New not-for-profit ready to tackle community development needs in city
Edmonton will soon have a new community-minded blight fighter on the streets, one with a $10 million in ready cash and a fistful of vacant lots.
It could build grocery stores in food deserts, build small shops for local business startups or turn derelict homes into new skinny ones, teaching local residents trade skills in the process.
Council endorsed the concept in principal Tuesday and the Edmonton Community Foundation has already stepped up with the $10-million loan.
The city now needs to select $10 million in vacant city-owned land to hand over and appoint an arm’slength volunteer board to figure out exactly what needs to be done.
There will be lots of community engagement during any project undertaken, said Jay Freeman, executive director for housing and homelessness. “You don’t want the community to feel it’s being done to them. You want it to be done with them.”
The corporation will focus its work in a cluster of five or six neighbourhoods, Freeman said. Those neighbourhoods still need to be picked. They will be places that need development, but where it also has a good chance of succeeding, yielding a profit to help the next project.
It’s projected to cost the city $2 million in operating funding, with an additional $500,000 from the United Way and Homeward Trust. The Edmonton Community Foundation will also provide office space and some other startup costs. The idea was a central part of the EndPovertyEdmonton plan. A detailed business case, governance model and list of properties is due back for approval this fall.
Council debated whether to include surplus school sites on the list of vacant lands, with Coun. Bryan Anderson arguing Edmonton needs to protect open space as density increases. He lost that vote 11 to two.
Mayor Don Iveson said that debate illustrates how critical it is to set this up as an arm’s-length development body.
“If it’s seen as the city’s development corporation, every decision is going to get political.”