This week, council committees will meet to debate whether to extend the community revitalization levies in downtown and the Quarters, hear about the city's new plan to prevent violence, and discuss more locations for transit priority measures.
There is a community and public services committee meeting scheduled for March 3, an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for March 4, and an executive committee meeting scheduled for March 5.
Here are key items on this week's agenda:
- The community revitalization levies in the Quarters and downtown may be extended, according to reports scheduled to be presented to executive committee on March 5. The CRLs are tools for municipalities to rejuvenate underdeveloped areas by allowing public infrastructure investments to attract private investments that can repay the public investment. Within the levy area, a baseline property assessment is established, and for up to 20 years, increases in property tax revenue above that baseline, resulting from new development and property value growth, go toward the CRL. That means new developments essentially repay for infrastructure investments. The Quarters CRL has so far been used to build $100 million worth of projects, which include The Armature pedestrian path, Kinistinâw Park, and the adaptive reuse of spaces the city owns for the arts. These projects have attracted private developments like The Hat, Double Tree Hotel, and Stadium Yards. However, the city said its projections show that there has not been enough private investment in the Quarters to pay for the infrastructure investments, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid epidemic, increased construction costs, and worsening social disorder. Council could apply to extend the levy in the Quarters by 20 years and add five new projects. One project proposes to redraw the street grid in the Quarters by breaking up large blocks, which would create more opportunities for north-south access through the neighbourhood and allow easier land consolidation, the report said. The downtown CRL, meanwhile, has been more effective; the city said infrastructure investments downtown have attracted more than $4.7 billion of new investment, with 3,500 housing units completed or under construction since the levy came into effect in 2015. Council could apply to extend the downtown levy by 10 years and add new projects. Administration said it could use the downtown levy to improve LRT entrances, remediate empty contaminated lots, and contribute to an outdoor event space at the ICE District. If council approves extending both levies, the province would need to approve the extensions. The province announced on Feb. 28 it is working with the city and the Oilers Entertainment Group to provide funding for the ICE District event space and other projects in Edmonton's core.
- Administration will present its new Blueprint for Violence Prevention at a community and public services committee meeting on March 3. The plan's three goals are to strengthen and connect government structures; prevent or interrupt violence that is already occurring through tailored strategies; and tackle structural and social issues that can cause violence. Some actions the city plans to take are to establish a violence and crime reduction board, grant adequate and sustained funding, and engage the public on its role in violence prevention.
- City staff have developed a metric to calculate transit passenger delay hours, which measures both ridership and traffic congestion delays to identify routes that could benefit from transit priority measures. The new locations identified by the metric include 114 Street NW between Belgravia Road NW and 87 Avenue NW, 107 Avenue NW between 120 Street NW and 156 Street NW, 124 Street NW between 107 Avenue NW and Jasper Avenue NW, and the area around Clareview Transit Centre. The routes are outlined in a report scheduled to be presented to council's urban planning committee on March 4. In other areas, the city is already implementing such measures, like dedicated bus lanes, queue jumps, and intersection modifications, but there is no funding available to address the newly identified routes. Administration said it will develop a program to identify locations that need transit priority measures and funding.
The city has identified more areas in Edmonton that could benefit from transit priority measures. (Stephanie Swensrude)
Here are some other items on the agenda:
- Council's urban planning committee will review the Edmonton Design Committee's new proposed principles of urban design at a meeting on March 4. The committee has been reworking its principles as well as its scope of review for the past year. The committee's current principles, which number in the dozens, would be replaced by six themes: Authentic and meaningful; healthy and inclusive; attractive and human-scaled; connected and walkable; resilient and sustainable; and vibrant and thriving. The committee aims to finalize the changes by the end of April.
- The Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board wrote a report about the perception of LRT safety. Data suggests that crime on public transit is trending down. Comparing the third and second quarters of 2024, reported violent crimes fell by 33% and calls for service to transit peace officers fell by 25%. Despite this, survey respondents consistently identified safety as a major concern, the report said. Lighting, cleanliness, environmental design, a feeling of isolation, and a lack of people are some factors identified that contribute to riders feeling unsafe. Administration is scheduled to return to council in March with a report outlining additional options to enhance safety on the LRT.
- The city has developed a work plan with 11 strategies to address the gap between revenue and expenses. The action items include to review fees for all city services including transit, recreation, and parking; create a proposed policy that would ensure renewal projects are advanced before growth projects; review city-owned land to see what could be sold; and advocate for more financial support from the province.
- Administration has developed two grant programs meant to encourage new stores. The proposed programs are meant to replace the development incentive program, which closed in 2023. The first program would offer up to $30,000 for interior renovations to vacant ground floor commercial units, while the second would offer up to $400,000 per year to support the construction of new commercial and mixed-use developments. The proposed programs are set to be presented to council's executive committee at a meeting on March 5. Executive committee may make a recommendation and send the decision to a future council meeting for a vote.
- The City of Edmonton plans to sell two downtown office buildings, Chancery Hall and Century Place, and relocate 1,350 staff as part of a $22.7-million project to optimize workspaces. If approved by city council, funding would come from an interim financing reserve, with repayment expected from building sale proceeds and cost savings. Council's executive committee is expected to give a recommendation on the sale at a meeting on March 5.
Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.