‘Preserve the community’: Mill Woods residents explore restrictive covenant to fight infill
Posted June 25, 2026 10:37 am.
Last Updated June 25, 2026 10:47 am.
The infill battle is continuing in Edmonton.
The Knottwood Community League centre was crowded Wednesday night, with some looking to take action against infill.
Organizers estimate 80 people from the southwest area of Edmonton’s Mill Woods came to hear about signing on to a restrictive covenant for their homes.
This is a legal restriction put on the land title of a property that limits what can be built. They have been used for over a century in Edmonton and are now mainly used to fight the building of large infill units like eight-plexes.
Residents from the Knottwood area and elsewhere heard from a lawyer who is helping organizer Sheena Kolacz look to set up a restrictive covenant to the area. They answered questions, with some residents already willing to sign on.
Kolacz says she’s concerned about what the extra density could bring, like extra traffic, a lack of parking, and more garbage.
“My goal is just to preserve the community that we have,” Kolacz said. “I really love our mature neighbourhoods and I want it to remain the way it is because I raised my kids here, other people are raising their kids here.”
Multiple other neighbourhoods in Edmonton have gone down this path.
The west end neighbourhood of Rio Terrace has been using restrictive covenants for over a decade. It was first used to fight skinny homes, but the fight has changed.
Don Goss, who lives in Rio Terrace, says 150 properties out of an estimated 400 there have signed on. This has mainly been done to prevent new infill construction.
“There’s so many areas that are better fitted than this,” Goss said. “There’s no rapid transit here, there’s no bus schedule that runs out here. It makes no sense. I don’t deny we need more density, but it needs to be done thoughtfully and managed.”
City council continues to defend the zoning bylaw, which allows for large infill projects like eight-plexes to come on what was single-family homes.
It’s meant to allow for more housing options while creating a denser city, as Edmonton is expected to have two million people at some point.
Kolacz believes it goes too far.
“Maybe (city council) should talk to the federal government about stopping people from coming into Canada… if we don’t have enough housing for the people that are here,” she said.
This restrictive covenant is expected to have residents signed by the end of the month, with it going into force shortly after.
