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Zone In Issue #3

April 1, 2022

Hello!

 Welcome to the third edition of Zone In, Situate’s newsletter on what’s what at Edmonton City Council public hearings on land development.

The next City Council public hearing is Tuesday, April 5. Read on for the summary of what’s coming up (and what Council approved at the last hearing on March 15).

THE ‘WHY’ BEHIND ZONE IN

What goes on at City Council public hearings is of interest to many of us, but we know that most people, most of the time, don’t have time to monitor public hearing agendas. For that reason, we created Zone In to make it easier to find out what’s going on at Council.

Our summaries focus on applications related to infill and urban redevelopment. Situate’s client files are highlighted in orange.


MARCH 15, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING RECAP

First, a recap. The five notable infill files at the March 15 public hearing were Item 3.2, Items 3.16 and 3.17 (dealt with together), Item 3.19, Items 3.21 and 3.22 (dealt with together), and Items 3.23 and 3.24 (dealt with together).

Item 3.2 was a rezoning application in Strathcona Junction (near the Queen Alexandra neighbourhood) to facilitate the full conversion of a hotel to a new supportive housing development operated by The Mustard Seed. The item was passed by Council with a vote of 12-1.

Item 3.16/3.17 was an application to rezone a lot in the Glenwood neighbourhood, half a block south of Stony Plain Road on 163 Street, from the RF1 (Single Detached Residential) zone to the CB1 (Low Intensity Business) zone. The CB1 zone would allow for commercial uses on the site, and the potential for mixed use redevelopment. The item was passed unanimously by Council.

Item 3.19 was a rezoning application in Sherwood on a corner lot interior to the neighbourhood, three blocks west of 149 Street (a secondary corridor). The rezoning was from the RF1 (Single Detached Residential) zone to RF3 (Small Scale Infill Development) zone. The item was referred back to allow time for posting of the necessary on-site signage and will return to a future public hearing.

Item 3.21/3.22 was a rezoning application in Griesbach at the intersection of 97 Street and 137 Avenue, two primary corridors. The rezoning was from the GVC (Griesbach Village Centre) zone to RA8g (Griesbach Medium Rise Apartment) zone to allow for two six-storey residential buildings. The item was passed by Council with a vote of 12-1.

Finally, Item 3.23/3.24 was an application to rezone six lots in Oliver, just north of the Safeway on Jasper Avenue and 122 Street. The site is located within the Centre City node. The rezoning was from a DC1 (Direct Development Control Provision) to DC2 (Site Specific Development Control Provision) to allow for a six storey residential building with up to 100 units. The item was passed unanimously by Council.

APRIL 5, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA OVERVIEW

The April 5 public hearing agenda is lighter than the last one, with a total of twelve items. Two items are road closures, two items pertain to industrial land, four items are in the developing area (new neighbourhoods), and four items are in the redeveloping area (mature neighbourhoods).

The four notable infill files are Item 3.9, Items 3.10 and 3.11 (to be dealt with together), and Item 3.12.  

Item 3.9 is a rezoning application in Newton on 118 Avenue and 51 Street. The application was submitted by Swiss 2 Go (an amazing sandwich shop that you need to check out if you haven’t already). The application is to rezone the site from the RF3 (small scale infill development) zone to the CB1 (low intensity business) zone with the Main Streets Overlay. The rezoning would allow commercial and limited residential uses on a primary corridor.

Item 3.10/3.11 is an application submitted by Situate on behalf of Campus Assets Inc. to rezone a site in Garneau on Whyte Avenue between 110 and 111 Streets. The site is located in the University/Garneau major node. The rezoning is from the US (Urban Services) zone to the CB3 (Commercial Mixed Business) zone with the Main Streets Overlay. The rezoning requires amendments to the Garneau Area Redevelopment Plan to change maps and policies. Campus Assets intends to build a mixed-use tower with commercial uses along Whyte Avenue and academic accommodation on the upper storeys.

Lastly, Item 3.12 is a rezoning application in Grovenor on 148 Street, just north of Stony Plain Road (a primary corridor). The rezoning application was submitted by Invistec Consulting Ltd. and is from the RF3 (Small Scale Infill Development) zone to the RA7 (low rise apartment) zone. The RA7 zone would allow for a four storey multi-unit housing building in a neighbourhood where about 92% of housing is single detached or semi-detached/duplex.

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

HOW TO SHOW SUPPORT

If you’d like to show your support for these projects, you can register to speak here or send a quick email to City Council at city.clerk@edmonton.ca with the subject line “SUPPORT re: Item #.##, April 5, 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. For that reason I fully support the above referenced project.”

SITUATE IS HIRING!

Situate is expanding our team and currently looking for a planning rockstar who can problem solve in their sleep. If that sounds like you or someone you know, please check out the posting and apply by midnight on April 10.

THAT’S A WRAP

Thank you for reading this far! We hope you found the content useful. If you have suggestions for how to make this newsletter better, 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 April 20. Stay tuned.

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