City unveils concept for Exhibition Lands infill
The city presented its latest plan for the Exhibition Lands — the city’s second largest urban infill site — and Edmontonians were there to speak up about it on Thursday.
“For me it’s just a huge step forward in terms of the continuation of the revitalizations. The future looks really good for this area, and it’s been a long time coming. Communities have been chugging along trying to make their communities better, and this (could be) the pinnacle of all that. It really continues what community leagues have been trying to do,” said Valerie Parr, 69, who lives nearby and will be a neighbour to the new development.
Attendees offered their criticism, praise and suggestions, including that they would like to see a wildlife corridor, integrated urban food production, and a much more expanded Borden Park.
Some suggested that the neighbourhood on the former Northlands site should not have any height restrictions, and others lauded a 12-storey limit. And, depending on who you asked, the plan had either too much or too little surface parking.
“You speak to 100 people in the room, there’s going to be a portion saying ‘you don’t have enough parking,’ and a portion who says ‘you have too much parking,’ ” said Scott Sembaluk, senior strategic engineer at the City of Edmonton. Trying to reflect contradicting public opinions will be a challenge for planners, Sembaluk said, but they are trying to allow it to be flexible enough to accommodate changes in technology and urban living, including the rise of ride-sharing.
As it is, the plan includes lots of green space and would be transit-oriented and walkable, with two “transit villages,” compact, mixed-use communities with a variety of housing types built around two new LRT stations. The separated lanes of Wayne Gretzky Drive would be rejoined to create an urban boulevard, Borden Park reconfigured and expanded, and space set aside for a large city-run civic amenity or educational institution.
The concept includes 3,500 housing units of different varieties for up to 8,500 residents, but won’t be fully developed until 2040. With the help of virtual reality goggles, attendees were able to imagine walking through some parts of the planned neighbourhood.
“It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight,” said Sembaluk.
“Just take that quantum leap, and look at it at a different time, when I look at my grandkids, (I think) they’re going to really enjoy it. I think we’re doing really exciting things in Edmonton,” said Parr.
Feedback from the session will be used to refine the final concept and planning framework to be submitted at a public hearing to city council for approval late this year.