This week, council committees will meet to discuss the restoration of the historic Douglas Manor, a plan to invest in downtown, and the business case for an African Multicultural Community Centre.
There is a community and public services committee meeting scheduled for May 12, an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for May 13, and an executive committee meeting scheduled for May 14.
Here are key items on this week's agenda:
- The developer reconstructing the historic Douglas Manor at 10757 83 Avenue NW, which was destroyed by fire in 2022, has requested additional funds from the heritage resources reserve to help complete the project. Before the fire, the property owner rezoned the Garneau property to allow for a six-storey addition to the south elevation of the building and designated the property as a municipal historic resource. The designation meant the property owner received $380,000 to restore Douglas Manor. Since the fire destroyed the building, the property owner has started designing a detailed replica and is requesting an additional $119,000 from the city. The projected total cost of the reconstruction is nearly $2 million. The developer plans to use bricks salvaged from the original building for the reconstruction, and will still build the six-storey addition. Council's executive committee is scheduled to review the request for funds at a meeting on May 14, and if it approves it, the request will be sent to council for a final vote.
- Administration has developed a Downtown Action Plan with the goal of increasing property value, residential population, and visitors, and reducing commercial vacancy. The plan outlines eight actions and 45 sub-actions that would cost about $553 million. Nearly all of the funds are contingent upon council approving the extension of the downtown capital revitalization levy. The proposed actions include creating more car-free streets, installing public washrooms, enhancing cleaning, increasing the presence of transit peace officers, and developing incentives for student housing. Council had asked for this plan in December after a coalition of downtown organizations authored its own Downtown Investment Plan. Notably missing from the city's plan is one of the coalition's main asks — a per-door incentive for residential development, including office-to-residential conversions. "The reason why we need a per-door incentive comes down to the market rates in Edmonton," Alex Hryciw, then chair of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition, told the co-hosts of Episode 281 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast, in October. "Our rent hasn't increased like the rest of the country, and we're not facing as big of an affordability crisis as other cities, luckily. But because of that, because rents haven't kept up with inflation, it's very hard for builders to actually convince banks to lend them the money to get these things started (downtown)." Council's urban planning committee is set to review the Downtown Action Plan at a meeting on May 13. Because so much of the plan's funding relies on whether the downtown CRL is extended, and because council and the provincial government have yet to approve that extension, it is unclear when the actions outlined in the plan might begin.
- Council's executive committee is set to review a business case for Africa Centre's planned African Multicultural Community Centre on surplus school land in the Athlone neighbourhood. The organization ran programming out of the former Wellington Junior High School at 13160 127 Street NW between its closing in 2005 and its demolition in 2016. Plans for a permanent multicultural centre on the site fizzled out until November 2022, when council voted to spend $300,000 on a new business case. The centre is envisioned as a cultural hub for people of African or Caribbean descent, providing a space for programs benefiting youth, seniors, families, and for arts and skill development. The business case and accompanying report outlines several risks involved in the project. The city's standard practice is to publicly list surplus land for sale; other organizations may see the sale direct to Africa Centre as unfair, the report said. Based on the number of land requests that administration has received, a sale to Africa Centre would create increased expectations and pressure for support, the report said. The Africa Centre has outlined a clear strategy to secure capital for the project from the federal and provincial government and other funding streams, but those funds are not yet confirmed. As for operating costs, the report said a more detailed assessment of revenue projections is needed to validate the financial sustainability of the project. The city acquired the parcel of land using funds from the Parkland Purchase Reserve Account. If administration were to sell the land to Africa Centre for $1, the standard practice would be to reimburse the reserve account for the market value of the site, which is around $4 million. If executive committee supports selling a portion of the site to Africa Centre, administration will negotiate a sale agreement conditional on the organization refining the business case, confirming its equity position, and meeting other conditions.
The developer reconstructing the historic Douglas Manor is requesting more funds from the city's heritage resources reserve. (Stephanie Swensrude)
Here are some other items on the agenda:
- Patrons of the Downtown Farmers' Market will be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage while walking on 104 Street NW this summer, should council approve a new downtown entertainment district. Administration has proposed an entertainment district on 104 Street between Jasper Avenue and 104 Avenue. The district would allow customers to purchase and consume alcohol in disposable containers from adjacent restaurants in the street, which would be closed to vehicles. Jenny Baker, the city's manager of downtown economy, told Taproot the city would activate the district on Saturdays 10am to 3pm while the farmers' market is operating. The street "offers a lot of great opportunity," Baker said. "You've got a high concentration of bars and restaurants, businesses, cafes, but also it's already got that pedestrian street feeling, and it's home to the Downtown Edmonton Farmers' Market that returned last year. We just thought, 'What a great opportunity' — we're already adding vibrancy to that street with this amazing market, and the entertainment district just brings additional economic impact to the businesses."Administration has also proposed expanding the entertainment district on Rice Howard Way. Council's urban planning committee is set to review the changes on May 13. If committee approves the changes, they will be sent to council for final approval.
- Administration has prepared amendments to the Accessibility for People with Disabilities Policy and will present them to council's community and public services committee on May 12. The amendments align the policy with other documents, introduce revisions for clarity, and include clearer commitments and new guiding principles. If committee approves the changes, they will be presented to council for a final vote.
- A report scheduled to be discussed at council's executive committee meeting on May 14 said six companies that provide services to the city do not pay their employees a living wage, though one provider has raised pay rates after discussions with the city. City policy mandates that all companies that provide services to the city are required to pay a living wage to their employees, and this is the first annual report on compliance among contractors.
- Council's executive committee is scheduled to discuss designating the Gilpin Residence in Westmount as a municipal historic resource. If committee approves, the designation will be presented to council for a final vote. The property owner is eligible for about $60,000 for rehabilitation of the historic parts of the structure.
- Council's executive committee will meet in private to discuss a legal matter at a meeting on May 14.
Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.
Also: What issues do you care about as you consider who to vote for in the 2025 municipal election, and why? The 2025 municipal elections are approaching. Let us know what matters, and [read more](https://blog.taprootpublishing.ca/2025/03/20/its-time-t