City of Saskatoon Corridor Growth Brownfield Renewal - Field Investigation

The City of Saskatoon will develop a Brownfield Renewal Strategy (BRS) targeted at revitalizing the City’s major corridors for transit-oriented development to support a planned bus rapid transit system (BRT) and meet a broader goal of 50% infill development. The BRS will identify and prioritize public (right of ways, BRT station sites) and private brownfield sites along transit corridors and facilitate renewal through remediation, incentive programs and guidance materials aimed at property owners to help them address potential contamination found on their property. This scope of work involves conducting a series of limited Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) at identified high-priority sites. The BRS plan development (GMF 15650) will be conducted in parallel with this scope. Direct benefits will include land made available for reuse, remediation or risk management of contaminated soil and groundwater, and waste diverted from landfill. Broader indirect benefits may include GHG reduction through increased public transportation options and ridership, implementation of sustainable building technologies on redeveloped lands, and increased tax revenue from corridor revitalization. Development of the BRS stems from broader City objectives spurred by population growth pressure. Saskatoon’s current population of 271,000 is expected to nearly double within the next 30 to 40 years. In preparation for this doubling, the City has developed the Growth Plan to Half a Million (GP) (2016). A pillar of the GP is the Corridor Growth Program (CGP) which includes a component to review barriers to corridor development, such as financial and regulatory hurdles surrounding real or perceived contamination. Public consultation and municipal reporting has and will continue to be conducted in collaboration with the overall GP development. The BRS is linked to a long list of existing plans and policies, including The City’s Strategic Plan (2013), the Vacant Lot and Adaptive Reuse Program (2010), and the new Official Community Plan and Climate Change Mitigation Business Plan, both of which are in progress. The City of Saskatoon is a contributing member of FCM’s Leadership in Brownfield Renewal (LiBRe) program. As part of the Limited Phase II ESA, soil and groundwater sampling will be conducted at multiple sites along the transit right-of-way or on brownfield sites where transit stations/villages have been proposed to be developed. This will be done in order to determine whether there are historical impacts, off-site impacts from adjacent brownfield sites or on-site impacts that would be discovered during construction. Contaminant Management Plans will be developed for each site and will include recommendations for further assessment, remediation, or risk management at sites where the Limited Phase II ESAs identified Contaminants of Concern greater than applicable provincial standards. A framework for corrective action planning (CAP) will also be included for mixed land use developments. The BRS will contribute to local brownfield redevelopment and contamination management capacity, and is expected to be expanded to other areas of the City. By approaching the development of a Brownfield Action Plan through systemic engagement with broader municipal planning projects, the City of Saskatoon will provide knowledge value to fellow LiBRe members and other municipalities across Canada. (Project description from original funding application)