Lots for Sale
The Village owns a number of vacant residential lots and sells them to people who want to build here. Below is what's available, what you're allowed to build, and how to get started. If you have a question that isn't answered here, call the office — we'd rather talk it through than have you guess.
What lots cost
Serviced lots — $25 per frontal foot. Water and sewer are at the property line.
Unserviced lots — $10 per frontal foot. Bringing services in is the buyer's cost.
Frontal footage is the width of the lot along the street. A 50-foot serviced lot works out to $1,250. Contact the office to confirm the frontage on the lot you're interested in and whether it's serviced.
Residential lots
These lots are owned by the Village of Abbey. Availability changes, so confirm with the office before making plans. Where a lot has an existing structure on it, that is noted.
| Civic address | Lot | Block | Serviced | Notes | Plan / ISC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 205 Dennis St. | M | 84SC08240 | No | — | 142953655 |
| 206 Dennis St. | 6–8 | 12 | Yes | — | 142956928, 142956917, 142955905 |
| 240 Dennis St. | 20 | 3 | Yes | — | 142955196 |
| 262 Dennis St. | 14 | 2 | Yes | Structure on site | 142955590 |
| 129 & 131 Wayne St. | 8 & 9 | 3 | Yes | — | 142955376, 142955387 |
| 301 Kennedy St. | 11 | 10 | Yes | — | 142955950 |
| 306 Kennedy St. | 8 | 11 | Yes | — | 142956816 |
| 330 Kennedy St. | 1 | 5 | Yes | Structure on site | 142956636 |
| 353 Kennedy St. | 24–25 | 1 | Yes | — | 142956209, 142956197 |
| 229 Chancel Ave. | GG | 101659507 | Yes | Structure on site | 151004135 |
| 205 Chancel Ave. | 3 | 13 | Yes | — | 142924552 |
| 214 Chancel Ave. | 7 & 8 | 5 | Yes | — | 142956434, 142956669 |
| 433 Monk St. | 12 | 6 | No | Structure on site | 142956614 |
| 435 Monk St. | 13 | 6 | No | — | 142956535 |
| 437 Monk St. | 14 | 6 | No | — | 142956546 |
| 439 Monk St. | 15 | 6 | No | — | 142956557 |
| 441 Monk St. | 16 | 6 | No | — | 142956568 |
| 443 Monk St. | 17 | 6 | No | — | 142956580 |
| Martin St. (undeveloped) | 8–14 | 14 | No | Undeveloped | 142924596, 142924585, 142924484, 142924473, 142924462, 142924451, 142924619 |
Lots marked "structure on site" have an existing building — ask the office about its condition and whether it stays or comes down. On unserviced lots, bringing water and sewer in is the buyer's cost, and that varies a lot by location — talk to the office before committing. The Martin Street lots are undeveloped.
Commercial lot
One commercial lot is available, in the Village Centre Commercial (C1) district. This is the downtown area, and the rules are different from the residential lots above.
| Civic address | Lot | Block | Serviced | Plan / ISC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158 Wayne St. | 16 | 1 | No | 142956265 25 ft frontage · 0.07 acres |
- Minimum lot size
- 225 m²2,422 sq ft
- Minimum frontage
- 7.5 m25 ft
- Front yard setback
- NoneYou can build to the front property line
- Side and rear setback
- NoneExcept 1.5 m (5 ft) where the side line abuts a residential or community service district, or a public street
Allowed outright
- Retail stores, bakeries, butcher shops
- Restaurants, cafés, coffee shops
- Barbers, hairdressers, and personal services
- Medical, dental, and health clinics
- Business and professional offices
- Banks and credit unions
- Repair trades, craft shops, and studios
- Service stations, vehicle sales and service, car washes
- Garden centres and greenhouses
- Motels, including a suite for the owner or manager
- Licensed premises
- Bowling alleys, arcades, fitness centres
- Outdoor markets and concessions
Needs Council approval
- A dwelling attached behind or above a commercial space
- Contractors' yards and construction trades with yards
- Plumbing, pipe fitting, metal working, and similar trade shops
- Vehicle, RV, or mobile home sales and storage compounds
- Semi-trailer and sea container parking lots
- Farm machinery sales and service
- Fertilizer sales and storage
- Card lock operations
Maximum site coverage in C1 is 75%. This lot is unserviced, so at 25 feet of frontage the price is $250. Bringing water and sewer in would be the buyer's cost. It is a compact lot — well suited to an office, storefront, or small shop, but not to a use needing yard space.
