield signs at all uncontrolled intersections in the fall of 2013. Some residents felt that these yield signs were already having an effect on traffic behaviour.
Bicycle lanes were also an important topic. Some in attendance confirmed that a proposal to add a bike lane to Wiggins Avenue has been temporarily set aside in lieu of the bike lane initiative just announced for downtown Saskatoon. Others expressed concerns that a high volume of cyclists use sidewalks instead of roadways in the Varsity View area.
The Varsity View Parking Permit Zone was also discussed. COS traffic engineers came prepared to speak to some concerns already expressed by residents. In particular, extending the permit zone to include the side of the streets surrounding President Murray Park, as well as potentially extending the zone further back in Varsity View from where it is now.
The COS is hoping to collect feedback from residents and stakeholders on their concerns and potential suggestions. The following website has been put in place by the city to post information on the traffic review process, and collect your feedback. Please visit the website to submit your concerns and solutions on how we might face our traffic related challenges:
http://shapingsaskatoon.ca/discussions/varsity-view-neighbourhood-traffic-review
PLEASE NOTE, the deadline for submitting feedback in Varisty View is March 31st, 2014.
Varsity View Neighbourhood Traffic Concerns
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Albert Community Centre
610 Clarence Avenue South
Residents of the Varsity View neighbourhood are invited to attend a public meeting to discuss traffic concerns in their area. The meeting will be hosted by the City of Saskatoon, Transportation Division.
A presentation will be made providing background information on the Traffic Management Program; as well as previously identified traffic concerns in the Varsity View neighbourhood. The presentation will be followed by a small group workshop to identify other traffic issues, and a question and answer session.
The Transportation Division will use the feedback received during the meeting to conduct appropriate traffic counts and studies. This information will be used to develop an area-wide plan for the Varsity View neighbourhood which will be presented in late 2014.
Proposed VVCA Projects
We are collecting your feedback on VVCA proposed projects. The projects proposed are listed below with a short write up of how they are envisioned at this point. As residents in our neighbourhood have a wide array of worldly experiences and skills, we ask that you comment on which projects resonate the most with you and for ideas on how to make them world-class. We will be taking comments at our next registration night, January 21th, and gathering feedback via email info@vvcasaskatoon.com. After a period of public consultation, VVCA will announce our next major project(s) at our annual Louis’ event in the spring.
Heritage Trail and Recognition Signage in VV and GP
A Heritage Trail would serve to celebrate the history and heritage of one of Saskatoon’s oldest and most distinct neighbourhoods in Saskatoon, while encouraging conscious and active lifestyles. The trail would flow through quiet side streets, area parks and other neighbourhood corridors, potentially building on/improving existing street, sidewalk, walkway, alley and park infrastructure, with the opportunity to build site enhancements along the path route as desired. Such enhancements may include identifying signage, special trail lighting, water features, gardens, educational/activity sites for children, seating or picnic areas and bike medians/lanes to encourage alternative transit modes. The trail may receive best use from alternative traffic modes if situated diagonally across our communities, running from the southeast corner of Grosvenor Park to the Northwest corner of Varsity View (to McKinnon Ave and College Dr or Munroe Ave and College Dr).
Brunskill School Playground Renewal
The play structure in the school yard at Brunskill School was last updated in 1999. Since then the population of the school has steadily increased to its present capacity of 450 students. Brunskill School is the only Elementary school located in the Varsity View/Grosvenor Park area. Due to the number of children outside at recess time the structure is used only by the younger grades up to Grade 4. The playground is also regularly used by the children residing in the Varsity View area after school hours. The administration at the school would be very interested in partnering with VVCA and pursuing the possibility of an addition or replacement of this structure to improve the quality of the students’ recess experience. This project would have a very large impact on the play and enjoyment for the residents of Varsity View and the students at Brunskill/KCC Elementary School.
Multi-Use Court
The idea of a multi-purpose court is to incorporate a wide mix of sport and game activities into one court space, allowing a large cross section of the community to play their game of choice. Currently, the city of Saskatoon has no multi-use outdoor sport facilities, and a large (and still growing) demand for such space. While tennis is very well served, basketball, futsal, volleyball, ball hockey, badminton, bike polo and roller derby enthusiasts are all lacking in public sporting space that would allow them to play in Saskatoon parks. This project would make the chosen park a destination location for the city of Saskatoon, and the project could easily pair up with several community groups who are keen to improve the public access to active spaces for both children and adults.
