CplKlinger
Senior Member
This November 28 memo to council is the most thorough update on Blatchford I've seen in a while. Some highlights include:
Land development:
The City of Edmonton is the land developer for the Blatchford community. This work includes
developing strategic plans and facilitating, rezoning and subdivision, planning and engineering
design, and oversight of infrastructure construction in each development stage, including
underground utilities, streets, bike lanes, landscaping in public areas, parks, etc.
● As the land developer, the City is developing Blatchford at a pace that is at least on par with
the private sector; while being one of only a handful of sustainable communities in North
America being designed and developed with this level of intentionality towards
environmental design outcomes.
● According to BILD Alberta (unlockhousing.ca) a traditional community could take three to 10
years to bring to market. Blatchford land was ready for builders 5 years after the closure of
the airport.
● In Q4 2025, approximately 57% of the developable land on Blatchford’s 536-acre site is either
constructed, under construction, or in the planning and development stage (Map 1). This is
up from approximately 42% in Q4 2024.
● To ensure a steady stream of development activity, the Blatchford Office has multiple stages
of the development process underway at the same time across the site, including planning
underway to open up new development areas on the east side of the site closer to the LRT.
● The 33 acres of land sold to NAIT on the east side of the site has been fully serviced and is
ready for development. The timing for building construction on this land is solely dependent
on NAIT and their campus development master plan.
● Additional strategy planning work is underway, including updating the Parkland Impact
Assessment, Transportation Impact Assessment and updates to the Blatchford specific
custom zones.
Land sales:
Nearly all of the land ready for builder development in the first stages is either sold, has a
sale agreement in place or has active builder interest. See Map 2. The Blatchford Office has
received interest from homebuilders for the next stages of development on the west side of
the site.
To date, three parcels of land have been set aside for the development of Affordable
Housing projects.
○ Site #1: In September 2025, Council approved the first below-market and direct sale
of land to Metis Capital Housing Corporation (MCHC). The land is zoned for Low to
Medium Rise Residential. As a condition of the below-market sale, MCHC will be
required to enter into a 40-year Affordable Housing Agreement.
○ Site #2: The Affordable Housing team plans to bring the second affordable housing
site forward to affordable housing providers in early 2026.
○ Site #3: Land development work is planned to begin for this stage in 2026. Based on
construction timelines, this site could potentially be ready for building development
at the end of 2026/early 2027.
Home building:
Nearly 400 homes are now either completed or under construction by homebuilders. That’s
an increase of approximately 150 homes since this time last year. In addition to the 400
units, there are also hundreds of secondary or garage sites constructed or planned in the
current stages of development.
● Homebuilders have another approximately 780 units planned on land that has been sold, is
pending sale or has active builder interest.
● To achieve density goals, there are no single-detached homes in Blatchford. Currently, there
are townhomes that include larger models with rental suites, starter townhomes, bungalows
and purpose-built rentals. Several multi-storey apartment-style buildings are coming soon.
● The first purpose-built rental project is now leasing units (Stratosphere Properties’ 90-unit
rental townhome development).
● The first apartment-style building is under construction. Sale agreements have been signed
or are underway for five additional 4-6 storey buildings. Several of these buildings will have
main floor retail, which is a critical component of creating a mixed-use, walkable community.
Financial situation:
Blatchford Development is self-funded through land sales. The City generates revenue for Blatchford
by selling parcels of land to homebuilders and uses those revenues to pay for the development. This
allows Blatchford to grow without affecting the property taxes of Edmontonians. [...]
The financial results from the last few years support the idea that Blatchford is moving past the
pioneering stage. The Blatchford Redevelopment Project has been seeing land sale revenues
annually since 2021 with 2022 being the first fiscal year to show a net profit. With the Blatchford
Office providing developed lots for sale on an ongoing basis, it is expected that ongoing land sales
will be the new norm. By the end of 2024 the Blatchford Operating budget has realized $107.0M in
revenue offset by $107.7M in Operating expenses. The Operating expenses include cost of land sold
which is a non-cash item that reflects the amount of Capital expenditure allocated to a specific land
sale.
Capital spending at the beginning of the Project was largely capital acquisitions as the Blatchford
Office, along with the City Real Estate team, worked to ensure that all interests in land on the site
were acquired by the City. The capital spending has now significantly shifted to being for site
servicing and other development costs as lots are prepared for sale. Total capital spend to the end
of 2024 is $237.0M.
While the recent financial results in Blatchford have been positive it is important to note that the
project revenue is subject to market conditions/changes and Council direction on below market land
sale opportunities. Below market land sales for initiatives like affordable housing or heritage asset
revitalization would impact the total revenues earned by the development; through 2024 $3.8M of
land sale revenue has been foregone in below market value land sales.
