The area plan for St. Albert’s first development in the annexed lands is already generating plenty of interest from commercial retailers.
Within eight hours of council’s approval of the Erin Ridge North area structure plan Monday, Mayor Nolan Crouse said he notified several commercial retailers that the path was clear for new development.
The following morning the city began receiving emails from big-box stores and two large movie theatre companies, all of which are interested in establishing their business in the annexed lands.
Crouse said it’s no secret that Costco has showed strong interest in the area, along with a Honda dealership. Other interested businesses have yet to be disclosed.
Any commercial development is a key component for the city’s goal of finally reaching an 80-20 assessment split between residential and commercial/industrial, he said. The future commercial development could look something like the shopping district and power centre along 137th Avenue in Edmonton, he added.
“This is very important,” said Crouse. “We have this whole issue of residential taxes being too high. We have been talking about this for 40 years in St. Albert that there’s just too much residential and not enough commercial.”
Erin Ridge North is the first neighbourhood approved in the 1,337-hectare annexation area and the first area plan brought before council since 2007.
The 129 hectares in Erin Ridge North will accommodate around 3,000 residents, and includes predominately medium- to high-density housing (69 per cent of all residential) versus low-density (31 per cent of all residential), much higher than required in the municipal development plan, which calls for a minimum 30 per cent medium or high-density.
Commercial space represents 23 per cent of the entire plan area, split into two areas situated along St. Albert Trail. The plan also includes land for churches and a proposed school.
During the public hearing, several councillors stated a preference to see commercial developed first, given dwindling supplies in the pre-annexation boundaries. Due to the lengthy timelines often associated with securing retailers, it was agreed both residential and commercial could be developed at the same time.
Now that the plan is approved, Landrex Developers must first service the area with underground water and sewer. Landrex plans to begin moving dirt this spring for residential development, but commercial might have to wait until next year.
All that’s missing is a firm commitment from commercial retailers, said Jim Sheasgreen of Landrex Developers.
“A lot of commercial buyers kind of said they would be more interested once the [area structure plan] finally did get approved, but I haven’t heard anything new or of anyone stepping up to the plate as of yet,” Sheasgreen said.
Lynda Flannery, president of the St. Albert Taxpayers Association, said the city needs new commercial development, but not just for ease of shopping.
If commercial development isn’t completed first and residential plows full steam ahead, then there will be an imbalance between the revenue coming into the city and the cost going out to service the area.
“We still have residential in the city that hasn’t been built out yet. Where we are running short is with commercial space,” said Flannery. “We would like to see the commercial development go first.”
