'Its not just for one area, it's for everybody': Regina residents worry proposed apartment complex at odds with neighbourhood plans

A newly proposed development in the Douglas Park neighbourhood has many residents wondering what the bylaws for construction of high rise apartments are in Regina’s residential areas.

The City of Regina’s current zoning bylaws permit buildings to not exceed 11 meters in height when built in residential neighbourhood zones.

A recently proposed apartment complex at the former site of St. Andrew’s School on 535 Douglas Ave is designed to stand 18 meters tall.

Most of the area surrounding the site is made up of single family, bungalow style homes. The development would mean a massive departure from the area’s style and layout.

“We’re not okay with them setting a precedent that says we’re gonna ignore all of these people that put effort into and say that this is okay for us – to just change it for one person,” Douglas Park resident Chera Kichula told CTV News.

“Because it’s not just for one area, it’s for everybody.”

For the past decade, Regina's Official Community Plan (OCP) has been the framework that guides development in the city.

The OCP outlines a vision to increase density in already developed neighbourhoods but make it compatible with existing buildings in the area.

According to the plan, “density intensification” is supposed to be focused to the city centre, existing urban centres and corridors and adjacent intensification areas “where an adequate level of service and appropriate intensity and land use can be provided.”

Within OCP’s framework are 20 approved neighbourhood plans – spanning from Westerra to Hillsdale.

Douglas Park does not currently have one.

“We have lived here a long time,” Kichula said. “We are educated on the area. More so than any little research document that you could come up with.”

The opposition to high rise development in residential areas is not new in the Queen City.

When the city’s zoning bylaws were amended in 2019 – outcry by the public led the city to strengthen regulations for infill housing rather than re-designating residential areas to make it easier to allow high density developments such as apartment complexes.

The move was to better maintain the unique character of Regina’s neighbourhoods.

Ward 6 Councillor Dan LeBlanc says there’s a delicate balance – between increasing density and maintaining the identity of a neighbourhood.

“It’s really tough for administration to assess a particular proposal when we don’t have an active community plan to compare it to,” he explained.

The development is currently in the information gathering and public consultation phase – with public comments on the project set to close on Nov. 10.

Due to the zoning of the area and the need for a discretionary use procedure – Regina’s city council will have the final say on the project’s approval.

With files from Donovan Maess.