On the agenda: Budget adjustment, transit garage, community halls

This week, council is set to make some adjustments to the final year of the 2023-2026 capital budget, examine options for building the southeast transit garage to its original scope, and hear an update on the state of community league facilities.

There is a public hearing scheduled on June 15 and a council meeting scheduled on June 16 and 17.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Administration recommends several adjustments to the final year of the 2023-2026 capital budget, including new projects totalling $45 million, scope changes totalling $44 million, and recosting adjustments totalling $4.8 million. A report to be presented to council says most new projects are related to projects previously approved that are moving to a new stage and require funding. However, one new funding request is for $600,000 to demolish the Koermann Block, one of the few buildings along The Armature, which the city had listed for sale for affordable housing. The report said the building needs to be demolished immediately due to critical structural failures, safety hazards, and ongoing liability risks. The interior of the building is collapsed, there are large holes in the roof, and the basement is flooded, posing a risk to unauthorized occupants, the city said. The building is listed on the inventory of historic resources, meaning it is deemed to have historic value, but it doesn't have full legal protection from alteration or demolition. The building is historically significant for its connection to the local German community prior to the First World War. Council will also discuss changes to the capital budgets for waste services and renewable energy systems.
• Administration has laid out four options for building the southeast transit garage to accommodate more buses. In April, councillors learned that plans for the garage had been scaled down from a capacity for 430 buses to between 255 and 290. Emily Stremel, chair of Edmonton Transit Riders, told Taproot that garage capacity is key to expanding transit service in future years. Councillors asked administration to return with options to build the facility out to its original capacity, which are laid out in a private attachment.
• A review found that community league facilities face significant challenges, including aging infrastructure, an unfunded capital liability, and inconsistent service levels across the city. Community leagues need $100 million in the next decade for infrastructure renewal, and about $19 million has been deemed critical for safety, said a report that will be presented to council. The city and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues are designing a new framework to establish a long-term roadmap to address infrastructure deficits as the city's population grows.

• Administration will present Beyond Belonging: The 2SLGBTQIA+ Safe Spaces Action Plan to council. It includes 53 actions across seven areas. Short-term actions include adding funding to the community mural grant to prioritize artworks that communicate equity and inclusion, strengthening reporting and support options for people reporting hate crimes to 311, and collaborating with community organizations to develop projects to meet the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors.
• A landowner has applied to rezone a lot in Ritchie at 9544 76 Avenue NW to allow for a mixed-use building up to four storeys tall. The current single-detached house is a few doors down from Ritchie Market. Administration said it supports the application because it could add density along a secondary corridor. Some residents said they oppose the proposal because it could exacerbate parking congestion and reduce privacy for neighbours.
• Council will review a rezoning application for a property directly across from the Avonmore LRT stop that would allow for a four-storey residential building. Several neighbours said they oppose the application because a four-storey building would shadow solar panels and gardens and could exacerbate parking issues. Administration said it supports the application because it provides the opportunity for density near an LRT stop.
• Council will review the list of properties offered for public auction because they are in arrears on taxes. More than 1,000 properties representing about $15 million in outstanding taxes are eligible. However, administration said significantly fewer properties are expected to end up in the auction because the potential sale usually results in payment of outstanding property taxes.
• Council will meet in private to receive updates on intergovernmental relations as well as matters pertaining to the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority and the Edmonton Police Commission.

And here are updates on some of the items we told you about last week:

• Council will consider funding year-round day spaces for vulnerable people and a community service hub during the 2027-2030 budget deliberations in December. Administration told community and public services committee that there were no sustainable funding options available to expand the one-time, $1-million allocation that council made in November to expand day spaces. Committee members unanimously supported a motion to bring forward an unfunded service package to establish the day space program and service hub where vulnerable people could access food, basic needs, health services, and housing supports. The councillors also recommended that council fund nearly $1 million for day spaces once more for the coming winter. Council is set to vote on the funding at a meeting on June 16.
• Business representatives attended council's executive committee meeting to give feedback on the city's updated economic development strategy. Heather Thomson, vice-president of economy and engagement with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, said she believes cleanliness of public spaces should be a priority, and Puneeta McBryan of Alloy Strategies said the report should address perception. "It actually just comes down to vibes," said McBryan, who used to lead the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. "Street-front activation, great bars and restaurants, nightlife and festivals, live music, theatre, film, retail, and hospitality that's genuinely interesting." Committee directed administration to work with business improvement areas to come up with options to strengthen supports from the city and foster clean, safe, and vibrant main streets that attract, retain, and grow businesses. Councillors also called for administration to develop a new patio program with adjusted fees and requirements, reduced approval timelines, and opportunities for alternative funding mechanisms.
• Administration is planning a pilot program in 2027 to charge for parking at the Muttart Conservatory, the Edmonton Valley Zoo, and Fort Edmonton Park. Council hopes to generate $5.4 million in revenue to help offset rising costs without raising property taxes. Administration will also introduce some changes to street parking and redesign the residential parking program. Though administration had also proposed to eliminate the 15-minute free parking period, committee members voted to maintain it.
• Urban planning committee will consider two funding levels for the city's new safe mobility strategy, which aims to make transportation in Edmonton safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Committee directed administration to bring two funding options to the 2027-2030 budget deliberations. Council can choose to fund a status-quo implementation with about $74 million in capital funding over four years, or a full implementation with $150 million in capital funding over four years and about $5.5 million annually in operating costs.
• Urban planning committee recommended that council approve the creation of intermunicipal development plans with neighbouring municipalities.
• Executive committee postponed its discussion on the ArtsCommon 118 site to its meeting on June 30.

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

For more on civic affairs, including a new tourist bus, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference, and the city's decision to bring Valley Line operations in-house, listen to Episode 360 of Speaking Municipally. (Please note the correction in the show notes regarding 15-minute free parking.)