Litter Receptacles and Awareness
The walk-ability and proximity to the University of Saskatchewan results in a high-volume of both vehicle and foot traffic throughout the neighborhood, and particularly closer to College drive, and other main thoroughfares such as Clarence and Cumberland. With increased use can also come litter. Our community does not currently have a strategy in place to help deal with litter, and offer pedestrians and motorists alike options for waste disposal. As a result, litter can be a problem in these high use areas, and has an impact on our neighborhood aesthetics. Providing more waste disposal options for both residents and passers-by would go a long way to keeping our neighborhood beautiful.
Albert Rec Unit Replacement
Albert Recreational Park borders on Nutana and Varsity View communities. It is a unique park – fully fenced, divided in half with paddling pool and play apparatus on one side, basketball court and play structures on the other. With the city’s continuing growth the upgrade for this park keeps getting pushed back and safety has become an issue. In partnership with Nutana Community Association (NCA), VVCA and NCA could bring this park back to life!
Dog Park
Our community enjoys a number neighbourhood parks, many of which are underused for many months of the year. A site suitable for dog owners to take their pets to within the community to walk, run and play in an off-leash setting has been raised by a number of community members in past years. This proposal recognizes that the City of Saskatoon has numerous off-leash parks, however none within walking or cycling distance of either Varsity View or Grosvenor Park. Such a site could feature low-maintenance rubber pellet or natural prairie landscaping (for minimal operating expense) within a fenced/hedged perimeter to enclose the space, minimizing noise disturbance to neighboring homes. A park would be complete with pet waste and watering depots, sun shelters/trees and seating areas for owners to visit with one another. Rod V. Real Park has been identified as one possible site for such development.
Climbing Area/Skateboard Park
Although VV and GP have spaces for young children, teens have few recreational opportunities close by in VV&GP. This project would construct an all ages climbing area of natural stone for children and children at heart to enjoy coupled with a skateboard park. Areas of increasing difficulty would allow children to practice their dexterity while developing coordination in a unique climbing environment. Teenage residents would enjoy skateboard features to practice their skills close to home.
Public Art, Functional Public Art (i.e., Chess Boards)
Art is fundamental to our humanity, ennobling and inspiring us. Public works of art foster a sense of community and public space as being more than merely functional; they help us express our values, build inter-cultural bridges, and open up the everyday and mundane to re-examination and small moments of wonder. They make our neighborhood more welcoming, beautiful, and more lively. Public art can also be practical and interactive. For example stone chess boards along public walkways encourage non-sporting park use, and musical swings # allows playground equipment to be a multi-player instrument.
Zen Garden/Meditative Garden
As hustling neighbourhoods, Grosvenor Park and Varsity View have few spaces one can sit and escape from the world. This project envisions a restorative space within an existing public space that creates tranquility and reflection.
Varsity View Programs
JANUARY 2014
Registration is Tuesday, January 21, 2014 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Brunskill School-Gym, 101 Wiggins Avenue North. A membership fee of $5/individual, $10/family per year is required to participate in programs and must be presented at the time of registration. A fee of $10 will apply to late registrations. Please consult the community association newsletter or visit www.vvcasaskatoon.com for further program details. Varsity View Community Association honours other community association memberships. **Please note that most programs run for 15 weeks**
Parents are reminded to walk their children in to class to make sure the school is open and the class is still on. As well, children must be picked up immediately after class is over.
Remember that VVCA is sensitive to the needs of families facing financial hardships, and may partially fund, or fully fund participation fees in various activities. Subsidization is only to cover the cost of programs and will not include membership in VVCA. Please contact one of us at registration night. We are more than willing to be of assistance in a very confidential manner. In addition, assistance may be available through KidSport.
Barb & Maya, Indoor Co-ordinators
VVCA Newsletter
‘The View’ WINTER (January 2014) newsletter is here! If you didn’t receive a copy in your mailbox or from your child’s school, you can download a version here.
Newsletter Advertising Policy:
We do not accept paid advertising from commercial entities or political parties.
We do accept public service announcements or articles, for example from our City councillor, or the City, health region or school.
Space permitting, we also accept announcements or articles from charitable and non-profit organizations.
Councillor’s Messages
JANUARY 2014
Happy New Year!
I hope you have all had a good Holiday season. In this update I will touch on the 2014 Budget and the Infill Guideline situation.
