The city's proposed $553-million Downtown Action Plan was top of mind for the hosts of Episode 308 of Speaking Municipally. Here's a quick glimpse:
1. Is downtown coming back?
City administration recently proposed the city invest $553 million over five years into its Downtown Action Plan. The plan's four goals are economic growth, residential growth, vibrancy growth, and business growth. These goals break down into eight actions and 45 sub-actions. The plan calls for increased cleaning, more public washrooms, and for the creation of car-free streets in several spots. But if the plan's goal is to get more people working downtown again, co-host Mack Male said it might miss the mark.
"The way that people work has changed," Male said. "They're not going to be back in the office five days a week, unless mandated to do so. The commercial opportunities for the downtown are not the same in 2025 as they were in 2019."
Male and co-host Troy Pavlek discussed some critics of the plan, who suggested the city should invest in the economic potential of their communities rather than only focusing on downtown.
2. The provincial wildcard
The bulk of the Downtown Action Plan is contingent on $440 million that the city needs the provincial government to approve to extend the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy by 10 years beyond its current end in 2034. Council voted to do so in March, partly to help fund a $250-million downtown fan park proposed by the Oilers Entertainment Group. Male said the province could use its "leverage" power over granting or refusing the CRL extension to influence municipal decision-making on issues it dislikes, like bike lanes, which minister of transportation, Devin Dreesen, tried to do last month with a letter to Coun. Karen Principe and a public event.
"If you're the province and you're unhappy with Edmonton about some things, maybe that's a bargaining chip you've got, or a little bit of leverage that you've got," Male said. "It seems unlikely that most of the things in this plan will happen without that extension to the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy."
3. Postponing financial pain
Pavlek pointed out that CRLs borrow money against future tax revenue. That means the bill comes due for future councils.
"A CRL can often feel like free money, because you don't have to invest any of your current tax levy or raise property taxes to fund things, but … you're borrowing against your future to pay for it," Pavlek said. "We've heard a lot from this council about hamstringing future councils and spending up to debt limit. This is another way to do that."
The May 16 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast included a discussion on selling naming rights for city-owned facilities and the Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton municipal political party. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.