Edmonton city council begins hearing input Tuesday on new guidelines for neighbourhood development as the city prepares to grow to two million people.
Council has scheduled three days of public hearings on the district policy and accompanying district plans. It’s the next phase of Edmonton’s urban planning overhaul following new zoning rules that went into effect this year.
More than 80 residents are signed up to speak.
Introduced in The City Plan adopted in 2020, districts are a collection of neighbourhoods with the goal of meeting most residents’ daily needs within a 15-minute walk, bike or transit trip from their home.
Fifteen districts are being presented to council for consideration. Within them are urban centres of varying scope known as nodes, as well as primary and secondary corridors that support more density along certain routes.
Development planners would consult with the relevant district plan when needing to consider a development permit.
District plans do not themselves change zoning but do clarify the exact locations of these nodes and corridors identified in the overarching city plan — details that could then be used in a rezoning application to allow for more dense buildings.
The city is looking at targeted rezonings for some of the 19 nodes and corridors identified as priority growth areas, although communities and businesses in the affected areas will still have an opportunity to provide input before going to a public hearing for a decision.
Sean Bohle, a senior planner with the city, says the policies on the table wouldn’t see immediate change within neighbourhoods.
“Changes of this type to the city happen over a very long scale. So nothing really happens overnight,” Bohle said in an interview with CBC’s Edmonton AM.
“But the changes that are described in the city plan are about creating new opportunities for more development.”
Administration is also proposing the removal of 57 local plans to further align the planning system with the city plan.
LISTEN | Edmonton aims to create 15-minute communities through urban planning:
Edmonton AM6:29Edmonton looking at 15-minute cities
The City of Edmonton is looking at ways to make neighbourhoods more efficient for a larger population. Part of that plan involves exploring the concept of 15-minute cities. Sean Bohle is a senior planner with the city.
The district plans align with the urban planning concept of the “15-minute city,” where communities are set up so residents can get everything they need within 15 minutes of their home.
The concept has been the subject of conspiracy theories in cities around the world, including misinformation that it’s a form of government takeover.
Bohle says much of that has died down within the last year but that there are still people with concerns.
“We may hear from council about some changes they would like us to make to the plans, or some additional planning work or what we ought to be working on next to address people’s concerns,” he said.
The Coalition for Better Infill, which previously opposed zoning renewal during council deliberations last year, is set to have members speak against the district plans.
Kevin Taft, who is on the steering committee for the organization, says not enough of the public knows about the effects the plans will have.
“Through district plans, we’re going to see hundreds of city blocks and Edmonton opened up to mid-rise and potentially high-rise developments,” he said in an interview Monday.
“And if the district plans go through as proposed in the next few days, you’ll see right in the middle of all kinds of residential neighbourhoods, increased heights are allowed on all kinds of lots that were never considered for that possibility before.”
Taft said the plans as they stand give too much to developers without demanding certain provisions, like affordable housing.
The coalition wants to see councillors do more consultation with the public.
The new charter bylaw will be ready for first and second readings after the public hearing.
Administration must send reports to the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board before returning to council for the third and final reading.