Budget 2014
We completed the budgeting process in early December and passed the highest tax increase that I have seen – 7.4%. This will result in about 108$ more per year (9$ a month) in property tax for a home worth $300,000. I don’t take it lightly that we introduced this increase. I believe that the increase in investment is needed to avoid paying even higher costs down the road if we allow our infrastructure to deteriorate further, but I also think that it compels us to make changes to how we do things to avoid these kind of increases into the future.
This will mean doing a meaningful review of our operations through empowering our staff, utilizing technology, and being willing to rethink our services in order to make the best of the resources we already have. The recent street sweeping overhaul was one example of how we can improve things.
Second, as I have said before, we have to change the way we are growing our City. Our own analysis is showing very clearly that right now growth is not paying for growth. The new neighbourhoods we are adding to the outside edges of the City simply don’t cover the costs of what it takes to provide transit, fire, police, street sweeping, park maintenance, and transportation infrastructure it takes to keep them vital. Channeling growth into a more compact form and building a transportation system that provides convenient alternatives to residents will be crucial to curtailing tax increases into the future.
I am as convinced as ever that we won’t be able to both keep taxes low and build urban sprawl. I see no benefit in pitting suburban neighbourhoods against urban neighborhoods, this is not my intent. What we need to do is take a look at these real costs and figure out as a whole City what the best growth model will be into the future. This will be the focus of some very crucial planning over the next year as part of the “Growing Forward: Shaping our City” planning process. More information can be found on my website or the City of Saskatoon website.
Infill Guidelines
The Infill Guideline process is moving forward and we have received the report developed with recommendations on guidelines for how to ensure new builds in old neighbourhoods fit in better and cause less harm to surrounding residents. The document contains several key recommendations for protecting existing trees, ensuring that proper drainage plans are established, reducing the height of the sidewalls of new houses, and a number of other recommendations about the form that a building could take. The report also recommends that garden and garage suites be allowed on a case by case basis after consultation, and that the City consider allowing up to 4 units to be developed on corner lots.
Now that the recommendations have been received, the details need to be worked out and formed into a bylaw. There is a plan for a public meeting in the New Year to give people a chance to understand and discuss the recommendations further. I have put a link to the whole report on my website at www.charlieclark.ca
If you want to get information on when this meeting will be or about other issues affecting Ward 6 and the City, please consider signing up to my E-newsletter which I send out about 3 times a month. You can sign up easily through my website at www.charlieclark.ca
All the best!
Charlie Clark
Varsity View Local Area Plan reports
The Varsity View Local Area Plan (LAP) now has its own page here on the VVCA website. You can check for information on the LAP, whether upcoming meetings, or to review the drafts done so far on the Plan.
SEPTEMBER 2013: The complete Varsity View Local Area Plan draft document is ready for review!
The report itself is available at: http://www.saskatoon.ca/go/lap
Given that the majority of the report has been previously reviewed by the LAPC, it is hoped that it can be reviewed in two meetings, although a third meeting is tentatively scheduled if necessary. Each of the following meetings are from 7:00 p.m. til 9:30 p.m. in the Brunskill School Library (101 Wiggins Avenue South):
– Wednesday, September 25 – Review Meeting #1
– Wednesday, October 2 – Review Meeting #2
– Thursday, October 3 – Review Meeting #3 (if necessary)
Review Meeting #1 willl aim to cover the following sections: 3.0 Parks & Open Space, 5.0 Traffic & Circulation, 6.0 Active Transportation, 1.0 Land Use, and 2.0 Infill & Redevelopment.
The agenda for Review Meeting #2 will pick up after that and also endeavour to review the remaining portions of the document. As well, we will discuss the approval process ahead that will culminate with adoption of the report by City Council, which then allows for the implementation of recommendations to begin.
From City Hall: “The LAP is a very lengthy document, so if you are unable to review every page of each chapter, I suggest you focus upon reviewing the identified goals and recommendations for each section. As you review the report, it will be helpful to make notes for yourself to bring to the meetings.
If you are unable to attend the review meetings, please provide any comments to me prior to the meetings and I can share your thoughts with the group on your behalf.
Thank you to all members of the Varsity View LAPC for your contributions and patience during the creation of the Varsity View LAP!”
Notes from past meetings and LAP reports for other neighbourhoods can be found on the City of Saskatoon website at www.saskatoon.ca (look under “L” → Local Area Planning).