Other Village land
The Village owns land beyond the lots listed above — the park, the cemetery, municipal reserve, the trailer court, and the buildings we operate. Most of it isn't for sale.
That said, the Village will consider proposals for certain parcels adjacent to the community park depending on the intended use. If you have something specific in mind, contact the office to discuss it before you get too far into planning. Any sale of this kind is at Council's discretion.
What you can build on a residential lot
The lots in the first table are in the Residential (R) District. Here are the numbers for a single detached house, an RTM, or a modular home.
- Minimum lot size
- 460 m²4,951 sq ft
- Minimum house size
- 75 m²807 sq ft of floor area
- Minimum frontage
- 12 m39 ft
- Maximum height
- 9 m30 ft
- Front yard setback
- 7.5 m25 ft from the front property line
- Rear yard setback
- 7.5 m25 ft
- Side yard setback
- 1.5 m5 ft — but 2.5 m (8 ft) on the street side of a corner lot
- Maximum lot coverage
- 40%50% on a corner lot
Decks, patios, and open verandas can stick out up to 1.8 m (6 ft) into a required front or rear yard. Eaves, gutters, bay windows, and chimneys can project 0.6 m (2 ft) into any yard.
Types of homes
Allowed outright
- One single detached houseIncluding an RTM (ready-to-move)
- Modular homesMust sit on a permanent foundation and be hooked to Village water and sewer
- Mobile homesMust be CSA Z240 certified. Wheels, hitches, and running gear come off within 45 days, and skirting goes on
- Garages, shops, sheds, and other accessory buildingsOnly after the house is built
Needs Council approval
- Duplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, and other multi-unit dwellings
- Home-based businesses
- Secondary suitesOne per lot, inside the house, max 60 m² (646 sq ft) or 35% of floor space, max two bedrooms
- Day cares and pre-schools
- Bed and breakfast homes
- Residential care homes
- Front yard outdoor storage
"Needs Council approval" means a discretionary use. Notice is posted at the property and mailed to assessed property owners within 75 m, at least seven days before Council considers it, and the applicant pays the advertising cost. Council can approve it, approve it with conditions, approve it for a limited time, or turn it down.
Shops, garages, and sheds
Accessory buildings have their own set of rules, and they're different from the ones for the house.
- Maximum size
- 83.6 m²900 sq ft
- Maximum height
- 4 m13 ft, grade to underside of the eaves
- From the front line
- 6 m20 ft minimum
- From the house
- 1.2 m4 ft minimum
- From the side line
- 0.8 m3 ft — but 3.6 m (12 ft) if that side faces a street
- From the rear line
- 0.8 m3 ft — but 2 m (7 ft) if doors open onto a lane
You can't put up a shop or garage before the house is built. If a garage is attached to the house by a solid roof, it counts as part of the house and follows the house setbacks instead — and it can't be bigger than the main floor of the house.
Do I need a permit?
No permit needed
- Buildings under 10 m² (108 sq ft)A small garden shed, for example
- Satellite dishes and antennae under 1 m (3 ft) across
- Moving a building around on your own lotAs long as the setbacks still work
- Interior renovationsAs long as you're not changing the use or adding a dwelling unit
- Landscaping, driveways, and parkingAs long as drainage isn't made worse for you or your neighbours
Permit needed
- Any new house, RTM, modular, or mobile home
- Any addition or accessory building over 10 m² (108 sq ft)
- Moving a building onto a lot
- Changing what a building is used for
- Adding a dwelling unit or a secondary suite
- Anything on the discretionary use list
There is no development permit fee for accessory buildings on a residential property, sign permits, or home occupation licences. Other fees are set in the Development Fee Bylaw — ask the office. A building permit can't be issued until a development permit is issued or issued alongside it.
Water and sewer
The Village owns and operates a community well within Village limits. Water quality is monitored daily, with samples sent to the Provincial Laboratory every two weeks.
- Water meter deposit
- $150Refunded after two years of current payments, or when the final bill for the property is settled
- Connection fee
- $20To connect water and set up a water card
Your responsibility
- Blocked lines from the main line to the house
- Repairing or replacing lines from the property line to the house
Village responsibility
- Blocked main lines
- Repairing or replacing lines from the property line to the main line
Modular and mobile homes must be permanently connected to Village water and sewer. Rates are set in Bylaw 2018-02; water and sewer operations are governed by Bylaw 2013-1. Standpipe water is available at a cost — ask the office.
