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Earlier this month, we brought you news about an 80-storey tower proposed for Downtown Edmonton that could eclipse the Stantec Tower and become the tallest building in the city. Details of the ambitious plan put forward by Alldritt Land Corporation were scarce, but preliminary information suggested a 280-metre-tall residential and retail scheme with a possible hotel component. Those plans were in the spotlight on Monday evening, as anxious and eager residents turned out to a public open house that revealed KENNEDY's architectural vision for the property.
Bordered by Jasper Avenue, Grierson Hill Road, the Shaw Conference Centre, and 96th Street, the site could give way to a glass tower containing condominiums, a hotel, shops, restaurants, and two publicly accessible parks. It would replace a pair of derelict apartment buildings and a vegetated space overlooking the river valley, which would remain accessible via expanded publicly accessible green spaces. The project, tentatively called The Quarters Hotel and Residences, would require amendments to the North Saskatchewan River Valley Area Redevelopment Plan and the zoning bylaw, an application for which has already been submitted.
Early renderings released at the open house showed a meandering elevated walkway hovering above Grierson Hill Road, linking the development's vibrant public realm to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park. The illustrations also show glass walls on the podium to maintain views of the river valley. City councillors are expected to debate the rezoning application this fall, while Edmonton continues to wrestle with the reality of intensifying skyscraper development and its associated effects.
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