Beaumont residents say mixed-use development will ‘wreak havoc’ on community

Residents in Beaumont say they feel misled about the number of units going into a four-storey apartment. The city says the project follows all the rules.

A dedicated group of Beaumont residents say they’re feeling misled about the construction of a four-storey mixed-use building in an area they feel can’t handle that much traffic, although the city says the permit has been legal from start to finish.

The Dansereau Landing development project at 180 Dansereau Way in Beaumont, Alta. was issued a permit for construction in October 2024.

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When Janelle Sarzynski, who lives and works in Beaumont, first heard about the site being developed, she said her major concern was about increased density by way of parking, driving and walking.

“Increase in density means increase in traffic, wait times to get out of the area,” she said.

The site is set to build 54 residential units. It will also include three commercial spaces, with a proposed daycare on the main floor.

As of right now, the city has approved 33 parking spots for the building.

The main issue, Sarzynski said, is that the entrance to the building and proposed daycare will be in what many residents say is a “narrow” back alleyway directly across from suburban backyards.

“That … is going to wreak havoc on parking for local residents, for residents in the alleyway,” she said.

She also expressed concern for children playing on the sidewalks or getting into the prospective daycare that will be affected by congestion.

Barb Valentine bought her property on 66 Street, across from the Dansereau site, three years ago.

“It’s going to affect my privacy … they’ll be able to look directly into my backyard,” she said.

Valentine said there was already a parking issue in the neighbourhood and that without public transit options in Beaumont, congestion is inevitable.

“We thought it was going to be a quiet, low-key neighbourhood,” she said. “It really changes everything.”

Director of communications for the city Mike Berezowsky told CTV News Edmonton in an email that the site’s infrastructure is “adequate to support the population density.”

He said the road is designed to handle “up to 5,000 vehicles per day and no more than 1,500 vehicles are expected on the road once the area is developed.”

He added that there are two access points to the alley for traffic and the location and width of those accesses meet Beaumont’s land use bylaw and general design standards.

“It is also expected that street parking along Dansereau Way and 62 Avenue will supplement the onsite parking and loading zones,” he said.

Consultation and communication

Lauren de Graaf is a Beaumont resident and the appeal presenter for a group against the project who call themselves Beaumont Residents for Better Planning and Development.

He said the original plan for the property as advertised to the neighbourhood was for a 12-unit, medium-use density building with commercial spaces on the bottom.

“We found that this development had been approved without any public consultation,” de Graaf said.

Berezowsky said the original plan for a 12-unit building was an expired permit back in 2017 that developers chose not to proceed with.

“Residents’ confusion is understandable, however, there was no intent to mislead the public,” Berezowsky said.

He also said that under the Integrated Neighbourhood District section of Beaumont’s land use bylaw, the current project was approved for a permitted use, which he said does not require public notification.

Despite no need for public notification, de Graaf said the follow-up response from the city once residents became aware of the development over the winter has been “very guarded.”

Potential solutions

Paul Heide is running for Beaumont city council in October and said the main problem with the development is that it’s “huge.”

“You can’t stop progress, but you can manage progress,” he said.

That’s why he said he feels many residents are just looking for better communication in advance.

He said while this development doesn’t break any rules, there should be “more consultation” with residents to “coincide with what [they] want.”

The group of concerned residents did appeal with Beaumont’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board in May but were denied. Valentine said she’s now considering moving.

“I don’t think we can stop this construction at this point, but I do think city council and the mayor … who we trust to put bylaws in place that benefit the community, I think they need to be held accountable for not doing that,” she said.

Affordable housing in Beaumont

De Graaf said that resident concern would be mitigated were the site for the development of affordable housing or a seniors residence.

“As a community, we all understand the pressures that Canada faces when it comes to housing and the need for affordable housing,” said de Graaf.

“My question to anybody at large would be, if you were looking to rent a luxury unit, would you be willing to accept parking on the street for a unit you’re paying big money for?”

Berezowsky said the city created an affordable housing strategy in 2021 that “identified several gaps in housing options, including market affordable and non-market rental housing.”

“While the city is not itself planning any affordable housing projects, we have been discussing options with partners such as the Leduc Regional Housing Foundation and Habitat for Humanity,” he said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg