Planning Fee and Development Cost Charges Study

New planning application and subdivision servicing fees are in effect. See Tables 1 and 2 below for the new fees. Contact the Planning & Development Department if you have any questions. 

Project Background

In 2021 the R.M. of Corman Park contracted Wallace Insights, Firebird Business Consulting and V3 Companies to undertake an update to Corman Park’s planning application fees, subdivision servicing fees and to review the need for a development levy framework. 

The consultant’s final report was received as information by R.M. Council on June 13th, 2022.

The new subdivision servicing fees were approved by R.M. Council at their March 20th, 2023 meeting. They will come into effect on June 1st, 2023. 

The new planning application fees are contained in Planning Fee Bylaw No. 8/23. They came into effect on June 20th, 2023. 

 Planning Application Fees

As recommended in the consultant report, the R.M. will be implementing new fees that apply to a variety of development permits and planning applications, outlined in Table 1. The new  planning application fees came into effect on June 20th, 2023.  Any complete applications* received prior to June 20th will be charged the old application fees. 

Contact Us

Planning & Development

Email the Planning Department

 Physical Address
  111 Pinehouse Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7K 5W1

 Phone: 306-242-9303

Table 1. Summary of Old vs. New Planning Application Fees

Application Type

Development Permit – Permitted Uses

Development Permit - Discretionary Uses

Single Parcel Map Amendment - AG Only 

Single Parcel Map Amendment  - Other***  

Map Amendment - Multi-Parcel

Minor Variance

Zoning Compliance Certificate

Consolid-ation

Subdivisions and Parcel Tie Removal

Development

Appeals

Current Fees

$ 125

$425 or 775**

$ 400

$ 550

$ 1,525

$ 125

$ 75

$0

See Note****

$300

New Fees as of June 20th, 2023*

$ 215

$ 780

$ 630

$ 2,500

$ 4,500

$ 200

$ 78

$0

See Note****

$300










Subdivision Servicing Fees

Subdivision servicing fees are enabled under the Act as a financing or cost recovery tool for municipalities to provide ‘off-site infrastructure’, including roadways, potable water, wastewater, drainage and stormwater management and provision of parks and recreation, which directly or indirectly serves a proposed subdivision. ‘Off-site infrastructure’ does not include the ‘on-site’ services that directly serve a subdivision or development such as internal subdivision roads. Subdivision servicing fees are associated with the subdivision of land.  

The R.M.’s subdivision servicing fees were last increased 2014 through the Subdivision Fees Policy PD/002The new subdivision servicing fees were approved by R.M. Council at their March 20th, 2023 meeting. They will come into effect on June 1st, 2023.

The residential subdivision servicing fee is being increased from $6,560 per lot to $8,505 per lot. This represents a 30% increase in fees, or an average annual increase of 3.8% since 2014, when the fees were last increased. The residential development charge is recommended to remain as a per lot charge based on the principle that each residential lot has a similar impact on municipal infrastructure, regardless of its size. The proposed residential servicing fee would continue to apply to both multi-parcel country residential subdivisions as well as single severance (5 per 1/4) residential sites. 

There are no changes to the exemption of subdivision servicing fees for residential subdivisions that involve an existing residential yard site. This exemption is based off the principle that an existing yard site does not represent growth for the municipality. Any subsequent subdivisions off the remnant lands would be subject to the subdivision servicing fee.  

The non-residential subdivision servicing fees (I.e., commercial, industrial and recreational subdivisions) will be increased from $10,560 per lot to $13,818 per ha. The recommendation to move to a per area charge is to provide Corman Park with a mechanism to address the varying impacts of non-residential growth. The per area fee will apply to the developable area of a subdivision, meaning that any lands that are required to be dedicated for public purposes (roadways, environmental reserve, etc.) would generally not be included in the calculation of the charge.


Table 2. Old vs. New Subdivision Servicing Fees

Subdivision Type

Residential, existing yard site

Residential, no existing yard site 

Non-residential 

Current Fees

$0

$6560 per lot being created

$10,560 per lot

New Fees

 as of June 1st, 2023*

$0

$8,505 per lot being created

$13,818 per ha of developed area

Development Levies 

Development levies can be charged when there is no subdivision of land, but the land is being intensified through development. The R.M. does not currently have a development levy framework in place but is evaluating the need for one as recommended in the consultant’s report.

Notes:

* The R.M.'s Planning and Development Department will have discretion in determining if a given application is complete at the time of submission. Complete applications received prior to June 1st, 2023 will be subject to the current (old) subdivision servicing fees, if the application involves subdivision. Applications received between June 1st and June 19th will be charged the current (old) planning application fees but will be subject to the new subdivision servicing fees. On June 20th any applications will be subject to both new planning application and subdivision servicing fees. 

** Previously ‘Basic’ discretionary use applications are assessed a fee of $425 and ‘Standard’ applications are $775. A single discretionary use application fee of $780 will be assessed on all discretionary use applications received on June 20th, 2023.

