Zone In: August 30 Public Hearing (with a much lighter agenda!)

 

Hello and welcome to Issue #11 of Zone In, Situate’s newsletter on what’s happening at Edmonton City Council public hearings on land development.

The next City Council public hearing is coming up tomorrow, August 30. Read on for the summary of what’s on the agenda and what Council approved at the last public hearing on August 16.

 

THE ‘WHY’ BEHIND ZONE IN

 

We created Zone In for two reasons: to make it quicker and easier to find out what’s happening at City Council public hearings, and to make it easier to show your support for rezoning applications that you believe are moving our city in the right direction.

Zone In focuses on applications related to infill and urban redevelopment; Situate’s client files are highlighted in orange.

 

AUGUST 16, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING RECAP

 

Let’s start with a recap of what happened at the August 16 public hearing.

The agenda had a total of 21 applications (29 agenda items).

The road closures, industrial applications, and developing area applications were approved unanimously.

 

Of the ten redeveloping area (infill) applications, five were approved unanimously without debate. The other five (shown in bold text below) were selected for debate. If you’d like to review the details of the files approved with no debate, check out past Zone In Issue #10.

4.1    4.18   4.19    4.20    4.21    4.22    4.23/4.24    4.25    4.26/4.27    4.28/4.29

Item 4.18 was an application to rezone a 687 square metre lot in Sherwood on the corner of 95 Avenue and 153 Street. The application was submitted by Green Space Alliance on behalf of a private landowner and proposed to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small scale multi-unit (row) housing. The site is not located within any nodes or corridors, but it aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas. One person registered to speak in opposition but did not attend the public hearing; the application was approved unanimously.

Item 4.19 was an application to rezone a 717 square metre lot in Forest Heights on the corner of 98 Avenue and 79 Street. The application was submitted by a private landowner and proposed to rezone the site from the RF4 (semi-detached residential) zone to RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for small scale multi-unit (row) housing. The site is not located within any nodes or corridors, but it aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas. There were two speakers in opposition who raised concerns about tree removal, parking, traffic, and property values. Councillor Salvador spoke in favour of the application, noting that there are incentives to retain mature trees in the Zoning Bylaw and there is work being done to manage on-street parking. She also stated that this is an ideal location for a gentle increase in density that will provide a different form of housing for people who want to live a transit-oriented lifestyle. The application was approved unanimously.

Item 4.21 was an application to rezone a 1,926 square metre site in Strathcona on the corner of 99 Street (a secondary corridor) and 90 Avenue. The application was submitted by Beljan Developments on behalf of Sharbro Construction Ltd. and proposed to rezone the site from DC2 (site specific development control provision) to a new DC2 provision. The rezoning would allow for the development of a mid rise mixed use building, with five more units than the current DC2 allows. The site is located within the 99 Street Secondary Corridor, and the proposed zoning aligns with the policies of the Strathcona Area Redevelopment Plan. The application was referred back to Administration to add Supportive Housing as a use in the DC2.

Item 4.23/4.24 was an application to rezone a 2,100 square metre site in Central McDougall at the corner of 109 Avenue and 107 Street. The application was submitted by Green Space Alliance on behalf of a private landowner and proposed to rezone the site from a DC2 (site specific development control provision) to a new DC2 provision. The rezoning would allow for the development of up to 13 residential units in three separate row housing buildings. The rezoning required an amendment to a map in the Central McDougall/Queen Mary Park Area Redevelopment Plan to redesignate the site from “single family residential” to “row housing.” The site is not located within any nodes or corridors, but it aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas. There were two speakers in favour (the applicants) and two in opposition. The concerns of the speakers in opposition included a lack of heritage components in the building architecture and parking. They also stated they would prefer to see 12 single detached houses rather than 13 row houses. Councillor Stevenson spoke in support of the application noting that there were provisions in the DC2 to encourage the use of masonry on the exterior of the building, and that one underground parking space per unit is proposed. She also stated that row housing is lacking in the Ward and will be more energy efficient than single detached housing would be. The application was approved unanimously.

