As you may or may not be aware, there is a MAJOR Shopping Centre being proposed for the Greens on Gardiner. "Acre 21 Developments Inc.", a new corporation created May 30, 2016, includes Harvard Developments, Forster Projects and Deveraux Developments. It goes to City Council for final approval on July 25, 2016.
This new Shopping Centre is on 21 Acres, and is set to include, at minimum:
This new Shopping Centre is on 21 Acres, and is set to include, at minimum:
- A 38,000 sq ft Grocery Store (about the size of your local Sobey's)
- At least eight approx 5,000 sq ft Restaurants (Average Size Montana's)
- Two 17,000 sq ft Mixed Use Retail/Residential (Possibly Hotels)
- 17,000 sq ft Retail Store
- 15,000 sq ft Retail Store
- Two 12,000 sq ft Retail Stores
- 11,000 sq ft Retail Store
- Two 6,000 sq ft Retail Stores
- 4,000 sq ft Bank
- 3,000 sq ft Retail Store
- A future 3 Acre Gas Bar
To give you a visual, imagine the developments currently occurring on the two Superstore lots in Regina, and that's basically what they want to develop here in quiet, residential, suburban Greens on Gardiner. To be clear, I am absolutely fine with having a strip mall or two, as have always been in the original plans, and are supposed to still be happening (Google Gateway Regina). I am not fine, however, with a major shopping centre on Chuka Boulevard, only two blocks away from our new school, and creating a traffic nightmare in our quiet area. There is a reason why no other residential area along Arcola Avenue has a development like this. If I wanted to live in Harbour Landing, I would have built there.
Further to this, Harvard Developments and Forster Projects (they are one and the same for all intents and purposes) are developing the Aurora Retail Complex at Victoria Avenue and Tower Road, and is also looking to do the same kind of development listed above, in the new Towns subdivision, just north of the Greens on Gardiner. So there will be no shortage of accessible commercial development within a two minute drive, or a five minute walk of our area.
I'm sure you're asking yourself - Why is this an issue? Why should you care?
Well, because this opens the door to future developments of a similar nature being hammered in at the last second City wide. If you think this doesn't affect you because you live elsewhere in the City, you couldn't be more wrong. From the date of inception, all the way until May 2016, the 21 Acres that this development was set to be residential, or at most "mixed use". One of the many reasons I chose to locate in the Greens was because of the lack of commercial development, like the mess that is currently Harbour Landing. (Also a Harvard Development)
I want to make it perfectly clear, contrary to what these developers would lead you to believe, there has been little to no public consultation actually conducted on this development. The only way I ever became aware of it was through my weekly review of Agendas for City Meetings this past week. Very few people are as anal as I am when it comes to that regard, and even fewer subscribe to or even read the hard copy Leader Post, which is the only other place it was publicly advertised. In today's day and age, there are many other ways to involve the public, and at the very least, the Ward Councillor ought to have a responsibility to his constituents to inform them of a major change in developments, such as this.
So, what can you do? Attend City Council on Monday, July 25, 2016 5:30PM. Your mere presence speaks volumes. If you wish to speak to this issue, you must email clerks@regina.ca before 1:00PM on Thursday, July 21, 2016 with your exact speech. (They won't let you veer from this speech and you are limited to five minutes)
I ask you to please share this far and wide. We must take our City back from these greedy developers. We can't just wait for the election this fall, we must take action now.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Chad A. Novak, CPA, CMA
Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group
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