Zone In Issue #29

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST #YEG PUBLIC HEARING

The June 26 public hearing had a total of nine applications (twelve agenda items), including six infill applications.

Infill applications approved unanimously with no debate: an RF3 application to allow for row housing in Glenora, and an administrative cleanup to rezone a park in Pleasantview. 🍃

An RF5 rezoning application in Parkview had speakers in opposition who were concerned about traffic safety and how row housing would (not) fit the context of the neighbourhood. After much debate it was eventually carried unanimously. Read our opinion on the RF5 zone, below.

The Magrath Mansion in Highlands was also successfully rezoned to preserve the heritage building.

MAINTAINING (DIRECT) CONTROL

👉 A direct control rezoning application directly east of the Stadium LRT station in Boyle Street was brought to Council to facilitate an additional tower, increasing the floor area ratio (FAR) in the zone to 7.2 (from 5.5), increasing the maximum density to 600 dwellings (from 366), and adding two greenways connecting 106a Avenue with the LRT corridor. There was no one there to speak in opposition; Councillor Stevenson asked questions about the interface between the site and the nearby shared use path, after which the application passed unanimously.

👉 Another direct control application in Ritchie proposed to rezone a site (zoned RA7/DC2) to allow for two new buildings separated by a public open space/plaza area. The maximum building height of the two buildings would be 65 metres (approximately 19 storeys) and 23 metres (approximately 6 storeys) respectively, with a maximum floor area ratio of 5.5 and up to 230 new residential dwellings. Opponents raised concerns about parking and sun/shadow impact.

Rezoning applications need to pass three rounds of votes to win: Councillor Janz voted against the application on the first two votes and then voted for it on the third, so in the end it passed unanimously.

MEMORABLE QUOTES 💬

🕑 📶 “if we’re looking at the project solely from the perspective of today it

may seem somewhat out of place but I think it’s really important that we remember to not make decisions based solely on the present day reality in our neighborhoods; we have to be future focused as well […] if we base decisions solely on the current context and premise future development on past development I think we risk further entrenching our city in the systemic challenges that we’re trying to address related to urban sprawl and expansion as well as auto dependence […] the City Plan does outline a path for us to course correct away from that towards a more dense, affordable, healthy, and urban Edmonton.” – Ashley Salvador, Councillor

OPINION: WILL RF5 BECOME THE NEW RF3?

Both the RF3 and RF5 zones are designed to accommodate row housing. Though RF3 gets all the attention, in fact it’s the RF5 zone that’s actually named the “row housing zone” (while RF3 is the much wordier “small scale infill development zone”). 💁

To note, the RF5 zone differs from the RF3 zone in that it offers an extra 1.1 metres of height (max height of 10 metres instead of 8.9 metres), as well as a tad more density and site coverage (up to 50%). If you’re interested, we have a whole article about the RF5 zone on our blog, here. 💡

Under the draft new zoning bylaw, the RF1 and RF3 zones are planned to be rolled up into one new small scale residential (RS) zone, meaning that Edmonton will never see another RF1 to RF3 rezoning ever again. The RF5 zone will be sticking around though, just under a new name and with some enhancements—the RSM “small-medium scale transition residential zone” (apparently zoning bylaw writers get paid by the syllable 😉).

Which raises the question: will new RS to RSM rezoning applications replace the old RF1 to RF3 rezoning applications? We definitely won’t be surprised if they do, as a little bump in height, density and site coverage goes a long way on a small site. Interested in chatting with us about it? Get in touch!

WHAT’S UP AT PUBLIC HEARING NEXT WEEK

The July 10 public hearing has a total of fifteen applications (twenty-one agenda items), including nine infill applications. 👇

Three of the nine infill applications are small scale residential rezonings (RF1 to RF3). 🏠🏠🏠

Another three applications do a variety of things: one application fixes the zoning on an ambulance station in Glenora (changing it from residential to public utility 🚑), another preserves the historic Balfour Manor (which is already designated on the municipal register), and another rezones a couple of lots on 99 Street in Strathcona to the CB1 low intensity business zone.

There are three applications for medium scale residential: four storey applications in Queen Alexandra and Clareview (RA7) and a six storey application in Highlands (RA8).

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING 🍿

As always, we’ll be tuning in for the medium scale rezonings, because we strongly believe that medium scale redevelopment transforms communities for the better by revitalizing neighbourhoods, promoting sustainability, and enhancing social equity. 🙌

Watch it live on Edmonton City Council’s YouTube channel; the action starts at 9:30 am on Monday, July 10.

NEWS FROM SITUATE

🎉 The Situate team had a great time at the IDEA 10 Year Anniversary Gala on June 23! 🎉

NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

📣 Passionate about affordable housing? The Right at Home Housing Society is looking for new board members who want to contribute their skills and perspective to making an impact. Contact boardpresident@rightathomehousing.com to learn more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Have a casual brew with the infill crew on Wednesday, July 26th from 4:30 to 7:00pm at the Rocky Mountain Ice House. RSVP here. Hosted by IDEA.

INTERESTING READ

Ever wonder why a change from 1 to 4 (dwelling units) can generate hours of debate while a change in the magnitude of hundreds of units sometimes generates little to no debate? It might be because our brains weren’t made to grasp large numbers.

READER FEEDBACK

Allison 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 in general. If there’s a topic you’d like to know about let us know and we’ll do our best to write about 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.