Edmonton Riverhawks losing parking lots for new homes in Rossdale

Edmonton baseball fans may soon have fewer places to park for Riverhawks games.

The City of Edmonton is looking to put the main parking lot at the RE/MAX Field up for sale next year as part of long-term plans to bring new life to the Rossdale neighbourhood. The intention is to break up the parking lot into four plots of land, selling to buyers who will build around 300 new housing units in mid-rise and high-rise apartments.

Edmonton city council is expected to decide whether to go forward with the updated plan next week.

While the land sale would mean 800 fewer parking stalls for baseball games starting in 2027, the impact over time is more significant.

All of the parking at the RE/MAX Field, eventually, will be removed to make way for the neighbourhood’s renewal, according to a spokesperson for the team.

“We are looking at different ways to get stalls nearby, and shuttles to get people here easily. I think that’s the one big thing we need to keep in mind moving forward on this project is the movement of people – how to get people in and out of here easily,” Steve Hogle, spokesperson for Edmonton Riverhawks Baseball Club said Monday.

The River Crossing plan aims to add new homes, commercial areas, upgrade roads and transportation, and build a new park to honour the history of the River Flats — a significant area for Indigenous peoples.

The Edmonton Riverhawks support the overall plan.

“Once you get down here and get this area developed into parkland, into residential, commercial, get the powerplant up and running, this will be the most happening area in Edmonton,” Hogle said.

Although many people already take alternative means of transportation — there are about 2,500 parking stalls, but games can have more than 9,000 attendees — Hogle knows the loss of parking will be inconvenient for visitors.

He hopes the municipality will work more closely with the team to smooth out the transition.

“We get 9,200 people down here into this ballpark,” he said. “They’re finding other ways to get here already, a lot of them take bikes, scooters, rideshare, and we’re really grateful for that, and that’s going to have to be more and more going forward.”