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Day care to set up shop in Grandin mall

St. Albert tots will have a new place to spend their days when Little Einsteins Daycare opens this September. On Tuesday, city council approved a development permit for a brand new day care in Grandin Park Plaza.

St. Albert tots will have a new place to spend their days when Little Einsteins Daycare opens this September.

On Tuesday, city council approved a development permit for a brand new day care in Grandin Park Plaza. The facility will have a maximum capacity of 125 children, and provide an answer for parents tired of driving to daycares in Edmonton because St. Albert’s are full.

“If you’re looking for day care there’s not a single space available in St. Albert,” said Curtis Stewart, president of Little Einsteins.

Stewart owns and operates seven Little Einsteins locations throughout the Capital region. He said the St. Albert location, which is located in the old Albert’s Restaurant site, would be open for business September 1, if not mid-August.

“For people that can’t find space, or have to go out of their way into Edmonton … it’s certainly going to be much nicer for them to be able to go to a centralized St. Albert location, especially something that’s brand new,” Stewart said.

The day care permit was in front of council because Grandin mall is zoned direct control, meaning council has the final say over the types of development. At Tuesday’s meeting, Coun. Carol Watamaniuk praised the development for helping St. Albert’s parents.

“I know that we need day care in our city now, and with the five towers going up eventually we will definitely need day care,” Watamaniuk said, referring to the $450-million Amacon development proposed for the area.

The development, named St. Albert Village, includes five residential towers that will house some 2,000 residents and eventually replace the ailing Grandin mall.

In April, Amacon said the project was on hold until the housing market recovered from the recession, but that it would eventually get built. According to the city, Amacon has not said when it expects the project will begin construction.

Stewart conceded the development is a concern for the longevity of his business.

“It’s certainly a concern for us too, right?” Stewart said. “We wanted to make sure that we were going to be there for the long term so we secured a long-term lease.”

He wasn’t able to say exactly how long the lease was for, but said he’s in discussions with Amacon to move into St. Albert Village once the project is complete.

“If this was just going to be a short-term thing, we certainly wouldn’t be investing the money, time and energy and everything else to go to that location,” he said. “They want us to be there. They’re building accommodations to house 2,000 residential people, so having a day care on site for them is a big plus.”

Stewart said construction will begin in the first half of June, and he plans to invest $250,000 to put in new flooring, walls and lighting at the location.

“We’re going to completely gut it,” he said.

Parents interested in Little Einsteins can pre-register at 780-486-6740.

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