Edmonton Design Committee could review more developments in future
The group that reviews development designs in specific locations across Edmonton is refining the principles it follows and could expand its oversight to include corridors like Alberta Avenue, Stony Plain Road, and major freeways.
The Edmonton Design Committee evaluates the architectural and urban design of new developments along Calgary Trail and Gateway Boulevard, the main corridors in and out of the city's south, as well as along parts of 99 Street NW, 109 Street NW, and Whyte Avenue NW. The committee also reviews developments in core neighbourhoods like Riverdale, Rossdale, and Wîhkwêntôwin, and on sites that cover more than one hectare and are located within 400 metres of a transit station.
Similar committees exist in other cities like Calgary and Vancouver. Edmonton's was established in 2005 shortly after former mayor Stephen Mandel declared that Edmonton should no longer build "crap."
"That was Mayor Mandel's rallying cry — 'No more crap needs to be built' — because we're a big city, and we should not pretend we're a frontier shack on the railroad anymore," said Shafraaz Kaba, a senior sustainability consultant with Stok Canada and a founding member of the committee. Kaba served on its board for more than a decade, under its official mandate to "improve the quality of urban design" in Edmonton.
"The design committee was originally created to make sure it focused on major corridors visitors would (use) coming into our city, and the centre of our city and, frankly, important neighbourhoods or streets like Whyte Avenue or Jasper Avenue," Kaba said. "(It was to) really emphasize we cannot get it wrong where the majority of people are going to get their first impression of our city and where most of the activity or energy is happening."
For the past year, the committee has engaged with the design, building, and development industries to review where it evaluates developments and the urban design principles it uses in those reviews.
The committee is considering realigning its boundaries with the nodes and corridors system that was introduced in the City Plan and formed the bones of the district planning policy. This would add Stony Plain Road NW, 97 Street NW, 118 Avenue NW, and 137 Avenue NW to the committee's oversight area. Another option is to add priority growth areas to the committee's scope, as these areas are currently targeted for increased density. Either option would only slightly increase the committee's workload, according to a report detailing the proposed changes.
The committee may also start to review projects adjacent to large transportation corridors like Anthony Henday Drive, Whitemud Drive, and Yellowhead Trail, as they are highly visible both to residents and visitors travelling through Edmonton. While large sites are currently only reviewed if they are within 400 metres of a transit station, the scope changes may mean the committee would review all large sites, regardless of their proximity to transit.