How to buy a lot and build
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Call the office
Ask which lots are still available, what the frontage is, and whether it's serviced. That gives you the price. Tell us what you're planning to build — it's much easier to sort out problems now than after you've bought.
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Make an offer
Offers to purchase go to Council. Council can accept or turn down an offer. The office will tell you when yours is on the agenda.
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Apply for a development permit
Submit the application form and a site plan showing where the building will sit and how far it is from each property line. The Development Officer will tell you if anything else is needed.
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Wait for the decision
You'll hear back in writing within 30 days of submitting everything required. For a permitted use that conforms to the bylaw, the permit gets issued. For a discretionary use, nearby property owners are notified first and Council makes the decision.
-
Get your building permit and start
Your development permit is good for 12 months. If you don't get going within that time, you'll need to come back.
Common questions
How is the price calculated?
By frontal foot — the width of the lot measured along the street. A serviced lot is $25 per frontal foot and an unserviced lot is $10 per frontal foot. So a 50-foot serviced lot is $1,250 and the same lot unserviced would be $500. Call the office for the frontage on a specific lot.
What's the difference between serviced and unserviced?
A serviced lot has Village water and sewer available at the property line. On an unserviced lot, getting services in is the buyer's responsibility and cost. That cost varies a lot depending on the lot, so talk to the office before you commit to an unserviced lot.
Can I put a mobile home on a lot?
Yes, mobile homes are a permitted use in the Residential District. It has to be CSA Z240 certified with the label to prove it. Within 45 days of arrival the wheels, hitch, and running gear come off, and skirting goes on — installed so it allows for vertical movement and keeps rodents out. It has to be connected to Village water and sewer. Minimum lot size for a mobile home is 465 m² (5,005 sq ft) and minimum floor area is 50 m² (538 sq ft).
Can I bring in an RTM?
Yes. An RTM counts as a single detached dwelling and is permitted outright. You'll still need a development permit, and it has to meet the same minimum floor area of 75 m² (807 sq ft) and the same setbacks as a stick-built house.
Can I use a sea can or shipping container for storage?
You can't park or store an unlicensed sea container, rail container, truck, bus, or coach body anywhere on a site for the purpose of advertising. If you're thinking about a container for storage, talk to the office first — it will be assessed against the accessory building rules.
Can I build a shop before I build the house?
No. An accessory building can't be built, erected, or moved onto a site before the principal building it's accessory to. The house comes first.
Can I run a business from home?
Home occupations are a discretionary use, so Council decides. One per dwelling. The business has to be entirely inside the house or an accessory building, clearly secondary to living there. You can have one sign (no LED or neon), no outdoor display or storage of merchandise, and nothing that creates dust, noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odour, or air pollution detectable past your property line. Up to two people who don't live there can work for you.
Can I add a suite for a family member?
Secondary suites are a discretionary use. One per residential lot, and it has to be inside the principal house with its own entrance — either from a shared indoor landing or straight from outside. It needs cooking, eating, living, sleeping, and bathroom facilities. Maximum 60 m² (646 sq ft) or 35% of total floor space including the basement, and no more than two bedrooms.
My neighbours' houses sit closer to the street than 25 feet. Do I have to be set back further than them?
Not necessarily. If your lot sits between two lots that both have houses closer to the street than the required front yard, your front yard can be reduced to the average of those two — but never less than 4.5 m (15 ft) in a Residential District.
What if my lot is an odd shape or on a curve?
Where frontage is on a cul-de-sac, a curve, or is otherwise irregular, the minimum frontage is 11 m (36 ft), and the average width of the lot still has to meet the normal 12 m minimum.
What if I can't quite meet a setback?
There's a minor variance process. Talk to the Development Officer about your specific situation before you assume the answer is no — and before you build.
What if my application is turned down?
It depends on the reason. You can appeal a decision on a permitted use application to the Development Appeals Board. On a discretionary use, the right of appeal is narrower — you can appeal development standards or conditions attached to an approval, on the grounds that they go beyond what's needed to meet the objectives of the zoning bylaw. If Council turns down a discretionary use because of the land use itself, that decision can't be appealed. The office will explain the process for your situation.
Contact the Village Office
Village of Abbey
Box 210, Abbey, SK S0N 0A0
Phone: 306-689-2281
Email: rm229@sasktel.net
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This page is a plain-language summary of Zoning Bylaw No. 2017-10. Where this page and the bylaw differ, the bylaw governs. The full bylaw is available on the Bylaws page or from the office.