‘Too much, too fast’: Edmonton mayoral candidate pushes for moratorium on some infill development

Posted June 25, 2025 9:05 am.
Last Updated June 25, 2025 9:12 am.
An Edmonton mayoral candidate wants a pause on infill development.
Tim Cartmell says residents are concerned with multi-units being built on a lot previously meant for one.
“In the middle of the neighbourhood, in the middle of the block, out of nowhere comes this eight-unit almost apartment building where there used to be a bungalow or single-family home,” Cartmell said. “It’s just really catching people off guard and they’re not feeling heard when they say, ‘Wait a minute, this seems like too much, too fast, too big.’”
Cartmell says infill could be the number one election issue when Edmontonians head to the polls Oct. 20 – if council stays the course.

Cartmell’s main opponent in the mayor’s race, Andrew Knack, says council is already looking at options to refine the zoning bylaw put in place a year ago, including limiting the number of units on one lot from eight to six.
“What happens to the folks that need housing in this city when you can’t allow people to move into older neighbourhoods?” asked Knack.
He says you can refine without stopping entirely.
“To stop all that development would mean we actually don’t have housing for people at a time we desperately need housing in this city,” Knack said.

Edmonton’s outgoing mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who pushed to change the zoning bylaw that allowed eight-plexes to go up in the first place, says infill is needed to lower urban sprawl and accommodate more people in mature communities.
“Creating conditions to build a four-plex, a duplex or six-plex is the right approach to take,” Sohi said. “Otherwise we would not be a financially sustainable city, we would not be an environmentally sustainable city.”
A public hearing on zoning bylaw changes is set for Monday, where Cartmell says he will move a motion to place a moratorium on all new infill development.