City council tweaks zoning plan to fast-track dense housing

City council is considering bringing in blanket upzoning along major roads in five parts of Edmonton and some residents are pushing back against the plan.

Edmonton city council Tuesday evening voted to blanket upzone several fast-growing areas of the city to speed up development.

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Bylaw 21128 permits five areas to be rezoned for medium- and large-scale mixed-use development and medium- and large-scale housing:

• immediately north and south of Stony Plain Road from the city core west to land between it, 95 Avenue and 178 Street;
• a strip of 156 Street between 111 Ave south to 87 Avenue and 159 Street;
• a district surrounding 124 Street from 118 Avenue south to Jasper Avenue;
• the Wîhkwêntôwin neighbourhood west of downtown; and
• University-Garneau on the south side.

Councillors voted 9-3 in support of the bylaw, with councillors Tim Cartmell, Karen Principe and Jennifer Rice opposing.

“It’s very important that we continue to densify our city, be more financially and environmentally sustainable, as well as create housing choices that are affordable in every part of the city that people desire to live in,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told media earlier on Tuesday ahead of the vote.

“This is a continuation of our efforts to build a city for everyone, where people have affordable choices while, at the same time, living in the neighbourhoods that already have amenities, services and programs that the city provides so it becomes more affordable for everyone to live in them.”

Changing the default zoning near transit stops and along major corridors inside these boundaries will allow developers to build taller buildings without a lengthy application process every time.

“Everything council does to remove barriers to development is helpful, and not just development for the sake of development, but for providing homes and putting in the commercial and institutional needs,” urban planner Brian Murray said Tuesday during city council’s meeting.

Administration began working on the plan in 2022.

It has received some pushback from Edmontonians. A few dozen people spoke in opposition at a public hearing on Tuesday before councillors voted.

Wendy Gervais and some of her neighbours in Garneau worry the change will accelerate the loss of historic homes in their south-central neighbourhood and others with the city encouraging construction of high-density housing.

Gervais said she feels history will be lost because of the zoning changes.

“We have to build on what was here before. I think it’s just so important to know what happened in all of these houses,” Gervais, an artist, told media on Tuesday.

“Yes, you could take down your house and build another one. It would have to be multi-housing, I guess, at this point, but to know the history, I think, is really important in all aspects of life.”

Some opponents also say neighbourhoods like Garneau already have a healthy mix of housing options, while others worry about impacts to daily life with more people around.

Councillors who supported the bylaw say it will give Edmontonians more clarity about where they can expect development and that the change only applies within a block or two of major roads, in line with the LRT.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson