Episode 222 of Speaking Municipally welcomed the newly announced Northeast River Valley Park and looked at how the land, which had been privately owned, came into the city's possession.
On May 23, the City of Edmonton announced the 190-acre park at 17 Street NE and 153 Avenue NE. Amenities include a lake, a playground, picnic sites, and a 25,000-square-foot event centre. It will stay closed until late summer.
The property was previously owned by Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch (Northern Alberta) Ltd., a non-profit organization that used it to help children and youth who faced physical, mental, or financial challenges. In 2007, the city gave about 21 acres of land to the organization.
The charity later ran into financial difficulties and in 2019, it suggested that the City of Edmonton take over the property, podcast co-host Mack Male found. The City also had the right of first refusal to purchase the land for $1, he said.
"That organization did sound like they were providing a pretty valuable service and something that a lot of Edmontonians could get behind," said podcast co-host Troy Pavlek. "But in that loss, we get a quite substantial gain."
Both Male and Pavlek agreed the park is a welcome addition to the northeast part of the city, given that the Horse Hill Area Structure Plan anticipates a population of 70,000.
The park is accessible via the River Valley trail network. But Pavlek noticed the frequently-asked-questions section of the city's webpage about the park notes only that it is a 25-minute drive from downtown Edmonton.
"That sounds like car culture in Edmonton at its finest," Male said. "We'll say that it's connected to trails and cycling. But really, we think most people are going to drive there."
The city has yet to decide on a name for the park, but residents and stakeholders will be able to provide input on a name later in the year.
Hear more about the park, as well as city council's decision to keep the Twin Brooks LRT station, the return of temporary water-bottle filling stations, and an update on the Healthy Streets Operations Centre on the May 26 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast.
Photo: At 190 acres, the Northeast River Valley Park is bigger than Hawrelak Park's 168-acre footprint. (City of Edmonton)
Correction: This file has been updated to reflect that the Twin Brooks LRT station is going ahead, not scaled back.