Hello and welcome to Issue #13 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 on Tuesday, October 4; below is our summary of what’s on the agenda. But first—find out what Council did at the last public hearing on September 13.

THE ‘WHY’ BEHIND ZONE IN

We created Zone In to make it quicker to find out what’s happening at City Council public hearings, and easier to show your support for rezoning applications that make sense for our city.

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

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING RECAP

Let’s start with a recap of what happened at the September 13 public hearing.

The agenda had a total of 16 applications (25 agenda items).

The industrial application and two of the developing area (new neighbourhood) applications were approved unanimously without debate. Three applications in the developing area were selected for debate, one of which we have profiled below because we think it’s of interest to our readers.

Of the ten redeveloping area (infill) applications, seven were approved unanimously without debate (including Situate’s two applications). The other three (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 #12.

3.1    3.2    3.3    3.4/3.5    3.6    3.7    3.9    3.10    3.21/3.22/3.23/3.24    3.25

Item 3.6 was an application to rezone a 695 square metre lot in Britannia Youngstown at the corner of 158 Street and 102 Avenue. The application was submitted by EINS Consulting and proposed to rezone the site from the RF4 (semi-detached residential) zone to the RF5 (row housing) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of ground-oriented multi-unit housing. The rezoning aligns with the Jasper Place Area Redevelopment Plan and is located within the Stony Plain Road Primary Corridor. At the public hearing, there was one speaker in opposition who raised concerns about on-street parking. Councillor Knack (the ward Councillor) asked Administration to clarify that the current access from 102 Avenue would be moved to the lane (it would be), which would leave on-street parking available along 102 Avenue. Councillors Stevenson and Knack also stated that residential parking will be reviewed in the future and local solutions will be developed as the LRT completion date approaches. Councillor Knack also expressed concern that the RF5 zone requires a smaller 1.2 metre minimum interior side setback compared to the 3 metre setback required in the RF3 zone (check out our RF3 and RF5 blog posts to learn more about the differences between the two zones). Administration stated that the discrepancy in the side setback requirements will be reviewed as part of the Zoning Bylaw Renewal. With a final note from Councillor Knack about the rezoning’s alignment with the Jasper Place Area Redevelopment Plan, the application was approved unanimously. 

Item 3.12/3.13 was an application to rezone a 2.11 hectare site located in The Uplands (in the developing area) west of 199 Street and south of Woodbend Wynd. The application was submitted by Stantec Consulting and proposed to rezone the site from RF6 (medium density multiple family) zone to a DC2 (site specific development control provision) zone. The rezoning would allow for a low density multi-unit project development of single detached, semi-detached and/or duplex housing. The rezoning required an amendment to The Uplands Neighbourhood Structure Plan to redesignate the land and increase the density from 45 to 55 dwelling units/hectare. The rezoning aligns with City Plan policies that encourage future growth within the City’s existing boundaries. At the public hearing there were no speakers in opposition but Council had many questions for the applicant and Administration, primarily related to the decrease in housing diversity (no more row housing), and limited public access to the parklands west of the proposed site. Councillor Stevenson made a motion to refer the application back to Administration to work with the applicant to provide certainty on public pedestrian access through the site and to the adjacent top of bank trail. The motion was defeated on a tie, with ward Councillor Hamilton voting against the motion. The rezoning was then approved unanimously. 

Item 3.21/3.22/3.23/3.24 was an application to rezone four lots totaling 1,944 square metres in McKernan, located on 114 Street on the north and south sides of 78 Avenue. The application was submitted by Precision Buildings on behalf of Pinto Properties Inc., and proposed to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to a DC2 (site specific development control provision). The rezoning would allow for the development of two mid-rise (23 m) buildings with commercial uses fronting on public open spaces. The rezoning required amendments to principles, policies, and figures in the McKernan-Belgravia Station Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP). There were also two road closures proposed as part of the application. The site is located within the 114 Street Secondary Corridor.

At the public hearing, there were nine speakers in favour (including the applicant) and seventeen speakers in opposition (including the Belgravia Community League). The speakers in opposition primarily raised concerns regarding alignment with the ARP, building height, greenway size, waste management, safety, and parking, among other concerns. The height of the building does not conform to the ARP, which Administration noted was balanced in the building design by stepbacks and the increased interior setbacks on the western side to transition to the lower density areas of the neighbourhood. The speakers’ concerns with the building height led to wider discussion about ARP alignment.

Councillors Salvador and Stevenson reiterated that City Plan is the overarching plan (this hierarchy is established in the Municipal Government Act), and City Plan identifies the site to be within a Secondary Corridor where low and mid-rise development is encouraged. Further, they stated that ARPs are living documents that can be updated (this ARP was adopted in 2013 long before City Plan came into effect). Further to this, Administration stated that the City is in a complex planning and policy environment with the draft District Plans currently in the engagement phase. They acknowledged that ARPs provide a level of certainty for communities and that the District Plans need to strike a balance between providing communities with some certainty about the future built environment while also building flexibility into the plans (so that they can evolve and don’t have to be amended frequently). Ward Councillor Janz made a motion to refer the application back to Administration to work with the applicant to better align the proposal with the Area Redevelopment Plan with respect to height and the 114 Street greenway width. Councillor Knack proposed an amendment to the motion to remove the reference to height and add consideration of waste management. The amended motion for referral was carried by a vote of 9 to 4, with Councillors Hamilton, Salvador, Stevenson, and Tang in opposition. 

