Edmonton City Council
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7
February 4, 2022
Dear Mayor and Council,
RE: Enterprise Land Development Program & City Plan Implementation
ABOUT IDEA
The Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) is an educational and advocacy nonprofit, non-partisan association that represents over 180 city builders and city shapers. Our purpose is to drive change toward people-centred communities within Edmonton’s mature neighbourhoods. The vast majority of our members are small and local businesses, passionate about executing Council’s City Plan goals.
THE ISSUE
IDEA is currently working with Administration on multiple City Plan implementation projects including Zoning Bylaw Renewal, District Planning, the Energy Transition Strategy and the Growth Management Framework. IDEA is interested in the Enterprise Land Development Program specifically because of the opportunities that divestment can create for supporting City Plan implementation.
IDEA is concerned that the City doesn’t have a financial plan or dedicated funds for implementing City Plan’s goal of shifting 50% of new development to mature neighbouhoods. Most infill builders and developers are small, local businesses ready to execute City Plan, and they need your help. Reinvesting in mature neighbourhoods is a wise move from a fiscal and environmental perspective—reusing existing infrastructure reduces the tax burden on all of us and helps create a more compact and climate resilient city.
Administration recently completed an infrastructure capacity review that estimates the cost of City Plan implementation for water, drainage and shallow utilities in the range of $500,000,000 - $600,000,000. The EPCOR Infill Cost Share Program has shown that dedicated infrastructure funding works: it allows for missing middle projects to proceed that would otherwise be stalled due to the high cost of required infrastructure upgrades. However, we still do not have a holistic solution to the ongoing challenge of infrastructure deficiency in mature neighbourhoods.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
IDEA asks that City Council maintain the decision to divest from suburban residential development and redirect proceeds from the land sales to addressing the very real barriers to achieving City Plan infill objectives, including the infrastructure deficiency. Proposed motion:
That Administration i) proceed with the sale of Aster, Schonsee and Goodridge Corners and simultaneously ii) put together a City Plan infrastructure implementation plan that includes how proceeds from the sale of Aster, Schonsee and Goodridge Corners will help to address infrastructure deficiencies within nodes and corridors.
Thank you for your time. If you have any questions or wish to discuss any of the contents of this letter, please contact IDEA via Mariah Samji at mariah@infilledmonton.com or 780-951-6926.
Sincerely,
Letter sent to Edmonton City Council, Deputy City Manager of Urban Planning and Economy and the Administration Team