Hello and welcome to Issue #15 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 tomorrow, Tuesday, November 1. Below is our summary of what’s on the agenda. But first—find out what Council approved at the last public hearing on October 18.

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.

October 18, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING RECAP

Let’s start with a recap of what happened at the October 18 public hearing.

The October 18 public hearing agenda had a total of thirteen applications (nineteen agenda items). Of the seven redeveloping area (infill) applications, five were approved unanimously without debate. The other two (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 #14.

Infill Agenda Items: 3.1    3.4    3.5    3.6    3.7    3.18   3.19

Item 3.5 was an application to rezone a 742 square metre lot in Grandview Heights surrounded on three sides by roadways: 122 Street, 123 Street, and 63 Avenue. The application was submitted by Trike Construction Ltd. and proposed 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 not located within any nodes or corridors, but the rezoning aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas. At the public hearing, there was one speaker in opposition who raised concerns about unit tenure (rental or ownership). The rezoning was approved unanimously, with Administration and various Councillors noting that tenure is not a consideration in the rezoning decision-making process and that the rezoning will provide more housing choice in the neighbourhood.

Item 3.19 was an application to rezone a 1,869 square metre site in Sherwood at the corner of 156 Street and 93a Avenue. The application was submitted by a private landowner and proposed to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) 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. The site is located within the 156 Street Secondary Corridor and is within 300 metres of the future 156 Street/95 Avenue LRT stop. At the public hearing, there was one speaker in favour (the applicant) and one speaker in opposition. The speaker in opposition raised concerns related to safety and crime as well as tenure, privacy, and density. Administration clarified that requirements for privacy and screening are addressed during the development permit stage. The rezoning was approved unanimously, with Ward Councillor Hamilton stating that safety and crime can be addressed through a variety of means and that the rezoning aligns with City Plan.

NOVEMBER 1, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA OVERVIEW

The November 1 public hearing agenda has a total of nine applications (fourteen agenda items). The agenda includes four applications in the redeveloping area. Redeveloping area Item 3.3 is not profiled below as it’s a rezoning to allow for a fire station in Blatchford, and Item 3.8/3.9 is not profiled as it’s a road closure and rezoning to allow for institutional and community service uses in Bergman.

3.1/3.2    3.3    3.4    3.5    3.6/3.7    3.8/3.9    3.10    3.11/3.12    3.13/3.14

Item 3.5 is an application to rezone a 687 square metre lot in High Park at the corner of 155 Street and 109 Avenue. The application was submitted by Situate on behalf of SWISH 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 on the edge of the 156 Street and 107 Avenue Secondary Corridors and the rezoning aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas.

Item 3.10 is an application to rezone a 805 square metre lot in Idylwylde at the corner of 76 Street and 83 Avenue. The application was submitted by Situate on behalf of Haynes Homes 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 75 Street and 82 Avenue Secondary Corridors and is approximately 700 metres from the Bonnie Doon LRT Stop.

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 #.##, November 1, 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, November 1.

ZONING BYLAW RENEWAL AND DISTRICT PLANNING

Help refine the draft Zoning Bylaw, Edmonton’s “rulebook” for development, and the draft District General Policy and district plans, which together provide the long-term direction for growth and change in Edmonton. Register for one or more of the following online workshops to learn more and provide your feedback on:

Guiding Neighbourhood Redevelopment (Nov 5): REGISTER NOW!

Enabling Growth in Nodes and Corridors (Nov 17): REGISTER NOW!

Fostering 15-Minute Communities (Oct 20 or Nov 26): REGISTER NOW!

Sessions are limited to 60 participants. You can also tour the new draft Zoning Bylaw 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!