New school clears rezoning hurdle

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This article was published 06/08/2025 (266 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The new K-8 school in Brandon is one step closer, as the City of Brandon has approved the rezoning of the future site in the southwest corner of town.

City councillors unanimously approved the rezoning of the Brandon School Division school at the July 28 council meeting.

“It’s just one piece of the puzzle we’ve been waiting for,” BSD board of trustees chair Linda Ross said on Tuesday.

The new school in the Brookwood South neighbourhood, which will be for up to 1,000 students, according to a development report, is slated to open for the 2027-28 school year. It will be located one block west of 34th Street and south of Lakeview Drive.

In total, the subdivision is for 11 properties, one of which is the up to 100,000 square foot school. The other 10 are for single-family lots across the street from the school.

The land is now zoned as educational in some parts, and residential low-density in the remaining land. It was zoned as agricultural before.

“It’s just good news,” said Mayor Jeff Fawcett. “This has been something we’ve been working on for quite some time.”

BSD Supt. Mathew Gustafson said this is an important step toward the school being built.

“It’s a needed piece, and we’re excited about that, and that the process is continuing,” Gustafson said.

He said most K-8 schools in Brandon have been at 90 per cent capacity or higher, and that enrolment keeps getting higher every year. A new school has been needed, he said.

“We know that that’s going to help alleviate pressure on lot of the schools that we have in the south end of the city.”

Gustafson didn’t know when shovels might be hitting the ground, but that there is still some work before that can happen.

He said the 2027-28 timeline the province announced in March might not be as concrete as initially suggested.

“I really can’t say if that’s how firm that timeline is,” he said.

He also didn’t confirm any numbers on how many students will be at the school, instead giving a range depending on how the property ends up.

Coun. Shawn Berry (Ward 7) said this is a step in the right direction for the school located in his ward, which will have a larger impact on the area and city.

“It’s nice to see it come to fruition,” Berry said.

“I think it’s going to be great for the area and great for the city overall. Because we desperately need another school. We need a few in the city, but we definitely needed one out in this newer development area.”

He said this will hopefully alleviate pressure at the neighbouring Linden Lanes School, Waverly Park School and Riverheights School.

The placement of this school in the city is in a pretty good spot, he said. Considering it’s currently in an open field, it will hopefully spur faster growth in the neighbourhood.

Ryan Nickel, the city’s director of planning and buildings, said the school being built before the neighbourhood will have a positive impact for the planning aspect of the area.

“This is a unique opportunity because the school site is coming first, and we can plan an area around the school,” Nickel told council before the vote.

He said doing that will ensure other aspects of the neighbourhood will be in better shape for the long term.

“To ensure that the design of the school meets transportation circulation requirements, as well as access for active transportation,” he said. “So I think this is a real benefit to the city.”

The school will be located at the corner of a future extension of Plateau Drive, and a yet-to-be-named east-to-west street.

Council voted 10-0, with Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Ward 2) not present at the council meeting.

The property developer, John Burgess, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

» alambert@brandonsun.com