Edmonton city council tackles more housing in older neighbourhoods

Some Edmontonians living in mature neighborhoods are speaking out, asking the city to reconsider rezoning plans that would allow for large-scale developments in their neighbourhoods, while others say the city needs more housing options.

“Most of them are gone. There would be maybe five or six out of 35 that are left today,” said Wendy Gervais, with Lives in Garneau.

Gervais lives in Garneau — one of Edmonton’s oldest neighbourhoods. She’s working to archive and document some of the nearly century-old homes near the university campus. 

She and others spoke before city council on Tuesday, as councillors heard from the public over a bylaw that would allow large and medium-scale multi-unit developments in mature neighbourhoods. Gervais says she’s not against density in the student neighbourhood, but not at the expense of older homes.

“There are empty lots, and they’ve been empty for some time, there are derelict homes that have been that way for a while. It’s the history, we have to build on that, build on what was here before,” said Garneau.

City administration wants councillors to approve the bylaw, as Edmonton needs to meet an expected population of two million people, and the demand for homes and rentals increases.

Council heard from a number of students and rental advocates in favour of more housing options in Edmonton’s central neighbourhoods. 

The bylaw would cover a number of neighbourhoods like Garneau and others west of Edmonton’s downtown near the Valley Line West LRT expansion. 

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told CityNews that he understands the need to preserve Edmonton’s history, but says populations are declining and housing prices are going up in Edmonton’s older and more desirable neighbourhoods, while the city needs to densify to keep the cost of public services and infrastructure down as the city grows outward.

“So it’s important that when we’ve invested public dollars in the form of the LRT, bus service, recreational facilities, libraries, all those amenities exist, so having more people live closer to these amenities is less pressure on the taxpayers,” said Sohi.

But for others living in Glenora — just west of Edmonton’s downtown near Valley Line West LRT construction — they’re worried about multi-unit dwellings changing the look and population needs of the quiet neighbourhood. 

“Nine-plex isn’t just nine people, it’s probably 18 people, and those 18 people will probably have a child or a parent with them too, so we’re now talking 22 people. Would you like all of a sudden you’re living in a residential area, and you maybe have a family of four or five living next to you, and now you have 22 people?” said Christine Prokop, who lives in Glenora.

Prokop instead calls on city leaders to take advantage of the current empty space to meet housing needs. 

“The quarters, Rexall Place, Northlands, and the municipal airport, Blatchford. These are open sheets for the opportunity to make beautiful communities,” said Prokop.

Note: On May 21, Edmonton city council approved rezoning applications for five areas of the city identified as “priority growth areas.”