St. Albert may need to shrink its lot sizes to attract younger families, suggests the city's mayor.
City council voted unanimously to ask administration to come up with ways to encourage more development of small lots for single-family homes in St. Albert. The aim is to better reflect market conditions and provide options for all age groups, particularly young, entry-level buyers.
Mayor Nolan Crouse put forward this motion at Monday's meeting. St. Albert's under-18 population has shrunk steadily since 1981, he said, citing information from the city's census. It now sits at about 24 per cent, down from 40 per cent in 1981.
"I see this trend as being a pretty sharp trend," he said, referring to a graph of youth as a percentage of population he put on the projector screen. "We need to really look at how we can become a fully age-friendly community, as well as what we can do to attract young families."
The greying of St. Albert
Like most of Canada, St. Albert's demographic mix is getting older. Seniors aged 65 and over now make up about 14 per cent of the city's population, or a little more than twice what they did in 1996, according to the 2012 municipal census. That's made council concerned about the city's future, as schools will close if this trend continues.
At the same time, large, more expensive single-family homes still make up almost three quarters of the city's housing mix, according to the census, while smaller, more affordable townhouses and apartments are in the minority.
If these trends continue only 20 per cent of the city will be under 18 by about 2020, said Coun. Roger Lemieux.
"A little scary, to say the least," he said.
Crouse called for a "made in St. Albert solution."
Citing advice from the Urban Development Institute and Curtis Cundy, the city's director of planning and development, he suggested allowing more 10-metre wide lots to be built in residential (R1) districts.
Developers can currently devote 20 per cent of those regions to lots of that size. Cundy suggested raising that to 40. This change could be done at little cost, Cundy said in an email read by Crouse to council, and would not require changes to the municipal development plan.
This is a good start, as it would help raise population densities in the city and keep it in line with the Capital Region Board's growth policies, said Lynda Moffat, president of the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce.
"You need to attract young families to have your community growing, vibrant and alive," Moffat said. While the city's schools and sports fields would help, it needed more affordable homes for young people to buy and more long term, light-industrial jobs for them to work in.
"It's the housing end and the career opportunities that I would put out as being the key areas of need here," Moffat said. Support for LRT development would also help.
Coun. Cathy Heron supported Crouse's move, as it showed the city's commitment to attracting youth. Spruce Grove allows many more small lots than St. Albert, she noted, and is still a beautiful community.
Crouse asked administration to come back with suggestions early next year.
