109 Street Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan

The 109 Street corridor between the High Level Bridge and 61 Avenue is a prominent roadway in south-central Edmonton.

The 109 Street Corridor Study, which was completed in 2008, recommended that intensified commercial and residential redevelopment (up to four storeys) be allowed along the corridor so that it can contribute to a more urban-styled and pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

To provide direction, and make those changes possible, the City is now involved in creating a 109 Street Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP).

Progress on the creation of the Area Redevelopment Plan

At the January 26, 2011 meeting of Executive Committee, Administration was directed to convert the 109 Street Corridor Study into a statutory plan, an Area Redevelopment Plan.

The 109 Street Corridor Study served as key background material. Many of the study's recommendations, along with additional input obtained during the 109 Street Rezoning Initiative, formed the basis for a preliminary draft plan that was completed in October 2011.

At that time, representatives from the 6 neighbourhoods adjoining the corridor - Garneau, McKernan, Parkallan, Queen Alexandra, Allandale and Pleasantview - requested that the public involvement process for this plan be done in a more collective fashion. As a result, representatives from the affected communities have since been working with representatives from key City departments, applying a more integrated approach to developing the plan.

From January to May 2012, a series of meetings were held to further review and develop various policy directives. The input received resulted in another draft version of the plan (May 2012).

June 2012 Open House

A public information session was held on June 13, 2012, to enable interested citizens to discuss and provide feedback to planners regarding the draft plan and proposed changes for 109 Street to locations between 61st and 88th Avenues.

The meeting was exceptionally well attended, with more than 150 attendees filling much of the gymnasium. Attendees had an opportunity to view panel displays and provide comments.

June 2012 Open House Comments

June 2012 Open House Presentation

ARP activity: July - November 2012

The draft 109 Street Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) has received significant revision after taking into consideration comments from the June 13, 2012 Open House event and subsequent input from the Steering Committee made up of representatives from the six adjacent neighbourhoods. 

Community Concerns
The Garneau Community League in particular expressed concerns with the portion of the 109 Street Corridor ARP that bisects the Garneau neighbourhood and the impact this would have on the Garneau ARP.  To address these concerns a series of meetings with the Garneau Community League were held in September 2012.

Two significant issues were addressed:

1. The community is concerned about the number of businesses from Whyte Avenue to the northern boundary of the 109 Street ARP at Walterdale Hill that operate as restaurants during the day and transition into bars or nightclubs in the evening. This activity has brought issues of noise, traffic and parking into this area.

The draft 109 Street Corridor ARP does contain policies to give direction for the type of bars and nightclubs that would be appropriate for the 109 Street area.  These policies discourage large establishments and concentrations at any intersection or block face.  The policies also specify that large bars should not be situated in close proximity to housing and institutional uses such as schools and parks. 

2. The community was also concerned about the need for appropriate transition between the new mixed-use residential and commercial developments facing 109 Street and the existing low density residential development in the adjacent neighbourhoods.

The draft 109 Street Corridor ARP does have specific policies regarding siting and building design to ensure that new development is sensitive in scale and design to existing development. 

Both of these issues are also being addressed in a larger city-wide review of the current land use regulations. Changes to the existing Zoning Bylaws and Overlays will be achieved through this process.

Follow-up
A meeting with the representatives from all six neighbourhoods was held on November 1, 2012 where the discussion focused on:

• A review of the significant revisions to the draft 109 Street Corridor ARP following the Open House in June
• Sharing the outcome of the discussions with the Garneau Community League
• Discussing a proposed program and schedule toward a City Council Public Hearing in Spring 2013

The revised draft Plan and plan activity updates were posted to the website on November 21, 2012.  In response to a request for additional time to review the draft and make detailed comments, the review period was set at the first week of January 2013.

Administration received a comprehensive response on January 6, 2013 from the Central Area Council of Community Leagues (CACCL) and the 109 Street Steering Committee representatives. On February 21, 2013 the Administration responded to the comments and summarized its position regarding revisions to the March 2013 draft plan.

Final draft plan

With the feedback obtained since spring 2012, a final draft of the plan has been prepared with the aim of presenting it to City Council in Spring 2013. The latest draft 109 Street Corridor ARP (March 2013) is posted on this website with revisions and new information highlighted in yellow, along with other relevant related documents. The only major omissions were Section 3.3.3.24 Potential 61 Avenue and 109 Street Intersection Reconfiguration and Section 4.7 Adjacent Planning Initiatives.

For more information:

Scott Pragnell