Top Barriers and Solutions to Infill Development

The Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) was founded in 2013, with a mission to promote and advocate for high-quality infill development within Edmonton. Our vision is for Edmonton’s existing neighbourhoods to flourish as complete communities with diverse housing and healthy lifestyle choices.

Our membership is made up of builders, developers, planners, architects, engineers, community members, suppliers, and other professionals that work within the development industry. We currently have over 180 members and are growing every year. 

Top Barriers to Infill Development

• Infrastructure 

  • At project inception, infrastructure upgrade costs are unknown and unpredictable. The City and utility providers do not share information that would allow infill builders to clearly understand the costs and test those costs in their pro formas. Water main upgrades for fire protection range from $40,000 - $2.4 million. Relocation of power services can cost between $45,000 - $2 million. Laneway renewals can cost between $250,000 - $450,000. Asbestos remediation can cost between $30,000 - $45,000. 

  • Further, we do not have a mechanism to holistically and systematically deal with infrastructure upgrade needs across the City, so it is up to infill builders and developers to pay to upgrade City infrastructure on an ad hoc, piecemeal basis. 

  • Utility hook-ups are unnecessarily expensive. Industry should be able to use contractors.

• Permits and Process 

  • The City of Edmonton does not currently have permit approval targets for each of their development permit application types. 

  • The City of Edmonton’s online portal gives little information to applicants once permit applications are submitted, which could be used as an effective communication tool, increasing transparency and reducing frustration.

• Land Use Policy and Regulations

  • Our current regulations are outdated; it is widely accepted that we need to move forward to align our land use planning and regulatory framework with the City Plan. City Plan implementation via Zoning Bylaw Renewal and District Planning should be top priorities. 

• Fees 

  • A comprehensive review of how much in fees each style of development project costs. Those who are building should predictably know what fees and carrying costs they can expect beforehand.

• Financial Incentives 

  • Medium-scale development from 4 units to 8 stories is incredibly difficult to finance and has high risk brought on by contradictory planning policy, and uncertainty in approval processes and infrastructure upgrade costs. Medium-scale developments need creative financial assistance, such as but not limited to property tax relief until a new project is occupied. 

This letter was sent to the City of Edmonton in the spring of 2021.