Versus when Blatchford started with its first townhomes - does the architecture style/quality/visual appeal overall seem to be on a downward trend?

I liked Encore a lot - but not sure if the current builds hold up to previous builds.

Is it about desire to keep it more affordable?
 
Versus when Blatchford started with its first townhomes - does the architecture style/quality/visual appeal overall seem to be on a downward trend?

I liked Encore a lot - but not sure if the current builds hold up to previous builds.

Is it about desire to keep it more affordable?
Yes, I think the desire to somehow try satisfy everyone and not really please anyone is part of the reason this has filled so slowly. This could never really be affordable given the location, but with better architecture style and quality it might have appealed more to those who were not so price sensitive.
 
I like it. I would live there.
1764971786908.png
 
Versus when Blatchford started with its first townhomes - does the architecture style/quality/visual appeal overall seem to be on a downward trend?

I liked Encore a lot - but not sure if the current builds hold up to previous builds.

Is it about desire to keep it more affordable?

Yes. Mutti might have glued mantlepieces to walls and cut every corner they could and you should absolutely never buy one of their houses anywhere in the city unless you are extremely prepared to spend a bunch of money fixing it, but they made sharp looking houses here even if they've been nightmare homes for their owners. Encore's Soho and Brooklyn builds were pretty unique, but they've definitely economized. I wouldn't say their offerings are bad now, but they're less distinct and the colour palate for their Alpha Boulevard homes rather missed the mark. Carbon Busters houses might be WEIRD on the inside and they have struggled with the concept of a house, but from the outside they are at least visually interesting. Ocheler's build was absolutely amazing, especially with how much light their basement suites get, but they just don't build very much at all anywhere. Landmark was for a while the most aesthetically weak. They've remained fairly consistent in their architecture of perfectly okay if not exactly remarkable design, which set them up fairly well architecturally after Streetside landed with a resounding MEH.

There is certainly much, much worse out there in Edmonton (gestures to nearly everything from the 1960s to when the Griesbach redevelopment got going), and I would rather have a vastly uglier Encore house than the prettiest Mutti home, but recent builds certainly are not hitting the same mark.
 
December 9, 2025

2025 stats & facts: Land development flying in Blatchford

Sunset-drone400x400-1.png

This former airport’s 2025 flight path included a leap in land development, working with homebuilders on their plans for the first multi-storey apartments with ground-floor retail space, and marking the renewable energy system’s sixth operating year.
As the year comes to a close, the Blatchford redevelopment has landed an impressive milestone – approximately 57% of the 536-acre site’s developable land is now constructed, under construction or in the planning and development stage. That’s up from about 42% this time last year and included work on a new 19-acre stage that will add nearly 200 townhomes.
Aerial view of Blatchford in summer 2025
A drone captures an aerial view of the Blatchford development in summer 2025

Where else did Blatchford see momentum in 2025?​

First, a quick refresher:​

  • The City of Edmonton is Blatchford’s land developer, responsible for developing the land and selling it to homebuilders. Land development includes strategic plans and policies, rezoning and subdivision, planning and engineering design, and oversight of infrastructure construction like utilities, streets, bike lanes, landscaping in public areas, and parks.
  • After developing a stage of land, the City sells land parcels to homebuilders. These sales generate revenue for the Blatchford redevelopment, allowing the community to grow without affecting the property taxes of Edmontonians. There is no direct tax levy support for the Blatchford redevelopment or for the Blatchford District Energy Sharing System — the renewable energy system that provides homes with heating, cooling and hot water.
  • Homebuilders are responsible for building their homes according to their construction timelines and for setting the sale prices of their homes – just like they do elsewhere in Edmonton.

And now, a run-down of 2025 in Blatchford​

Our work (City of Edmonton’s Blatchford Redevelopment Office)​

  • Approximately 57% of the 536-acre site’s developable land is now constructed, under construction or in the planning and development stage. That’s up from about 42% this time last year and included work on a new 19-acre stage that will add nearly 200 townhomes.
  • Nearly 100% of the land that’s ready for builders in the first stages is either sold, has a sale agreement in place or has active builder interest.
  • Designs were completed to transform the base of the former airport control tower into a community space, with construction anticipated to start next year.
  • Progress on Blatchford’s renewable energy utility includes: reaching its sixth year of operation, connecting more floor space than anticipated, advancing design work on two new renewable energy centres (sewer heat recovery and geoexchange), and preparing for new, larger building connections like the recently opened Blatchford Fire Station No. 8 and upcoming multi-storey apartment buildings.

Blatchford homebuilder updates​

  • Blatchford’s first apartment-style building is under construction, bringing with it the community’s first main-floor retail space. Sale agreements have been signed or are underway for six additional 4-6 storey buildings – several of which will also have main-floor retail space. This includes the community’s first affordable housing development.
  • Blatchford’s first purpose-built rental projectPilot, a 90-unit rental townhome development – is now leasing units.
  • There are now nearly 400 homes (units) either completed or under construction. That’s an increase of about 150 homes since this time last year.
  • Homebuilders have another approximately 780 units planned on land that’s been sold, is pending sale or has active builder interest.

