'In droves': Regina neighbourhood pushing back against proposed high rise building

Approximately 200 Douglas Park residents filled a school gym Thursday night for an information meeting regarding a proposed development in the area.

Most attendees voiced their opposition to the development.

“When you have this many people come out saying ‘we also care,’ it’s important to listen,” said Chera Kichula. “We just want the city to be transparent.”

The meeting, put on by community members, gave area residents an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns to city planners and the ward councillor.

Ward 6 coun. Dan LeBlanc was shocked at the turnout.

“It says a lot about community mobilization,” he said. “There’s clearly a lot of interest in it.”

City planners Jeremy Fenton and Ben Mario also attended the meeting and answered questions.

“I have been involved in a lot of infill developments,” Mario told the crowd. “Never have I been at the front of a room as packed as this one.”

Members of the community asked questions about the development itself, bylaw requirements, and more.

THE PROPOSAL

Director and founder of The Winchester Group (TWG) Joshua Bresciani is the applicant for making the proposal. He is the son of Ward 4 coun. Lori Bresciani.

The site, owned by the Regina Christian School Association, is for sale.

“The sale is subject to the [development approval],” Bresciani told CTV News.

TWG is proposing a 5-storey, high-rise-style apartment on the site of the former St. Andrews school on 20th Ave. behind Du Parc Ecole Francophone.

It will have 90 units and feature a day care centre on the main floor.

A rendering of the proposed high-rise building in Douglas Park. (Photo: City of Regina)

A rendering of the proposed high-rise building in Douglas Park. (Photo: City of Regina)

Mario said the city is considering rezoning the space from institutional to residential high-rise.

“That requires council approval,” he added. “They have the final say.”

Many residential buildings in the area are single-family, bungalow-style homes.

Those who put on the meeting referenced the city’s current density targets as well as the province’s official community plan framework over the course of the meeting.

“Droves of people are here saying, ‘We’re okay with some development’ but the character of the neighborhood needs to be preserved,” Kichula added.

Leblanc said there is a balance between increasing density and preserving neighborhoods.

“[The city] isn’t really driving the bus when it comes to density,” he explained. “We’re just saying, ‘thoughts and prayers, we hope people come to us with proposals for density,’ and we hope we’ve consulted with community.”

“Then when it doesn’t happen, we just say yes or no,” Leblanc added.

NEIGHBOURHOOD CONCERNS

Several concerns were raised by residents.

One concern that came up the most was added traffic and lack of parking, which already exists without the added people.

Kichula described the traffic situation on a school day with several recreational activities and sporting events happening nearby.

“You’d be blown away if you added even two more cars,” she said. “It’s too large for the space.”

City planners are still in the information gathering and public consultation phase of the application.

TWG is undertaking a traffic-impact assessment of the area.

Bresciani said in his opinion, the new apartment will not impact current traffic trends.

“From doing other developments in the past, it will be very minimal,” he added. “[We’re] actually increasing the amount of parking the city requires by adding underground parking.”

The proposal outlines 120 total parking spaces will be on site.

Leblanc was surprised by how many people brought traffic and parking as their main concerns.

“Maybe our car culture needs some changes as we add density,” he suggested. “What if more folks rode bikes, could we achieve our density goals better?”

Organizers said they are open and willing to continue dialogue to find a compromise.

Kichula believes the space is better suited for other uses like green or community-related recreational spaces.

“There is a way to repurpose the land to fit the community better,” she said.

“Density in neighbourhoods, like Douglas Park, is good,” said Leblanc. “But insofar can be framed as developer comes in and rams a project down a community’s throat.”

Bresciani was not allowed at the meeting Thursday to answer questions from residents.

“We’re trying to say we actually love Douglas Park and say how nice [it] is,” he said. “We want to take those architectural styles from those eras and integrate properly into Douglas Park.”

“But we weren’t allowed to say our two cents,” Bresciani added.

Organizers told CTV News the meeting was to focus on the city’s process for an application such as this.

“We didn’t feel it was necessary to have the developer there,” said Leona Read.

NEXT STEPS

Residents have penned a petition and a letter to city planners, city council and to the developer asking for the submission to be denied.

Public comments are also open on the City of Regina website.

“We want a detailed plan of what is next so we can be a part of it,” Kichula said. “I feel this all could have been avoided without more communication from the start.”

A meeting is planned between the developer and the community.

“We want to talk about some of the points and concerns,” Bresciani said. “That way we can be productive.”

He added he plans to have those assessments completed in time for a meeting in late-November or early-December.

When the application and public consultation time is completed, city administration will file a report for the city planning commission who will then make a recommendation for city council.

“I think we’re going to hear more about this,” Lebland told reporters.

Leblanc added he hasn’t made a decision himself yet but Thursday’s meeting was useful.

“As a democratically-elected person I can’t ignore what appears to be a democratic will of the people who live here,” he said.

Kichula hopes they can sway council when the time comes.

“Please hear us,” she added. “We don’t wish this on any neighborhood.”