Jerry Rota, the owner of Stoneriver Developments, has spent most of his career in the hospitality business: “What I love most about hospitality is making people feel welcome and at home.”

This love of hospitality is what eventually led Jerry to become interested in property development and to acquire two lots in the mature Edmonton neighbourhood of Woodcroft.

In 2020 Jerry asked Situate to lead the process to rezone the two Woodcroft lots—zoned RF1 (single detached residential) and RF3 (small scale infill)—to the RA7 (low rise apartment) zone. 

Situate was thrilled to dive in to the project, as the two lots formed an ideal infill site surrounded by mature trees as well as streets and lanes on all sides. The site was also located within the Westmount district node, as defined by Edmonton’s municipal development plan, City Plan, making it an excellent candidate for low rise redevelopment. 

One of the priorities for the project was to make sure the channel of communication between the community and the project team was clear and open. To that end Situate created a project webpage in order to share information about the project, answer commonly asked questions, and receive feedback through an embedded survey. Situate also coordinated a mail drop to the surrounding neighbours to let them know about the project and to share our contact information, and engaged extensively with the community league throughout the rezoning process.

The rezoning application was unanimously approved by Edmonton City Council on April 20, 2021 (see Item 3.11 in Council’s meeting minutes). As a result the site is ready to provide new and diverse housing options for residents of Woodcroft and beyond.