Council sets closure date for City Centre Airport at end of November

CTV Edmonton: City Centre Airport closure date set The days of the City Centre Airport are officially numbered, after council voted in favour of a suggested closure date.

Years after Edmonton’s City Council voted to shut down Edmonton’s City Centre Airport, councilors finally voted on a hard closure date for the airport.

In the final City Council meeting before the civic election, Councillors voted in favour of following a recommendation by city administrators – setting the official closure date and time for 11:59 p.m. November 30.

That date brings to an end the years-long process of shutting down the runways at the airport, the first runway closed in 2010 despite opposition from a small, but vocal, group.

“We bought three years to allow everyone to transition in a more gentle way than if we pulled the plug three years ago,” Councillor Ben Henderson said. “But I think it’s time.”

After the airport officially closes, it will make way for a new development to be called Blatchford.

The new neighbourhood will eventually be home to up to 30,000 people, in addition to adding space for businesses and space for NAIT to expand – all with an ‘environmentally friendly’ concept.

“I think the Blatchford redevelopment, in the future, will probably be a legacy that people will look on and say ‘Wow’,” Councillor Kim Krushell said. “It is going to be the largest green build in Canada.

“I certainly hope that the next council continues to make sure that happens.”

Demolition work and environmental testing is expected to begin shortly after the shutdown, with the aim for construction to begin on the new neighbourhood in 2014.

The only councilors who voted against the closure date were Councillors Tony Caterina, Linda Sloan, and Kerry Diotte.

With files from Bill Fortier