Planning Process

Planning Process for Parker Lands / Fulton Grove

‘Good’ Planning and an iterative planning process were carried forward in the planning for the Parker Lands / Fulton Grove development proposal.

There was an extensive engagement of stakeholders to provide information and solicit feedback.  The public consultation process consisted of a series of open houses to introduce ideas and gain valuable insight, feedback and input from the community.  Stakeholder consultations that shared technical background reports and solicited feedback were held with various special interest groups, government agencies, neighbourhood groups, community organizations, and businesses. A number of underlying concerns from the various stakeholders were identified such as: traffic flows within the existing neighbourhood, impact of Rapid Transit, overland flooding, relocation of a dog park, natural areas & trees, migratory birds, proximity of rail lines, proximity of hydro lines, history of the lands, etc.

Secondary Plan as Council Endorsed Policy and DASZ By-Law, Combined Dates

 

Engagement, Transparent in Development

Draft versions of the planning documents were developed with input from the various City Administrative departments that occurred over a number of meetings. Input into the planning documents was also received from the City of Winnipeg’s multi-departmental Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) as well as the local area Councillor. 

A brief recap of the interaction with City personnel regarding the Parker Lands planning process is as follows:

  • Over 50 in-person meetings with the City of Winnipeg’s Urban Planning Division, who are the Public Service lead on the planning process;
  • Extensive meetings and collaboration with the City Naturalist and Parks Planner to assign a location for the natural areas to be protected;
  • Meetings with Water & Waste to discuss land drainage matters and the proposed high density development dating back to 2012;
  • 24 drafts of the secondary plan document;
  • 7 drafts of the Planned Development Overlay (PDO) Zoning Tool;
  • 3 reviews by the City of Winnipeg Technical Advisory Committee; and
  • Submittal of a DASZ Pre-Application to elicit early feedback and comments.

 

Further modifications were made to the planning documents based on the feedback and input from all the stakeholders that were consulted.

 

 

Legislative, Regulatory and Policy Constraints

The legislative, regulatory and policy constraints and initiatives were also considered as the planning policies for the Parker Land are rooted in an existing planning & legislative framework.

The following were considered:

  • City of Winnipeg Charter Act
  • OurWinnipeg
  • OurWinnipeg Complete Communities
  • OurWinnipeg Sustainable Winnipeg
  • OurWinnipeg Water and Waste Direction Strategy
  • OurWinnipeg Sustainable Transportation Direction Strategy
  • Winnipeg Transportation Master Plan
  • Winnipeg Transit-Oriented Development Handbook (TOD Handbook)
  • Active Transportation Study
  • City of Winnipeg Housing Policy
  • Ecologically Significant Natural Lands
  • Climate Change Action Plans to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Winnipeg
  • Development Agreement Parameters
  • Winnipeg Zoning By-law 200/2006
  • Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor Stage 2 – Alignment Study
  • City of Winnipeg Stage 2 – Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor Project P3 Business Case Summary
  • Manitoba Environment Act
  • Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
  • Federal Migratory Birds Convention Act (1994)
  • Manitoba Endangered Species and Ecosystem Protection Act (2015)
  • Species at Risk Act (2002)
  • Conference Board of Canada – Population Forecast (2007)
  • Winnipeg Employment Lands Strategy (2008)
  • Winnipeg Residential Land and Infill Strategy (2009)
  • Conference Board of Canada 2012 Population Forecast Revision

 

Scientific and Engineering Studies

Supplemental engineering and environmental reports were prepared, and shared with stakeholders, to provide scientific basis for the planning process.  A copy of these reports can be found under Reports.

The reports included are:

  • Green House Gas Reduction of High-Density Residential – Ortech
  • Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (Parcel B) – Pinchin
  • Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (vacant lands north of Hurst Way) – Pinchin
  • Environmental Risk Management Strategy – Dillon Inc
  • Environmental Overview – Ecologic Environmental Inc.
  • Summary of Environmental Work & Regulatory Compliance – Ecologic Environmental Inc.
  • Environmental Background Report – Ecologic Environmental Inc.
  • Biophysical Technical Report – Ecologic Environmental Inc.
  • Parker MRS in Relation to ESNL Criteria – Ecologic Environmental Inc.
  • Environmental Pre-Clearing Survey – Ecologic Environmental Inc.
  • Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Servicing Report – Infracor
  • Site Servicing Report for Parker Lands Residential – Morrison Hershfield
  • Traffic Analysis and Opportunity Memo – Morrison Hershfield
  • Traffic Impact Study – Morrison Hershfield.

 

Public Interests

The Parker Lands project presents more than one public interest:

  1. Municipal: Broadening the tax base; delivering more services to residents;  increasing population density; providing sufficient infrastructure/minimizing impact on existing infrastructure; maximizing existing infrastructure; encouraging infill growth; and reuse of brownfield lands.
  2. Residents: Receiving more services; preserving a neighbourhood (including its sense of community); and providing employment opportunities.
  3. Public Policy: Broadening the tax base; delivering more services to residents; providing employment opportunities; reuse of brownfield lands respecting an existing neighbourhood (including its sense of community); providing sufficient infrastructure/maximizing impact on existing infrastructure; and respecting the rights of tenants in the neighbourhood.
  4. Developer: Economic opportunity to develop under-used lands; employment opportunities for employees; enhancing lifestyle options in the area; increasing employment and housing options in the municipality; and leveraging under-used assets for the benefit of the broader community.

 

Reconcile Public Interests

The Parker Lands Secondary Plan and DASZ/Rezoning applications strive to reconcile these multiple interests by striking a balance amongst the competing points:

  • Density is well below the regulations and policies guiding housing development adjacent to Rapid Transit Corridors, and within the capacity of the servicing infrastructure :
    • TOD Zone in Winnipeg Zoning By-law ‘Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit’ of 200 square feet. This yields a maximum potential number of units of 6,712.6 units.
    • The TOD Handbook for ‘Urban Neighbourhood – buses every 5-15 minutes’ states the Net Housing Density as 40-100 units per acre. This yields a potential of 1,233 – 3,082 units. 
    • The Developer’s proposal for the Parker Lands is a Net Housing Density of 62.23 units per acre. This yields the proposed 1,918 units.