The purpose of the CR2 District is to provide for intensification opportunities and support infill development within the Corridor Growth Area in a range of ground-oriented residential building forms, limited neighbourhood commercial uses and related community uses.  The CR2 District is intended to accommodate a transition between one- and two-unit dwellings, and multi-unit and mixed-use development.  The CR2 District provides for density increases by allowing for incremental intensification of neighbourhoods.

For reference, refer to CR2 District in the Zoning Bylaw.

The purpose of the CM1 District is to facilitate approximately two-to-six storey residential and mixed-use development along major transportation corridors in the Corridor Growth Area.  The CM1 District provides for a range of residential and mixed-use developments containing residential, commercial and institutional uses in mid-rise buildings that promote a compact, pedestrian-oriented form.  The CM1 District encourages a variety of transportation options and buildings incorporating Transit-Oriented Development principles, including street-facing buildings with active frontages and ground-oriented uses.

For reference, refer to CM1 District in the Zoning Bylaw.

The purpose of the CS1 District is to facilitate approximately three-to-six storey mixed-use development along major transportation corridors near key transit station locations in the Corridor Growth Area.  The CS1 District provides for a range of mixed-use developments containing residential, commercial and institutional uses in mid-rise buildings that promote a compact, pedestrian-oriented form.  The CS1 District encourages a variety of transportation options and buildings incorporating Transit-Oriented Development principles, including street-facing buildings with active frontages and ground-oriented uses.

For reference, refer to CS1 District in the Zoning Bylaw.

The five culs-de-sac were originally constructed between 1947 and 1948 as Project No. 4 out of six wartime housing projects in Saskatoon.  The land was formerly owned by the City but sold to the federal government's Wartime Housing Limited for $1 per lot, with an agreement that the City can receive $200 to $400 upon sale of each house.  Project No. 4 also included wartime houses further north along Idylwyld Drive (Avenue A) until 38th Street.

Major developments that occurred in the next decades around the five culs-de-sac included the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences at 33rd and Idylwyld (later renamed the Kelsey Institute, SIAST Kelsey Campus, and now Saskatchewan Polytechnic), the Kelsey Industrial Area just to the east of the culs-de-sac, and other industrial developments further north.

One-off rezoning proposals on Idylwyld Drive led City Council to urge Administration to create a long range plan for land use and zoning in the Idylwyld Drive corridor.  In 1983 and 1984, Administration released the Core I.D. Planning Study and Core I.D. Idylwyld North Study, planning for the future of industrial districts (ID's) in Saskatoon's core as well as their adjacent areas.

Administration and the Municipal Planning Commission supported rezoning the five culs-de-sac and both sides of Idylwyld between 33rd and 36th Streets to medium density residential zoning permitting three-storey apartment buildings. The rationale was that one-unit dwellings were not appropriate for this area in the long term, being on a major arterial road and adjacent to industrial lands, so this would facilitate redevelopment of properties in poor or fair condition into apartments that could serve students at the Kelsey Institute (SIAST).

Residents on Stanley, Minto, and Aberdeen supported rezoning but to industrial or commercial instead of medium density residential, based on a desire to maximize development potential and property values.  Residents on Connaught and Grey were less interested in rezoning as they wished to continue living there.  Also, there was significant concern from residents and Council during the 1980s about "block breaking" or "blockbusting", where developers buy up residential properties and leave them to deteriorate in hopes of getting approval for redevelopment.

Based on this mixed feedback, Administration recommended Council endorse medium density residential as the future zoning pattern, that any rezoning would be initiated by property owners rather than the City, and to consider proposals from south to north one street at a time, only if all owners in a cul-de-sac were supportive or all lots have been consolidated under one owner.

In 1987, a new commercial establishment - Ryly's Canadian Grill - opened at 33rd Street and Alberta Avenue, just to the south of the neighbourhood backing onto Stanley Place.  Ryly's neighbours, particularly on Stanley, Minto, and Aberdeen, petitioned Council about noise, parking, and other nuisances, and requested Council reconsider the idea of rezoning the area for commercial or non-residential uses.

After reviewing the earlier studies, Administration concluded medium density residential was no longer realistic for the area due to lack of market interest for apartments, the cul-de-sac street design not being well-suited for apartments, development pressure for more commercial in the area, and Idylwyld Drive street widening scheduled to begin in 1990.  This time, Administration proposed rezoning the five culs-de-sac for light industrial uses (and the west side of Idylwyld for arterial commercial uses). The requirements for lot consolidation and south-to-north development sequencing were kept and would be enforced through either a Holding Symbol or a new Direct Control District.

Saskatoon History on YouTube showing Ryly's in 1988

On August 22, 1988, City Council approved the establishment of Direct Control District 2 via Bylaws 6937 and 6938, with these stated objectives:

(a)    to provide for a change of use from one and two-unit dwellings to those uses permitted in an I.D.2 Zoning District (light industrial) in a controlled and phased manner, cul-de-sac by cul-de-sac from south to north;

(b)    to minimize land use conflicts during the period in which the change in use is being phased in;

(c)    to eliminate access to Idylwyld Drive and substitute access from Alberta Avenue;

(d)    to provide for the amenity of the area.

City Council approved a number of amendments to DCD2 in the following decade based on public feedback and lack of redevelopment activity.

• 1989 - Allowed limited access points onto Idylwyld Drive for the future consolidated sub-units.
• 1992 - Added one- and two-unit dwellings (R2 uses) as permitted uses to avoid non-conformity implications for existing houses.
• 2000 - Amended the objectives and changed the permitted uses so that instead of light industrial uses, the intended future redevelopment would be for arterial commercial (B3 uses) or medium density residential (RM3 uses).

The Mayfair & Kelsey-Woodlawn Local Area Plan was adopted by City Council in 2015 after two-and-a-half years of community engagement.  Recommendations in the Plan specific to the DCD2 area include:

• Amending the DCD2 zoning regulations to:
  • Permit B4MX (Integrated Commercial Mixed-Use District) uses upon cul-de-sac consolidation,
  • Remove the required development sequence to allow any consolidated cul-de-sac to be developed in any order, and
  • Require a developer to submit a transition plan for residents upon consolidation.
• Correcting the split zoning on 1 Stanley Place.
• Identifying Idylwyld Drive between 33rd and 39th Streets as a priority for higher densities and greater mix of uses during the City's work on the Growth Plan to Half a Million - which has become the Corridor Planning program.

In July 2024, as part of a city-wide Corridor Land Use and Rezoning project, City Council approved a rezoning application for 1232 & 1236 Idylwyld Drive and 1 Minto Place from DCD2 to Corridor Station Mixed-Use 1 (CS1), allowing for these sites to be removed from the DCD2 boundaries and redeveloped into a mixed-use development of up to 27 metres.

This has been the first official change to the DCD2 zoning district in more than 20 years.