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…what. With all due respect, affordability is a major challenge when most new homes within 10mins of downtown are 700+ for detached or newer/renovated 2 stories.

NE of downtown is moot, it’s unsafe and not desired by most, especially not with kids. And “if you’re looking in glenora or windsor…” that’s the entire point mate. Lots of people would love to consider those areas if they could get townhomes under 600k. But few are built.

The lack of family sized housing under 600k in our mature communities is a major barrier, along with a general lack of investment in major amenities for kids.
NE as far as Chinatown I can agree with you, but if you include the rest of McCauley and Alberta Ave in that, you are wrong. Tons of families in those neighbourhoods (including many playgrounds, daycaresm Commonwealth Rec Centre and a few schools) and 'unsafe' is just the perception, as they are both quite fine. There are both many family-sized houses under $600,000 in those areas as well as many amenities for kids too.
 
Have your say on this IMPORTANT issue:


Purpose of Project


Planning policies and regulations restrict the creation of new surface parking lots in Centre City and have prevented a large number of legacy parking lots from obtaining a development permit. To balance parking availability in the core with the long-term goal of a dense, vibrant area, the City of Edmonton has created a time-limited program allowing some landowners to apply for a temporary development permit. No new parking lots will be created through this program.

Text Amendment

A proposed text amendment to Zoning Bylaw 20001 is required to introduce the Centre City Temporary Parking Use and associated regulations. The proposed Use will be added to the Medium Scale Residential (RM) Zone, Large Scale Residential (RL) Zone, Mixed Use (MU) Zone and Downtown Special Area Zones.

The following regulations are proposed for this new use to enhance the appearance and safety of parking lots within Centre City:

  • Maximum permit length (7-10 years)
  • Minimum setback requirements
  • Pathway requirements
  • Vehicle access and circulation requirements
  • Barrier-free parking space requirements
  • Site grading requirements
  • Lighting requirements
  • Landscaping requirements, such as minimum tree and shrub requirements
Direct Control Rezonings

Some existing parking lots are located within Direct Control (DC1) Zones. To allow for the new centre city temporary parking use on these sites, a rezoning of five Direct Control (DC1) Zones within Wîhkwêntôwin (Oliver), Central McDougall, and Queen Mary Park are required. The proposed rezonings include administrative updates to align with Zoning Bylaw 20001’s uses and general definitions. No changes to building height, scale, or intensity are proposed. The Proposed Rezoning Map and Zones can be found under the documents tab on the right.

Screenshot 2024-08-15 at 11.07.37 AM.png
 
My submission:

Screenshot 2024-08-15 at 11.22.33 AM.png


A dirt/gravel lot is simply not an acceptable 'hard surfacing' or appropriate anywhere in #YEGDT, graded or not.

While development plans are subject to changing market conditions where timing is critical, delays inevitable and flexibility needed for #developers, most of these lots have been bad neighbours for decades and undue a lot of the good work done throughout the #Downtown over the years by many, many others.

Having lived next to two dirt/gravel lots in a modern high-rise condo for two decades, these lots make neighbouring properties continuously filled with blown dust, drag mud onto sidewalks, alleyways and roadways following rainfall and become magnets for garbage and disorder, let alone the number of my guests who stepped out of their car into a muddy, wet, cold puddle in their dress shoes en route to a meeting in an office tower, off to the Citadel or a game. This IS the most basic example of the #brokenwindow theory.

Why is it that those who raise the bar for their properties, assets, investments; those who upkeep, maintain, wash, clean, have to deal with this lowest of low bar as neighbours? Why spend money on operations and maintenance if others simply do not care and are supported to do so by policy decisions?

It's time to require actual hard surfacing on these sites.

It's time for them to be accountable to their neighbours.

It's time to raise the bar for those visiting, working, being educated in and most importantly living there.

A well kept parking lot, is a safer lot, a more attractive lot, it will drive more revenue and might even attract a buyer for a higher an better use. A dirt/gravel lot in the core is akin to an overgrown yard with noxious weeds in other neighbourhoods.

You are better than that #Edmonton; first impressions are lasting. It's time to decide what kind of Downtown you want to be and what image you want to convey. Minimum standards and a legacy indeed.
 
I appreciate your post and your position on things. No need to wonder why downtown Edmonton is floundering. Ghetto shots like this remind me of how hard it would be to consider moving back to Edmonton. I could say a lot more but I'll let this picture speak the thousand words for me.
Go to the past vs present thread. Downtown Edmonton is so much better than 15 years ago.

I agree with everything Ian said, but I don't think it's fair to act like the city isn't miles ahead of where it was.
 
Sure, but that's an easy out.

Downtown Edmonton still generally looks, feels and acts like a city of 100,000... not 1.5million and certainly does not reflect a capital city.
 
Downtown Edmonton no doubt still has a long way to go. I do think once the disaster construction zone that is the Valley West line, Warehouse Park, Parks project and some of the other miscellaneous wrap up (eventually) downtown will look aesthetically better and start to feel a bit more of a city that is 1.5 million residents.
 

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