Item 3.25 was an application to rezone a four-lot site totalling 1,926 square metres in Strathcona on the corner of 99 Street and 90 Avenue. The application was submitted by Beljan Developments on behalf of Sharbro Construction Ltd. 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 a mid-rise, mixed-use building. In the new DC2 zone, the total quantity of dwelling units was increased from 60 to 65 and the amenity area requirements were revised. The site is located within the 99 Street Secondary Corridor. This application went before Council at the August 16, 2022 public hearing, but was referred back to Administration to remove the requirement that Supportive Housing be restricted to Limited Supportive Housing. At the September 13, 2022 public hearing, there was a speaker registered to speak in opposition, but the speaker was unavailable at the time the item was discussed. The application was approved unanimously.

OCTOBER 4, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA OVERVIEW

The October 4 public hearing agenda has a total of 11 applications (15 agenda items).

The agenda includes 6 applications in the redeveloping area, which we profile below.

3.9    3.10/3.11    3.12    3.13    3.14    3.15

Item 3.9 is an application to rezone a 651 square metre lot in Glenora at the corner of 138 Street and 103 Avenue. The application was submitted by Situate on behalf of FCX Developments and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to the RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small-scale multi-unit (row) housing. The site is located within the Stony Plain Road Primary Corridor and less than 400 metres from the future Grovenor/142 Street LRT Stop.

Item 3.10/3.11 is an application to rezone a 697 square metre lot in Britannia Youngstown at the corner of 161 Street and 103 Avenue. The application was submitted by a private landowner and proposes to rezone the site from the RF4 (semi-detached residential) zone to the RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small-scale multi-unit (row) housing. The rezoning requires an amendment to the Jasper Place Area Redevelopment Plan to redesignate the site from “Small Scale Housing” to “Active Edge Housing.” The site is located within the Stony Plain Road Primary Corridor.

Item 3.12 is an application to rezone a 737 square metre lot in Sherwood at the corner of 150 Street and 94 Avenue. The application was submitted by Omega Finishing Solutions and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to the RF3 (small scale infill development) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small-scale (row) multi-unit housing. The site is located within the 149 Street Secondary Corridor.

Item 3.13 is an application to rezone a 2,700 square metre site consisting of four adjacent interior lots in Holyrood, on 83 Street just south of 95 Avenue. The application was submitted by City of Edmonton’s Real Estate & Housing Section and proposes to rezone the site from a DC2 (specific development control provision) zone to the RA7 (low rise apartment) zone. The rezoning would allow for low-rise multi-unit housing (4 storeys) with limited commercial opportunities at the ground level. If the rezoning is approved, the City intends to pursue a partnership to develop affordable or supportive housing. The current DC2 allows for slightly taller building but requires larger side setbacks and stepbacks. The site is located at the edge of Bonnie Doon District Node and within the 95 Avenue Secondary Corridor. This site is also located within 400 metres of the Holyrood LRT Stop.

Item 3.14 is an application to rezone a 713 square metre lot in McKernan at the corner of 114 Street and University Avenue. The application was submitted by a private landowner and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to the RA8 (medium rise apartment) zone. The rezoning would allow for mid-rise multi-unit housing (6 storeys) with limited commercial opportunities at the ground level. The rezoning aligns with the McKernan-Belgravia Station Area Redevelopment Plan. The site is located within the University of Alberta Major Node and is within 350 metres of both the McKernan / Belgravia and Health Sciences LRT Stops.

Item 3.15 is an application to rezone a 1,347 square metre site consisting of two adjacent lots in Glenora at the corner of 138 Street and 102 Avenue. The application was submitted by Situate on behalf of a group of private landowners and proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to the RA8 (medium rise apartment) zone. The rezoning would allow for mid-rise multi-unit housing (6 storeys) with limited commercial opportunities at the ground level. The site is located within the Stony Plain Road Primary Corridor and just over 200 metres from the future Grovenor/142 Street LRT Stop. We expect a lively debate at the public hearing, as this application has received quite a bit of attention in the media (this CBC article, for example).

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

HOW TO SHOW SUPPORT

It’s easy to show support. Simply send a quick email to Council at council@edmonton.ca and city.clerk@edmonton.ca with the subject line “SUPPORT re: Item #.##, October 4, 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 (next Monday). 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, October 4.

UPCOMING EVENT: IDEA INFILL SYMPOSIUM

The Infill Development Association in Edmonton (IDEA) is hosting its inaugural Filled In On Infill Symposium at the Foundry Room on Wednesday, October 5 from 1:00 to 6:30PM. The Symposium will bring together like-minded people working in the infill industry. Sessions will be moderated panel discussions with Q&A featuring members of regulatory agencies and industry, focused on contemporary topics facing the infill industry. Situate’s founder Chelsey Jersak will be moderating a panel on “Building the Missing Middle” and our zoning superstar Jeff Booth will be a panelist for the discussion on implementing City Plan. Situate is also proud to be a sponsor of the event. You can find out more about the event and register here.

THAT’S A WRAP

Thank you for reading this far! We hope you found the content useful. If you have any feedback for us, hit reply and let us know. You can subscribe to this newsletter or check out old editions on our webpage, here. And of course, if you don’t want to receive emails from us, please unsubscribe anytime by using the link in the footer. The next City Council public hearing is Tuesday, October 4. Watch your inbox for our next issue!

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Situate, 202, 10526 Jasper Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 1Z7, Canada