Page 16 - JANUARY 26 , 2017 - martensville messenger
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR 20 YEARS !
Planning For Growth Reveals Draft Regional Land use Map
Ciara O ’ Reilly , Martensville Messenger
The Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth ( P4G ) hosted an open house at Wanuskewin Heritage Park on January 24th to provide an opportunity for the public to view the draft regional land use map , share details on what the plan will mean for the region and get feedback from the public on the design .
In the next 20 years , P4G has estimated that the population in Saskatoon alone will grow in numbers up to 500,000 . Given this estimate , P4G began planning for the growth of the region while enabling economic prosperity for everyone and incorporating the quality of life that the people of this region continue to enjoy . Plans for land use are of high importance when the population expectancy over the next 60 years is estimated to meet a whopping 1 million .
The main goal for this plan is for each surrounding municipality to benefit from growth opportunities , increased efficiency , and reduced costs by working together . P4G consists of rural municipalities Corman Park , the cities of Saskatoon , Warman and Martensville , and the Town of Osler . “ Here we are working on plans for developmental future . Where would we put the next 700,000 people to come into this region and how could we accommodate them that economically makes sense and service these people with roads , sewers and drinkable water ,” P4G consultant , Doug Olson , explained . Plans for the future will involve land use , transportation and servicing , the outline of the strategies needed for implementation , and the proposal of new governance and administrative structures for the region .
Residents of the rural municipalities within the P4G area were reminded to attend the open house for the viewing of the regional plan on Tuesday , January 24th . The regional plan consisted of the revised land use concept map and the updated land use category descriptions , the Green Network Study Area and lastly the government model . “ Currently we are in the midst of figuring out what we want to keep and where we will want to build . The aim is to protect the wetlands but not only are we about conservation , but development as well ,” said Olson . Feedback from the public will be taken within consideration for a final plan , and the final plan is expected to be completed as of April 2017 .
ABOVE : P4G Consultant , Doug Olson with the Draft Regional Land Use Map . ( Ciara O ’ Reilly )