As you may be aware, the City of Edmonton is planning for a more sustainable future by encouraging Transit Oriented Development (TOD) around existing and future LRT Stations – almost 60 in total.
Transit Oriented Development refers to development that is planned and integrated around a transit station. Its aim is to create more attractive, liveable, and compact neighbourhoods based on pedestrian-friendly design and a well connected mix of land uses within roughly 400 meters walking distance of a transit station.
My work, alongside a team of talented consultants and committed community members, seeks to find out how TOD can strengthen and preserve the character of the McKernan and Belgravia neighbourhoods while capitalizing on the benefits of the existing LRT station. Put another way, we are looking at how we can make both community and LRT station work better together through TOD planning.
To date, we have conducted research on the area, spoken with local community leagues, and on November 22, 2011 held our first Public Open House Workshop at the McKernan Elementary Junior High School. We had an excellent turnout with about 120 people attending to hear about the project and share their own knowledge of the area with us. At the meeting, our team displayed some boards about the project followed by a presentation, a little Q&A, and then a series of break-out discussions based on a workbook we prepared to help facilitate things.
The information we collect will inform what policies, redevelopment concepts and design guidelines will best support TOD in McKernan and Belgravia neighbourhoods.
Overall I’d say we received excellent feedback from the Open House Workshop which we will post a summary of on our webpage when ready. This will help us ensure the project’s final recommendations are grounded in the community’s aspirations while reflecting local conditions, opportunities, constraints, and collective solutions. But don’t worry – there’s still time to have your say!
If you haven’t read the workbook and sent us your comments – please do! Alternatively, you can always share your thoughts here on this blog.
So I open it up to you… what do you think of the current area around the McKernan/Belgravia station? Do you walk and do errands in the area? How might the neighbourhood immediately around the LRT station change over time? What new uses or amenities could make the neighbourhood around the LRT station more interesting, attractive and liveable? What do you think? We want to know.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
The problem is that everyone wants a house with a backyard. Edmonton though could do well with more condos. Wait then the residents in the neighborhoods fight the highrise and don’t like them.
Around the LRT stations, there should be highrises and I see townhomes all crowded together. So I would say zone all existing land for highrise condos around LRT stations then wait for developers to build.
An increase in density is in this area is necessary and if done properly can bring great benefits to the community. However, I would like to see the Edmonton Design Committee involved in all areas where there are zoning changes. This would ensure that the design of any new builds (within the rezoned areas) will adhere to the community feel currently there. It may also ensure that cheap looking housing is not built and unscrupulous developers will think twice before investing in the area.
I also think we should celebrate this station as one of only a handful of LRT stations with access into the River Valley. The gateway of 76 ave should be developed as such. Small commercial development, live work units and higher density housing/duplex housing scaling from 114street to 118 street would be appropriate.
The McKernan/Belgravia TOD has the potential of being a pillar of sustainability and the gold standard for neighbourhood TOD development.
Let’s hope that’s what it becomes.
I love the idea to involve the Edmonton Design Committee (EDC). When the apartments under construction by the four way stop were in the planning stage, the developer initially wanted a re-zoning. The community’s committee to negotiate with the developer asked our then-Councillors Iveson and Anderson to make the developer go through the EDC, on the basis that if the City wants to have good examples of higher density uses retro-fitted into the Station Area, the quality of the design should be high. Council voted and agreed to send the developer to EDC (note that in the end the developer decided not to pursue the rezoning and instead submitted a design the fully complied with the existing zoning).
I think the actual community members should decide as democratically as possible about the development. When the City developed the LRT Stop in Belgravia McKernan, one of the wishes of the majority in the community was to keep its family character and only a moderate increase in density (e.g. allowing more duplexes or lot division along 76, University Ave, row housing). No high rises. High rises might most advantageous/profitable to developers, but would bring our community and the quality of life down.
Before you increase the density of the population in the area, could you please solve the existing problem of difficult access to and out of the community due to LRT busy traffic, particularly in rush hours? Would it be possible to build three lanes (one for east bound and the other two for the right turn onto 114 Street) for the east bound vehicles at the 114 Street -76th Ave congestion?
I like the thoughts presented by the consulting team at the first open house, where density increases would be limited to the 76 Avenue corridor and a few houses in along the 114 Street corridor, that these density increase would be in-scale with the surrounding single family housing (three to four stories), and that the density increases could be flexible buildings (use for housing, ground floor commercial, small businesses and the like). Also, I liked the thought that most single family houses would not be changed. I do not want high rises, as these are out of scale with the existing community and ignore the existing context. The only additions I’d like to see are moderate density increases along the Belgravia service road from the LRT portal to 116 Street (the pedestrian overpass), and that parking regulations could be relaxed for single family homes with basement suites (3 stalls are required, I’d like to see only 2, the same as a single family house), because we are so close to the LRT Station and do not want to add more cars to our already congested roads.
I had a quick look at the blog and also find high rises objectionable. We need a bit of a breathing space between UofA/UAH and S Campus.
Higher density yes, emphasis for housing with children/families.
I agree with limiting urban sprawl, however, I don’t agree with a high-rise based focus in this community. I had already thought about a possible location for some multiple family complexes (much like what is being constructed at the 4-way stop on 76 Ave) along the south edge of University Ave. Quite a few houses there are already rentals and the shading from the proposed taller buildings would land on the street as opposed to someone’s back yard. I had also read in this blog, and like the idea, of having flexible buildings (top floor reserved for rentals and main floors used for commercial/retail establishments) along 114 Str between University Ave and 72 Ave.