***Single parcel commercial, industrial, recreational rezoning applications

****The provincial Ministry of Government Relations (MGR) Community Planning Branch is the approving authority for subdividing land and parcel tie removal in the R.M.  All fees are paid to the Province for these applications and then the application is referred to the R.M. for review. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Why are my fees going up?

Planning Application Fees:

In 2021, Corman Park hired a consultant to undertake a study to update the planning application fees, subdivision servicing fees and the need for a development levy framework. The application fees were last updated in 2019. Through the consultant’s report it was found that the current application fees cover between 12% and 100% of the actual municipal cost for review and approvals, depending on the type of application. In most cases 100% cost recovery is recommended by the consultant to cover the total municipal cost for review, advertising, enforcement, regulation, and approvals of various planning applications. Where the current application fee is not sufficient for cost recovery, fee increases were recommended by the consultants and approved by R.M. Council.

Subdivision Servicing Fees:

Subdivision servicing fees go toward expanding Corman Park’s infrastructure which is needed to support a growing municipality. Subdivision servicing fees are one type of development charge enabled in the Act as a financing or cost recovery tool for municipalities to provide roadways, potable water, wastewater, drainage and stormwater management and provision of parks and recreation which directly or indirectly serves a proposed subdivision or development. In Corman Park subdivision servicing fees were reviewed by the consultant to reflect the cost of eligible capital projects identified in the 10-year Corman Park Capital Plan. To ensure that there is adequate funding to support the infrastructure needs of growth, the consultant recommended increases in the servicing fees to ensure adequate cost recovery for the R.M. The R.M.’s subdivision servicing fees were last reviewed in 2014. 

What are the new fees?

For Planning Application fees – See Table 1.

For Subdivision Servicing fees – See Table 2.

When are fees going up?

The new subdivision servicing fees will come into effect on June 1st, 2023. The new planning application fees will come into effect on June 20th, 2023. 

If I submit my application before June 1st, will I be paying the old rates?

Yes, complete applications received prior to June 1st, 2023 will be charged the current (old) rates throughout the application process. 

In addition to the initial application fee, what other expenses should I expect?

Applicants will be solely responsible for all costs associated with:

  • Discretionary use
    1. All costs associated with satisfying Council’s public notification policy (i.e., Public Notification mailouts to all landowners within a 1.6-kilometre radius of the subject property.) 
    2. ISC Interest Registration Fees (Usually $55.00 per agreement, per title, if we are required to register any agreements on the title of the property)
    3. SAMA re-assessment fee: $25
  • Official Community Plan and/or Zoning Bylaw map amendments (including rezoning and/or P4G District Official Community Plan Land Use Map amendments)
    1. All costs associated with satisfying Council’s public notification policy (i.e., Public Notification mailouts to all landowners within a 1.6-kilometre radius of the subject property.) 
    2. Advertising - this cost is generally between $400 to $800. To advertise the rezoning in the local Clark’s Crossing Gazette for a two-week period. 
    3. ISC Interest Registration Fees (Usually $55.00 per agreement, per title, if we are required to register any agreements on the title of the property.) 
    4. SAMA re-assessment fee: $25
  • Development Permit
    1. ISC Interest Registration Fees (Usually $55.00 per agreement, per title, if we are required to register any agreements on the title of the property.)
    2. SAMA re-assessment fee: $25
  • Subdivision - visit our Subdivision page for more information:
    1. Hiring a surveyor
    2. Application to Community Planning for subdivision 
    3. Municipal Reserve costs

I want to create two new parcels off my land at the same time. What are my fees?

Planning Application Fees are charged on a per application basis. If an application requires the rezoning of two parcels at once it likely can be reviewed as one application. Contact the Planning Department for more information. 

How long will it take to process my application?

  • We have heard that processing and response times are top concerns from our ratepayers and others who do business in Corman Park. Here are the typical timelines you can expect:
    1. Development Permits where new construction is not being proposed, a Development Permit may be issued within ten (10) business days of receiving a complete application. Where new construction is being proposed, the process to obtain a Building Permit is also required.
    2. Building Permit – generally within 3-4 weeks of receiving a completed application. Allow for more time during peak construction periods.
    3. Discretionary Use Applications – generally within 45-60 days of receiving a completed application. Time is provided to receive and address written concerns raised by ratepayers, and a report is presented to R.M. Council on behalf of the applicant at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
    4. Bylaw Text Amendments – depends on the scale of the request. Please contact the Planning Department for more information. 
    5. Bylaw Map Amendments – a rezoning process usually takes between 45-60 days depending on the complexity of the application and scheduled Council meeting dates. Applications that require the submission of a Comprehensive Development Review (CDR) typically take upwards of 90 days due to the additional information review period.  Ministerial approval on the bylaw can take approx. 4-8 weeks after the R.M. process.