Zone In: June 22 Public Hearing (small scale infill on the agenda!)

Hello and welcome to Issue #8 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 coming up tomorrow, June 22. Read on for the summary of what’s on the agenda and what Council approved at the last public hearing on June 8.

WHY ZONE IN?
We created Zone In for two reasons: to make it quicker and easier to find out what’s happening at City Council public hearings, and to make it easier to show your support for rezoning applications (because a little bit of support goes a long, long way).

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

JUNE 8, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING RECAP

First, let’s recap what happened at the June 8 public hearing. The agenda had a total of twelve items: one item was a road closure, two pertained to industrial land, two items were in the developing area (new neighbourhoods), and seven items were in the redeveloping area (mature neighbourhoods). One of the items in the redeveloping area was to allow for a medical office with an extended medical treatment facility in Prince Rupert, and is not profiled here.

The notable infill files were Item 3.6, Item 3.8, Item 3.9, Item 3.10, and Items 3.11 and 3.12 (dealt with together). Four of the six infill items were approved without debate. 

Item 3.6 was an application to rezone a lot in High Park on the corner of 152 Street and 109 Avenue. The application was submitted by a private landowner 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 as identified by City Plan, but is located on a corner close to several other RF3 lots. The item was approved unanimously without debate.

Item 3.8 was an application submitted by Eins Consulting on behalf of a private landowner to rezone a 1,500 square metre site in Wellington at the corner of 132 Street and 132 Avenue. The application proposed to rezone the site from the CNC (neighbourhood convenience commercial) zone to the CB1 (low intensity business) zone to allow a broader range of commercial opportunities. The site is not located within any nodes or corridors as identified by City Plan, but is on an intersection with existing commercial and multi-unit housing. The item was approved unanimously without debate.

Item 3.9 was a rezoning application in Eastwood for a 695 square metre lot on 83 Street, just north of 118 Avenue. The application was submitted by Kahled Mustafa on behalf of a private landowner, and proposes to rezone the site from the CB2 (general business) zone to the RA7 (low rise apartment) zone. The proposed zoning would allow for the development of a four-storey residential building within a primary corridor (118 Avenue). The item was approved unanimously without debate.

Item 3.10 was an application to rezone a 600 square metre lot in Strathearn on 85 Street, south of 95 Avenue. The application was submitted by Clarity Development Advisory on behalf of a private landowner to rezone the site from the RF1 (single detached residential) zone to the CNC (neighbourhood convenience commercial) zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small scale commercial uses, with residential opportunities above the ground floor. The site is within the 85 Street secondary corridor. The item was approved unanimously without debate.

Item 3.11/3.12 was an application in Oliver to rezone a large site on the corner of Jasper Avenue and 115 Street. The application was submitted by Stantec Consulting Ltd. on behalf of Greenlong Construction to rezone the site from the RA9 (high rise apartment) zone and DC1 (direct development control provision) to a DC2 (site specific development control provision). The rezoning would allow for the development of two mixed use towers, approximately 30 and 54 storeys in height, with a maximum density of 905 units. The proposed DC2 provision would allow significantly greater height and floor area ratio than the RA9 zone would allow (the standard zone with the highest development intensity). The site is located within the Centre City node, and required an amendment to the Oliver Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) to amend a map.

Councillor Stevenson, the ward Councillor, initiated the debate about these two files, which centered around the ten year sunset clause in the DC2 regulations. Councillor Stevenson noted support for the rezoning but expressed concern that significantly upzoned lands may remain vacant for long periods of time. Administration noted that sunset clauses for DC2 towers in the Downtown and Oliver neighbourhoods typically range from five to ten years, and recommended a seven year sunset clause. The applicant communicated via their consultant that they were amenable to changing the sunset clause from ten to seven years. Councillor Stevenson moved to amend the sunset clause from ten to seven years, which was approved unanimously. Both the plan amendment and rezoning application were then approved unanimously.  

JUNE 22, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA OVERVIEW

The June 22 public hearing agenda has a total of seventeen items: eleven items are in the developing area (new neighbourhoods), and six items are in the redeveloping area (mature neighbourhoods). One of the items in the redeveloping area is to amend the Griesbach Special Area Zones to increase the site coverage requirements, and is not profiled here.

The notable infill files are Item 3.13, Item 3.14 and 3.15 (to be dealt with together), Item 3.16, and Item 3.17.

Item 3.13 is an application to rezone a 813 square metre lot in Bergman on the corner of 122 Avenue and 41 Street. The application was submitted by Amandeep Singh Gumber 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 not located within any nodes or corridors, but it aligns with City Plan policies that support infill development in all residential areas.

Item 3.14/3.15 is an application to rezone a 275 square metre interior lot in McCauley on 93 Street, just south of 107A Avenue. The application was submitted by Anna Bubel on behalf of Another Way and Edmonton Community Development Company, and proposes to rezone the site from the (RA7) Low Rise Apartment Zone to a (DC2) Site Specific Development Control Provision for the purpose of accommodating semi-detached housing. Administration’s report to Council does not provide details about why a DC2 zone was proposed instead of a standard zone (though most likely because the lot is very small). The rezoning requires both a text and map amendment to the Boyle Street McCauley Area Redevelopment Plan. The site is located two blocks from 95 Street, which is a secondary corridor.

Similar to the above, Item 3.16 is an application to rezone a 246 square metre interior lot in McCauley on 93 Street, just north of 107A Avenue. The application was submitted by Anna Bubel on behalf of Another Way and Edmonton Community Development Company and proposes to rezone the site from Bylaw from the (RA7) Low Rise Apartment Zone to a (DC2) Site Specific Development Control Provision for the purpose of accommodating semi-detached housing. Again, Administration’s report to Council did not provide details about why a DC2 zone was proposed instead of a standard zone. The site is also located two blocks from 95 Street, which is a secondary corridor. 

Item 3.17 is an application to rezone a 605 square metre lot at the corner of 144 Street and 106B Avenue, two lots south of 107 Avenue (a secondary corridor). The application was submitted by Situate on behalf of TruCapital Real Estate and proposes to rezone the site from the (RF1) Single Detached Residential Zone to the (UCRH) Urban Character Row Housing Zone. The rezoning would allow for the development of small-scale ground-oriented multi-unit (row) housing in alignment with City Plan policy for secondary corridors, and without the need for a large rear setback variance at the development permit stage. We expect a lively debate at the public hearing, as the UCRH zone is not a common choice for rezoning applications.

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

HOW TO SHOW SUPPORT

If any of these applications grabbed your attention as something you like, or that you’d like to see more of in Edmonton, grab your keyboard and let Council know. 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 #.##, June 22, 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.”

The City recommends that submissions be sent by 4:30 PM the day before the public hearing (today!). Submissions sent after 4:30 PM will be shared with Council the morning of the public hearing.

HOW TO WATCH PUBLIC HEARINGS

If you really love infill and municipal politics (of course you do!), tune in and watch the public hearing live on the City’s YouTube channel! The action starts at 1:30 PM on June 22.

THAT’S A WRAP ON JUNE

Thanks for reading this far! We hope you found the content useful. If you have any feedback for us, hit reply and let us know.

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