Dec 01, 2023
To Mayor and City Council:
The Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) is an educational and advocacy nonprofit, non-partisan association that represents approximately 200 city builders and city shapers. Our purpose is to drive change toward people-centred communities within Edmonton’s mature neighbourhoods. The majority of our members are small and local businesses, passionate about executing Council’s City Plan goals.
Previous Engagement and Current Request
Back in January, at Urban Planning Committee, IDEA emphasized the importance of ensuring a seamless alignment of District Plans between the City Plan's overarching framework and the detailed framework of the Zoning Bylaw. We appreciate Administration's effort to improve the plans. The proposed repeal of additional ARPs and the removal of intensification zones along nodes and corridors have clarified development policy and not gone unnoticed. However, there are still practical barriers that need addressing.
We request that Council give Administration more time to make the necessary changes to fully unlock the value and effectiveness of the plans and have included three suggested motions to accomplish this.
IDEA has identified the following key areas of concern:
1. Map Readability
Map readability presents a concern for IDEA. Specifically with regard to the boundaries around nodes and corridors and thus the application of specific policy areas. Currently maps are not scalable and key roadways are not labeled, so it’s nearly impossible to tell where nodes and corridors begin and end. This makes using the district plans confusing and unnecessarily difficult. During engagement Administration informed us that there is funding to be allocated during the implementation phase to create more robust interactive maps, however due to a systems issue, this work cannot yet commence.
Suggested Motion: That Administration return to Council with revised District Plan maps that label key roadways and have been converted to scalable vector graphics (svg files).
2. Urban Mix Policy
Currently, urban mix outlines support for small scale housing, low-rise development, and provides expectations for nodes and corridors, but it doesn't address mid rise development. This is a problem because even if a landowner applies for a District Plan amendment in tandem with a rezoning application, there is no appropriate policy area to change (other policy areas are employment and node/corridor policy areas). In essence, the "missing middle” is still missing.
IDEA requests that the wording in the urban mix policy area be modified to allow for mid rise development in context-appropriate areas.
Suggested Motion: That Administration modify the wording of the Urban Mix Policy Area to allow for mid rise development in context-appropriate areas, as follows:
2.4.2.5 Support Small Scale and Low and Mid Rise development (residential, commercial or mixed use) in the following locations outside of Nodes and Corridors:
On corner sites at the edge of the Neighbourhood where the block face fronts onto a Principal Roadway, Arterial Roadway or Collector Roadway,
On and a Adjacent or in proximity to sites zoned for Low Rise, commercial or Mixed Use development and along a Principal Roadway, Arterial Roadway or Collector Roadway, or
Within 400 600 m of Mass Transit Stations and along a Principal Roadway, Arterial Roadway or Collector Roadway.
3. Boundaries Around Nodes and Corridors
As an extension of what has been noted in the wording of Urban Mix Policy, there is no visual representation of transitional areas on the maps. The hard lines are misleading and a gradient would better reflect how increased density is supported approaching nodes and corridors.
Suggested Motion: That Administration return to Council with revised District Plan maps that visually indicate that node and corridors transition rather than adhere to hard boundaries.
In summary, District Plans will have a significant impact on how our City grows, therefore it is important that they reflect an adequate breadth of policy direction at all levels of development. If the Urban Mix policy is not amended to allow for mid-rise in context-appropriate locations, there will suddenly be a lack of recourse when these kinds of projects come up to public hearing with a rezoning application. District Plan amendments will be difficult as there is no appropriate policy area to change. The current draft gives a false sense that intensification beyond what is allowed in the RS zone is only considered for nodes and corridors, which is not consistent with City Plan. The changes IDEA proposes provides citizens with clarity on how our mature neighbourhoods will grow and change. IDEA is not looking for absolute perfection in the plans but there needs to be enough certainty that the District Plans reflect what we are already doing in our city.
IDEA would like to thank City Council for their continuous work in implementing City Plan.