Condo buildings will begin to rise on the old Grandin mall site after Amacon was given the green light to begin the first phase of construction on its multimillion-dollar project.
Council heard from residents on Monday who were both for and against the developer's request to add a storey to its two condominium complexes on the site.
The meeting marked the third time council discussed the developer's amendment to a land use bylaw to allow Amacon to build to five storeys instead of the initial four storeys.
Opinions on the change remained divided among councillors. Coun. Sheena Hughes, Cam MacKay and Bob Russell voted against the amendment. The rest of council emphasized the positive impact Amacon could have on St. Albert's downtown.
"What I see here in this Amacon development is the start of a vibrant downtown where we have a variety of types of accommodation," said Coun. Wes Brodhead.
The two buildings Amacon wants to build are located toward the back of the site, in the southwest corner of the development. The bylaw says the developer can build up to 14 metres, or four storeys. But the downtown area redevelopment plan (DARP), adopted by council in 2010, allows for buildings up to five storeys tall, or 18 metres, on the site.
Amacon first asked the city to amend the bylaw to be consistent with DARP in June. They also asked for an additional two metres to accommodate a necessary firewall in the building.
Councillors postponed a final decision at the time to reflect on what they heard from area residents. They later decided to hold another public hearing after new information was received from the community following the close of the first public hearing.
Response from residents
At the first public hearing, residents expressed concern about traffic congestion and noise, the overall development time, and the development's impact on community services.
Similar concerns were heard on Monday. Residents of the Grandin area said the development was changing the city's "feel." They questioned everything from the developer's lack of communication with residents, to concerns over building heights, to pressure on city infrastructure, potential weather effects and shadowing. One resident, Liz Samson, worried the construction would affect access to, and people's enjoyment of Grenadier Park.
A study presented to council later in the meeting showed that shadows from the proposed buildings will have little impact on neighbouring houses. Amacon also said it would not block access to existing green spaces and bike paths. There will be a small privacy fence between the buildings and Grenadier Park, though.
Another resident compared the proposed development to the high-rise neighbourhood of St. James Town in Toronto.
"I just have a feeling that it's trying to jam too many people into that site," said Peter Murphy.
But there were also some who urged councillors to move forward with the development.
Charlene Zoltenko, a business owner and former chair of the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, said she lived next to a construction site once and understood the annoyances that come with that. But the city needs to support developers who can diversify its housing options and tax base, and revitalize the downtown, she said.
Another member of the chamber, Ken Macrae, said that administration and council worked for years to change the city's reputation of not supporting business. Continuously deferring a decision on the amendment was sending "a very negative and humiliating message about the city's willingness to attract business," he said. "The title business friendly is much more than a catch phrase to throw around."
Mark Reid, an urban designer who works for Amacon, said the development would help the downtown area by adding population. This would not only make it a cultural hub and shopping district but also expand the city's tax base, he said.
He added that the city's creation of the downtown area redevelopment plan gave Amacon the confidence to come forward with its development plans because they felt supported by council.
"We want to get going," he said. "We want to be in your community, we selected your community. We think this is a great long-term partnership."
Council reacts
Coun. Sheena Hughes said that being in line with the plan is not an excuse to move this amendment forward. She said the extra storey "will not make things more affordable, it will not make anything better, it will only increase density."
She was supported by Coun. Cam MacKay, who said four storeys should suffice and "we owe some care to our residents around here."
Newly elected Coun. Bob Russell added that, while he may be "more in favour of taller buildings as we move east along that parcel," he feels sympathetic to the residents living next to the development.
The rest of council voted in favour of the amendment.
The development will benefit the downtown, make it a walkable community and provide more housing options and diversify the tax base, said Coun. Cathy Heron. She added that the site already houses a six-storey tower.
Coun. Tim Osborne said there are not many options for apartment or condo-style housing in St. Albert but there are many organizations, such as Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF), who need places to house their clients in the community.
"This presents some options and I think that's positive," he said.