Track Blatchford’s progress​

As you can see, it’s certainly been another busy year in Blatchford! You can track the site’s land development progress on this regularly-updated map.
Blatchford Development Map 2025
 
December 9, 2025

2025 stats & facts: Land development flying in Blatchford

Sunset-drone400x400-1.png

This former airport’s 2025 flight path included a leap in land development, working with homebuilders on their plans for the first multi-storey apartments with ground-floor retail space, and marking the renewable energy system’s sixth operating year.
As the year comes to a close, the Blatchford redevelopment has landed an impressive milestone – approximately 57% of the 536-acre site’s developable land is now constructed, under construction or in the planning and development stage. That’s up from about 42% this time last year and included work on a new 19-acre stage that will add nearly 200 townhomes.
Aerial view of Blatchford in summer 2025
A drone captures an aerial view of the Blatchford development in summer 2025

Where else did Blatchford see momentum in 2025?​

First, a quick refresher:​

  • The City of Edmonton is Blatchford’s land developer, responsible for developing the land and selling it to homebuilders. Land development includes strategic plans and policies, rezoning and subdivision, planning and engineering design, and oversight of infrastructure construction like utilities, streets, bike lanes, landscaping in public areas, and parks.
  • After developing a stage of land, the City sells land parcels to homebuilders. These sales generate revenue for the Blatchford redevelopment, allowing the community to grow without affecting the property taxes of Edmontonians. There is no direct tax levy support for the Blatchford redevelopment or for the Blatchford District Energy Sharing System — the renewable energy system that provides homes with heating, cooling and hot water.
  • Homebuilders are responsible for building their homes according to their construction timelines and for setting the sale prices of their homes – just like they do elsewhere in Edmonton.

And now, a run-down of 2025 in Blatchford​

Our work (City of Edmonton’s Blatchford Redevelopment Office)​

  • Approximately 57% of the 536-acre site’s developable land is now constructed, under construction or in the planning and development stage. That’s up from about 42% this time last year and included work on a new 19-acre stage that will add nearly 200 townhomes.
  • Nearly 100% of the land that’s ready for builders in the first stages is either sold, has a sale agreement in place or has active builder interest.
  • Designs were completed to transform the base of the former airport control tower into a community space, with construction anticipated to start next year.
  • Progress on Blatchford’s renewable energy utility includes: reaching its sixth year of operation, connecting more floor space than anticipated, advancing design work on two new renewable energy centres (sewer heat recovery and geoexchange), and preparing for new, larger building connections like the recently opened Blatchford Fire Station No. 8 and upcoming multi-storey apartment buildings.

Blatchford homebuilder updates​

  • Blatchford’s first apartment-style building is under construction, bringing with it the community’s first main-floor retail space. Sale agreements have been signed or are underway for six additional 4-6 storey buildings – several of which will also have main-floor retail space. This includes the community’s first affordable housing development.
  • Blatchford’s first purpose-built rental projectPilot, a 90-unit rental townhome development – is now leasing units.
  • There are now nearly 400 homes (units) either completed or under construction. That’s an increase of about 150 homes since this time last year.
  • Homebuilders have another approximately 780 units planned on land that’s been sold, is pending sale or has active builder interest.

Track Blatchford’s progress​

As you can see, it’s certainly been another busy year in Blatchford! You can track the site’s land development progress on this regularly-updated map.
Blatchford Development Map 2025

Thanks for sharing this info.

Regarding this: Approximately 57% of the 536-acre site’s developable land is now constructed, under construction or in the planning and development stage.

I'm more curious what the 400 units that have been constructed represent in terms of the total number of units expected in Blatchford at its completion.

Is it 400 of 10,000 units that have been built so far for a 4% completion rate? Or what is the total number of units expected at full build out?
 
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The city published a new progress map this month.

View attachment 653025

Here's the one from January 2025, for comparison.
I know the new progress map is in the newsletter I pasted above, but I'll just post it again in a reply to my post with the May 2025 map for comparison. Looks like the areas added to the planning stage include an additional swath in the northeast, a parcel by the energy centre, and three additional parcels in Blatchford Market.
Blatchford-Development-Map-2025-1.png
 
I know the new progress map is in the newsletter I pasted above, but I'll just post it again in a reply to my post with the May 2025 map for comparison. Looks like the areas added to the planning stage include an additional swath in the northeast, a parcel by the energy centre, and three additional parcels in Blatchford Market.
View attachment 701950
Calling all the green developed feels misleading. We are likely 5 years away from those areas having all the medium density completed. And all the NAIT land??

“In most cases homes are built or under construction”.

30% of the green has been green for multiple years with 0 construction.
 

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