Land development:
The City of Edmonton is the land developer for the Blatchford community. This work includes
developing strategic plans and facilitating, rezoning and subdivision, planning and engineering
design, and oversight of infrastructure construction in each development stage, including
underground utilities, streets, bike lanes, landscaping in public areas, parks, etc.
● As the land developer, the City is developing Blatchford at a pace that is at least on par with
the private sector; while being one of only a handful of sustainable communities in North
America being designed and developed with this level of intentionality towards
environmental design outcomes.
● According to BILD Alberta (unlockhousing.ca) a traditional community could take three to 10
years to bring to market. Blatchford land was ready for builders 5 years after the closure of
the airport.
● In Q4 2025, approximately 57% of the developable land on Blatchford’s 536-acre site is either
constructed, under construction, or in the planning and development stage (Map 1). This is
up from approximately 42% in Q4 2024.
● To ensure a steady stream of development activity, the Blatchford Office has multiple stages
of the development process underway at the same time across the site, including planning
underway to open up new development areas on the east side of the site closer to the LRT.
● The 33 acres of land sold to NAIT on the east side of the site has been fully serviced and is
ready for development. The timing for building construction on this land is solely dependent
on NAIT and their campus development master plan.
● Additional strategy planning work is underway, including updating the Parkland Impact
Assessment, Transportation Impact Assessment and updates to the Blatchford specific
custom zones.
Land sales:
Nearly all of the land ready for builder development in the first stages is either sold, has a
sale agreement in place or has active builder interest. See Map 2. The Blatchford Office has
received interest from homebuilders for the next stages of development on the west side of
the site.
To date, three parcels of land have been set aside for the development of Affordable
Housing projects.
○ Site #1: In September 2025, Council approved the first below-market and direct sale
of land to Metis Capital Housing Corporation (MCHC). The land is zoned for Low to
Medium Rise Residential. As a condition of the below-market sale, MCHC will be
required to enter into a 40-year Affordable Housing Agreement.
○ Site #2: The Affordable Housing team plans to bring the second affordable housing
site forward to affordable housing providers in early 2026.
○ Site #3: Land development work is planned to begin for this stage in 2026. Based on
construction timelines, this site could potentially be ready for building development
at the end of 2026/early 2027.
Home building:
Nearly 400 homes are now either completed or under construction by homebuilders. That’s
an increase of approximately 150 homes since this time last year. In addition to the 400
units, there are also hundreds of secondary or garage sites constructed or planned in the
current stages of development.
● Homebuilders have another approximately 780 units planned on land that has been sold, is
pending sale or has active builder interest.
● To achieve density goals, there are no single-detached homes in Blatchford. Currently, there
are townhomes that include larger models with rental suites, starter townhomes, bungalows
and purpose-built rentals. Several multi-storey apartment-style buildings are coming soon.
● The first purpose-built rental project is now leasing units (Stratosphere Properties’ 90-unit
rental townhome development).
● The first apartment-style building is under construction. Sale agreements have been signed
or are underway for five additional 4-6 storey buildings. Several of these buildings will have
main floor retail, which is a critical component of creating a mixed-use, walkable community.
Financial situation:
Blatchford Development is self-funded through land sales. The City generates revenue for Blatchford
by selling parcels of land to homebuilders and uses those revenues to pay for the development. This
allows Blatchford to grow without affecting the property taxes of Edmontonians. [...]
The financial results from the last few years support the idea that Blatchford is moving past the
pioneering stage. The Blatchford Redevelopment Project has been seeing land sale revenues
annually since 2021 with 2022 being the first fiscal year to show a net profit. With the Blatchford
Office providing developed lots for sale on an ongoing basis, it is expected that ongoing land sales
will be the new norm. By the end of 2024 the Blatchford Operating budget has realized $107.0M in
revenue offset by $107.7M in Operating expenses. The Operating expenses include cost of land sold
which is a non-cash item that reflects the amount of Capital expenditure allocated to a specific land
sale.
Capital spending at the beginning of the Project was largely capital acquisitions as the Blatchford
Office, along with the City Real Estate team, worked to ensure that all interests in land on the site
were acquired by the City. The capital spending has now significantly shifted to being for site
servicing and other development costs as lots are prepared for sale. Total capital spend to the end
of 2024 is $237.0M.
While the recent financial results in Blatchford have been positive it is important to note that the
project revenue is subject to market conditions/changes and Council direction on below market land
sale opportunities. Below market land sales for initiatives like affordable housing or heritage asset
revitalization would impact the total revenues earned by the development; through 2024 $3.8M of
land sale revenue has been foregone in below market value land sales.
