On the agenda: Budget presentations, attainable housing, Chinatown

This week, councillors will begin hearing presentations about the 2027-2030 budget, review a new attainable housing incentive, and get an update on the Chinatown Strategy.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on March 2, an urban planning committee meeting on March 3, an executive committee meeting on March 4, and a special city council meeting on March 5 and 6.

Here are some key items on the agenda:

• City departments will begin delivering presentations at a special city council meeting on March 5 and 6 as part of the new results-based budget process. Staff will present an overview of the branch with a line-by-line budget and information on the funding model, key drivers of cost increases, structural budget variances, staffing composition, outputs and deliverables, services and service levels, benchmark comparisons with other municipalities, and audit information, where applicable. The presentations are expected to continue throughout March and will give council an overview of department and branch budgets before it decides on the four-year budget in December.
• Council's executive committee will review the Downtown Attainable Housing Incentive, which is expected to fund between 570 and 850 units fixed at 30% of Edmonton's median renter income. The incentive would be funded through the extended downtown community revitalization levy and is structured as a 10-year tax rebate. Applicants are required to construct a new rental building with at least 25% of units meeting the attainable housing criteria for at least 10 years. Executive committee is expected to recommend a course of action to council, which will make the final decision at a future meeting.
• Executive committee will review a report weighing the benefits and drawbacks of selling a parcel of land in the Edmonton Research Park to Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation for a nominal fee. API leased two parcels from the city for $1 starting in 2023, and has requested an unconditional nominal-value land sale without development timelines to help it obtain financing to complete its new facility. The sale would increase property tax revenue for the city, help remove barriers to research-intensive economic development, and finalize the sale or lease of the last parcel of city-owned land in the research park. However, the report said, the sale comes with reputational risk and creates preferential treatment within the city's biotechnology leasing program.
• Construction of the new Harbin Gate in Chinatown is expected to begin soon, according to an annual update on the city's Chinatown Strategy. The previous gate was removed in 2017 during construction of the Valley Line Southeast LRT. The new gate will be built on 97 Street between Jasper Avenue and 101A Avenue, where the original Chinatown began. Administration said the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative is working with the University of Alberta to create a tourism strategy for the neighbourhood. The report also highlights achievements from 2025. The city renovated Mary Burlie Park, worked with the Chinatown Business Improvement Association to retain businesses, and advanced neighbourhood renewal with a focus on walkability, accessibility, and streetscape quality. Executive committee will review the update on March 4. Applications for the Chinatown Vibrancy Fund closed on Feb. 28. Council has directed administration to bring options for extending the fund to the 2027-2030 budget deliberations in December.

Here are updates on some items we told you about last week:

• Council approved a rezoning application for a vacant lot at 99 Avenue and 112 Street in Wîhkwêntôwin among several historic homes. Councillors voted 9-3 to change the property's zoning to mixed-use, despite city administration's recommendation for direct control zoning that would allow for stricter design requirements.
• Edmonton city councillors expect drivers will see relief on roads during this year's construction season after the 2025 season led to significant congestion. During city council's infrastructure committee meeting on Feb. 23, administration outlined plans for ongoing projects, including the Wellington Bridge and Stage 2 of the Terwillegar Drive expansion. While some delays are still expected on 215 Street, 50 Street and Anthony Henday Drive, and 41 Avenue SW, administration said it aims to improve communication.
• A proposed rezoning that would allow for multifamily residential development at 11520 Ellerslie Road SW to allow for small and medium-sized forms of housing was postponed to March 10.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

For more on various civic issues, including Edmonton's Downtown Action Plan, financial difficulties in the Town of Gibbons, and Coun. Reed Clarke's sports legacy motion, listen to Episode 345 of Speaking Municipally.