Item 4.28/4.29 was an application to rezone a large site in Central McDougall, comprising most of the lands bounded by 105 Avenue NW, 106 Street NW, 106 Avenue NW and 101 Street NW. The application was submitted by Stantec on behalf of Katz Group and proposed to rezone the site from a DC1 (direct development control provision) to a new DC1 provision, and to create a new zone called the CMUV (central McDougall urban village) zone that would apply to most of the site east of 104 Street. The rezoning would allow for a high-density, mixed-use urban village. The rezoning required an amendment to the Central McDougall/Queen Mary Park Area Redevelopment Plan to amend three maps and adjust the implementation of the Redevelopment Levy. The site is located within the Centre City node. There were three speakers in favour and none in opposition. Councillor Stevenson made a motion to have the proposed zoning amended to require a minimum of 25% of all ground oriented units to have a minimum of three bedrooms. The motion passed by a vote of 11 to 2. She also made a motion to have the text of the zoning require that any development permits for surface parking lots expire on December 31, 2023, which was passed by a vote of 9 to 4. At the end of the public hearing, Councillor Stevenson spoke in favour of the application. She noted that the development will strengthen the residential base in the downtown core, provide housing choice, and create public realm enhancements that connect downtown to the North Edge. The application was approved by a vote of 12 to 1, with Councillor Principe voting against it.

 

AUGUST 30, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA OVERVIEW

 

The August 30 public hearing agenda has a total of 9 applications (12 agenda items).

The agenda includes four applications in the redeveloping area as well as an infill application in the developing area, all of which we profile below.

 

 

3.7      3.8      3.9      3.10/3.11      3.12

Item 3.7 is an application to rezone a 1,349 square metre lot in Grovenor at the corner of 147 Street and Stony Plain Road (an arterial road and primary corridor). The application was submitted by EINs Consulting and proposes to rezone the site from the CNC (neighbourhood convenience commercial) zone to the CB1 (low intensity business) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of low intensity commercial, office and service uses, with limited residential-related uses located along arterial roadways that border residential areas. The site is located within 400m of the future Stony Plain Road / 149 Street LRT stop and is within the Stony Plain Road Primary Corridor.

 

Item 3.8 is an application to rezone a 652 square metre lot in Chappelle at the corner of Chappelle Drive and Charles Place. The application was submitted by Situate on behalf of a private landowner and proposes to rezone the site from the RSL (residential small lot) zone to the RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small-scale multi-unit housing. The intent of the landowner is to preserve the existing single detached house and divide it into three or four internal units, as a form of adaptive reuse. The site is not located within a nodes or corridor, but it aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas.

 

Item 3.9 is an application to rezone a 705 square metre lot in Holyrood on the corner of 96 Avenue and 83 Street. The application was submitted by a private landowner and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small scale multi-unit (row) housing. The site is not located within a nodes or corridor, but it aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas.

Item 3.10/3.11 is an application to rezone a 650 square metre lot in Queen Mary Park on the corner of 109 Avenue and 117 Street. The application was submitted by a private landowner and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small scale multi-unit (row) housing. The rezoning requires a map amendment to the Central McDougall/Queen Mary Park Area Redevelopment Plan. The site is not located within a node or corridor, but the application aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas.

Item 3.12 is an application to rezone a 3,650 square metre site consisting of six adjacent lots in Prince Rupert, on the north side of 111 Avenue (a primary corridor) between 116 Street and 117 Street. The application was submitted by Stantec on behalf of a private landowner and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to a DC2 (site specific development control provision) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of a mid-rise mixed use building of multi-residential development with limited commercial opportunities on the ground floor. At the September 8, 2021 public hearing, the previous City Council referred the original application to rezone the site to RA7 and RA8 back to Administration to work with the applicant on a DC2 zone that would allow for site access from the service road, rather than from the lane. The site is located within the 111 Avenue Primary Corridor. 

All of the infill files have support from City of Edmonton Administration and align with City Plan.

 

HOW TO SHOW SUPPORT

 

If any of these applications grabbed your attention as something you like, or that you’d like to see more of in Edmonton, let Council know—your support can make a big difference.

Send a quick email to Council at city.council@edmonton.ca and city.clerk@edmonton.ca with the subject line “SUPPORT re: Item #.##, August 30, 2022 Public Hearing” and body text along the lines of “I am an Edmontonian who supports the City Plan goals of creating a more livable, sustainable and compact city with attainable housing options for all Edmontontians. For that reason I fully support the above referenced project.” The City recommends that submissions be sent by 4:30PM the day before the public hearing (today). Submissions sent thereafter will be shared with Council the morning of the public hearing.  

 

HOW TO WATCH PUBLIC HEARINGS

 

If you really love infill and municipal politics, tune in and watch the public hearing live on the City’s YouTube channel! The action starts at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, August 30.

 

THAT’S A WRAP

 

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The next City Council public hearing is Tuesday, September 13. Watch your inbox for our next issue!