WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST #YEG PUBLIC HEARING
The February 6 public hearing was an unusually short one, with a total of only five applications.
Of the two redeveloping area (infill) applications, one of the items was an RF1 to RF3 rezoning approved unanimously without debate.
INTERESTING
The other infill item (agenda item 3.5/3.6) was an application to rezone a 2,084 square metre site in Oliver at the corner of 113 Street and 100 Avenue with two single detached houses and a large amount of vacant space. The application was to rezone the site from the RA9 (high rise apartment) zone to a DC2 (site specific development control provision) zone to allow for a six-storey residential building with a maximum of 95 units.
This was a downzoning, as the maximum height in the RA9 zone is 60 metres while the maximum height in the proposed DC2 is only 23 metres, the same height as the RA8 (medium rise apartment) zone. However, the DC2 allows for a larger building footprint and more floor area than the RA8 zone would provide.
Interestingly, this site has been rezoned several times in the last few years. In 2020, the site was rezoned to a DC2 zone (which was similar to this DC2), in order to accommodate a six storey building. It was rezoned back to RA9 in 2021 when the property to the north opted not to be included in the redevelopment. In 2022 the developer applied for a development permit under the RA9 zone for a six storey building. The building needed variances as it was similar to the building proposed in the original DC2 from 2020. The development permit, with variances, was approved by the City, but the approval was appealed and subsequently overturned by the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. The developer then opted to rezone to a new DC2.
At the public hearing, one person spoke in favour (the applicant) and one person spoke in opposition. The debate primarily focused on building setbacks and stepbacks and that the proposed building aligns more closely with the mid-rise development allowed in the RA8 zone, rather than the tower and podium configuration required in the RA9 zone. Ward Councillor Stevenson also noted concern that none of the commercial uses allowed in the RA9 zone were included in the DC2. The application was approved by a vote of 12 to 1, with Councillor Paquette (with no explanation) voting against it.
IMPORTANT
The City of Edmonton’s draft Zoning Bylaw proposes to keep all existing direct control zones in place, so if you need to change one, you will need to rezone the land. In addition, under the new Zoning Bylaw we will no longer have two kinds of direct control zones to choose from, DC1 (heritage) and DC2 (site specific), just one.
If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of standard zones versus direct control zones, check out our article about it.
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WHAT’S UP AT PUBLIC HEARING NEXT WEEK
The February 21 public hearing agenda is also relatively light, with a total of nine applications (ten agenda items). The agenda includes three infill applications.
Two of the three infill applications, Items 3.7 and 3.8, are rezonings from RF1 to RF3 in High Park and Westwood to allow for small scale multi-unit housing (rowhousing).
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING 🍿
There’s one application in the redeveloping area that we’re tuning in to on Tuesday, and yes, it’s another direct control rezoning.
Item 3.9 is an application to rezone a 4,567 square metre site in Windsor Park on 118 Street between 87 Avenue and 89 Avenue. The application proposes to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to a custom DC2 (site specific) zone.
The rezoning would allow for the development of a four to six storey residential building with a maximum of 172 units. The site is on the edge of the University-Garneau Major Node and aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas.
Tune in to watch it live on Edmonton City Council’s YouTube channel at 9:30 am on Tuesday, February 21!
NEWS FROM SITUATE
EDMONTON’S ZONING BYLAW IS CHANGING.
👉 SITUATE’S SERVICE PACKAGES ARE CHANGING, TOO.
Yep, things are changing, but that doesn’t mean rezoning is going away anytime soon (or ever).
What it does mean is that we’re streamlining our service packages and pricing to
make it easier to get the approvals you need, with less stress.
SOME GOOD READS
🏡 Everything you ever wanted to know about zoning (in five pages). Edmonton dives into the iterations of the Zoning Bylaw starting with the first one in 1933. Read: 👉 History of Zoning.
READER FEEDBACK
Hey, thanks for reading this far! We send this newsletter in the hopes of making it easier and more fun to understand (1) what’s going on at #yeg city council public hearings on land development and (2) zoning, infill, and the land (re)development process. We’d like to know from you, fantastic Zone In readers: what’s something about zoning or land development that confuses you, or maybe even sometimes wakes you up at 2 am in the night thinking about it? Let us know and we’ll do our best to try and explain it!
DISCLAIMER
Zone In is created by Situate Inc. and is for informational purposes only. The content in Zone In is not to be construed as planning, zoning, real estate or any other professional strategy or advice.
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