Aspen Ridge is a neighbourhood located in northeast

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, construction on which began in 2014. At full build-out, Aspen Ridge will eventually house an estimated 13,000 people. Unlike many of the city's suburban neighbourhoods, it will feature higher density housing on a grid network of roads.

History

The land where Aspen Ridge is located was annexed on August 1, 2010. The first concept drawings of Aspen Ridge (then unnamed) appeared in the University Heights Sector Plan in 2007.

Government and politics

Aspen Ridge exists within the federal electoral district of

Saskatoon—University Saskatoon—University is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan. It encompasses a portion of Saskatchewan previously included in the electoral districts of Saskatoon—Humboldt and Saskatoon—Wanuskewin. Saskatoon—University was cr ...

. It is currently represented by

Corey Tochor Corey James Tochor (born 1976 or 1977) is a Canadian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Saskatoon—University since the 2019 federal election. Tochor was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 2011 ...

of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...

, first elected in 2019. Provincially, the area is within the constituency of

Saskatoon Willowgrove Saskatoon Willowgrove is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the e ...

. It is currently represented by

Ken Cheveldayoff Ken Cheveldayoff (born April 1, 1965) is a Canadian provincial politician. He is the Saskatchewan Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the constituency of Saskatoon Willowgrove. In 2018 he was a candidate for the leadersh ...

of the

Saskatchewan Party The Saskatchewan Party is a centre-right political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Since 2007, it has been the province's governing party; both the party and the province are currently led by Premier Scott Moe. The party was esta ...

, first elected in 2003. In Saskatoon's non-partisan municipal politics, Aspen Ridge lies within ward 10. It is currently represented by Councillor Zach Jeffries, first elected in 2012.

Institutions

Education

No plans exist yet for schools in Aspen Ridge. St. Joseph High School and

Centennial Collegiate Centennial Collegiate is a secondary school located on Nelson Road in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. There are approximately 1,400 students enrolled at Centennial Collegiate as of 2022. Centennial also has a partnership with SaskTel Soccer Cen ...

are located in the University Heights Suburban Centre immediately to the south. The nearest elementary schools as of 2019 are located in nearby

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

and Willowgrove, though the city's public and separate school boards have yet to indicate where students residing in Aspen Ridge will be bused until such a time as schools are constructed in the community.

Parks and recreation

No plans exist yet for recreation facilities within the community, although the community plan shows the usual allotment of neighbourhood parks. A regional recreation facility, the SaskTel Soccer Centre, is located in the University Heights Suburban Centre to the south. The Forestry Farm Park and Saskatoon Zoo is also in the vicinity. A 24-metre wide Greenway has also been planned abutting the northwest border of Aspen Ridge, designed as a park, stormwater drainage channel, alternative transportation corridor and protective buffer to adjacent Northeast Swale natural area.

Commercial

The neighbourhood concept plan identifies two commercial zones: a mixed-use commercial/residential area on the edge of the community in the southwest corner, and a purely commercial district in the southeast corner. Until such commercial development occurs, the nearest major retail area is several kilometres to the southwest in the University Heights Suburban Centre.

Location

Aspen Ridge is a roughly triangular shaped neighbourhood located within the University Heights Suburban Development Area. It is bounded to the south by the neighbourhood of

and the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Kearnan Farm, with the latter forming a green belt separation between Aspen Ridge and other communities to the south. To the north and east it is bounded by the proposed provincial perimeter highway, and to the north and west it is bounded by the Northeast Swale preserved lands . Its primary road access is via McOrmond Drive from the south and northwest which links to

Chief Mistawasis Bridge The Chief Mistawasis Bridge (known as the North Commuter Parkway Bridge prior to June 2018) is a girder bridge in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The bridge officially opened on Oct. 2, 2018, and extends McOrmond Drive across the South Saskatchewan ...

, connecting to the northwest end of Saskatoon with Agra Road, a grid road, providing access to the perimeter highway to the east, though this road will be removed by further development.

References

External links

Aspen RidgeUniversity Heights Sector Plan
(PDF) {{Neighbourhoods of Saskatoon, selected=Aspen Ridge, Saskatoon Neighbourhoods in Saskatoon