[ClaireYeg]

Council had an update today on the city's current financial/capital outlook. Council will have some challenging decisions ahead for the 2023-26 plan.

With that, Coun. Janz asked if the city has any other sources of potential revenue down the line. Aside from property tax, user fees and fines, there are not a lot of other ongoing sources (not counting federal/provincial matching grants and contributions for specific projects).

But here is a project that checks some worthy boxes for the city with also the potential of some added revenue with the land that would be leased, Coun. Janz.
@PrairieSkyGondola - what is the expected annual revenue the city could earn from this project?

Also, does anyone know how much the city is paying to keep the power plant in its current unusable condition? Maybe similar to the historic hangar in Blatchford, the city needs to find a partner and offer up this building for a good deal to unload some costs with potential revenue down the line when the space is eventually activated.

You are correct, the gondola project will help the City of Edmonton pay for a variety of projects especially the Rossdale Redevelopment Plan but also the Ribbon of Green, Plan Whyte and the 100 Street pedestrian bridge. The numbers are not public yet. Our real estate and infrastructure agreement will become public after Aug 15 and in there you will see the $ value of the leases and how long the lease will be. We are paying market value for all those leases. Our towers, as pieces of infrastructure, can also help the City improve lighting for the area. They have asked if we would be willing to add lighting, if it was needed, and we are all in to help in however we can. We will also provide much needed public washrooms in every stations at no cost to the City.

 

[ClaireYeg]

Count me in!

You guys are doing an awesome job promoting this project and disproving misconceptions around it. I'm telling you that this project is what Edmonton needs more of if it wants to be an interesting city where people want to visit and live. This isn't just about functionality, it's about creating something cool, something people will look at, use, and be like "wow, I really like Edmonton because it has this". <- This, right here, is what makes people look twice and want to come back.

The environmental concerns I'm not even going to touch. It's ridiculous how much people are getting up-in-arms about one of the least disruptive and most eco-friendly modes of transportation, that they don't even have to pay for. the "ETS should run this" argument I don't understand either.

That's awesome, thanks so much. Please email us a letter of support at hello@prairieskygondola.com. Give a personal story, how it would help you, share the neighbourhood where you live and what you find makes you stay in Edmonton

 

[ClaireYeg]

I agree. But I want to add that despite everything people say about the it, WEM is a big tourist attraction in this city. Lots of People know Edmonton because of the mall. So, Edmonton already attracts visitors in the city.
But, I agree that this project will make visitors want to come, and come back to the city. It's also going to be great for people living here. Can't wait for this to be built already.

You are totally right, WEM is a BIG attraction and the more "destination products" we can offer such as the Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park, Folk Fest, Fringe, Taste of Edmonton, Pride Parade or our gondola the better. It creates excitement and keeps us curious and stimulated. The more the better in our opinion!

 

[God]

Well if you’re talking about adding lighting. Maybe some type of LED coloured lighting to make it look more attractive and to stand out more. I think especially during the winter some type of coloured lighting would look amazing with the skyline backdrop.

 

[TAS]

"Fewer car trips. Great views of central Edmonton. A new way to celebrate Indigenous heritage. A potential draw for tourists. A spur for the city to finally get on with modest developments in Rossdale."

Keith Gerein: Benefits of Edmonton's gondola project starting to soar

While opponents raise valid questions about the gondola's costs and environmental footprint, company leaders have done their best to answer

edmontonjournal.com

 

[TAS]

@PrairieSkyGondola not too many Edmontonians are going to be on board with this project if the fee structure is close to what's being shared in social media right now - see below. At what stage will you be able to share a ridership fee with the public?

The gondola in Edmonton will cost a user:
$10.25 a ride for commuters
$50 for international tourists

https://twitter.com/x/status/1537538381403414531

 

[jason403]

If that is actually the rate they're planning to charge, I don't think that this is anywhere close to economically feasible.

 

[The_Cat]

I think $10.25 might work if it’s an all-day pass.

 

[EdmTrekker]

I think $10.25 might work if it’s an all-day pass.

I agree but $7 one way.No tourist is going to pay $50. Are they asking for proof of local residency? What proof? What about my privacy? I want it tied into the monthly bus pass as an add on - and the seniors annual bus pass.

 

[JaayJR]

I agree but $7 one way.No tourist is going to pay $50. Are they asking for proof of local residency? What proof? What about my privacy? I want it tied into the monthly bus pass as an add on - and the seniors annual bus pass.

Looks like they're trying to work something out with ARC. Separate from ETS.

I'll agree $50 is steep, but nothing's confirmed anyway, just speculated.

 

[jason403]

I just think you have to be competitive with an Uber/taxi fare if you want people to use this as active transportation. If the price of an Uber for 2 people is around the same price, I think most people are simply going to use that option.

I'm of the impression that this gondola will mostly be used as a tourist experience (as well as a local tourist experience with locals going on it once a year). It will likely also be successful on warm summer evenings on the weekend as people head out to restaurants on downtown/Whyte, and give it a go. In mediocre/poor weather, I really question how many users will continue to use the gondolas. This is also one of the reasons that I am highly skeptical of this business to be able to run profitably without government subsidies (which I am actually on board with for a "reasonable" amount).

Again, I have not conducted studies on consumer demand for this, so I hope my opinion is just that, and wrong. I'd really like for this to succeed as I think it adds a lot to the Edmonton tourist experience, and adds some nice character to the city.

 

[JuliallThat]

I still feel that this gondola project would be better as an ETS project with full integration, and I would've been happy to see tax dollars go towards that.
Especially seeing this proposed price structure - a 10 dollar adfare would be too much for me to justify most of the time.

 

[The_Cat]

Perhaps something like $5/person or $10/family might work, slightly above the cost of bus service.

 

[BASE]

I think you are getting a fun experience out of it so that is worth a bit of a premium. It likely wouldn’t appeal to a massive amount of commuters beyond those it is convenient for on both ends of the ride.

Reading that Twitter thread it sounds like there is a good deal of opposition to this project. I for one like the idea of seeing some private investment bringing in something useful and unique.

 

[The_Cat]

I think of the possibility of business growth in Strathcona and Downtown. There isn't a lot of activity in Rice Howard Way or Jasper Avenue around ATB Place. I also think that there would be more activity east of Gateway/Whyte Avenue.