City council unanimously approved a long-discussed bylaw amendment affecting the Valley View area south of the city, which will enable developer Carpere Canada to move forward with its concept plan for the area.
The Official Community Plan has now been amended to designate the entire site as a Direct Control District (DCD), and is the only one in the city. The amendment comes into effect once the minutes of the June 26 meeting are adopted at the next regular meeting on July 10.
Unlike other zoning districts that may have more generalized regulations, a direct control district allows for more customized planning and development controls tailored to the specific needs of the area. This designation provides the governing authority with greater control over the land use, building design, density, setbacks, and other development aspects within the district.
Council heard a presentation at the start of the June 26 regular meeting from Alan Wallace of Saskatoon-based planning and development consulting firm Wallace Insights.
Wallace has been working with the City of Moose Jaw to update its Official Community Plan (OCP), and with Carpere on its Valley View plan.
"This (OCP bylaw amendment) is the second step of multiple steps we need to undertake before any development can begin at Valley View," Wallace told council. "We're still a long way away from actual development, unfortunately, but it's a very large project, as you know."
Wallace noted that Carpere's official concept plan had only been formally adopted — after 18 months of planning — in January of 2023.
The plan will still need approval from the province of Saskatchewan, expected in September, after which specific zoning within the Direct Control District can occur. Highlights of Carpere's plan include:
- Roughly 13.44 hectares (33.6 acres) as part of a natural riverbank
- A projected total population of 1,478 residents
- The site will be zoned DCD because of the lengthy build-out period — nearly a decade — changing market demands, and various proposed uses
- Residential land uses include large estate lots, standard single-family dwelling lots, seniors’ bungalows, and multi-unit sites
- Commercial land uses include a market, pop-up retail spaces, and craft beer and distillery spaces
- Small-scale processing, manufacturing, product fabrication, and education centres
- Roughly 3.2 hectares (eight acres) for education, recreation, culture, health, and spiritual needs
- Pedestrian and cyclist linkages to all area park trails
Wallace also told council that that he and Carpere have had productive discussions recently with Wood Mountain First Nation. The Indigenous history of the area is significant and must be respected, he said, but no disruptions or problems are anticipated and discussions will continue moving forward.
"To close," Wallace added, "I'd just like to say that the amendment today is entirely aligned with the concept plan approved by council in January, and it's an important step to keep the Valley View project moving forward."
Clause-by-clause consideration was dispensed with and the bylaw passed without amendment.
