All roads to the annexed lands go through Erin Ridge, especially a closed Coal Mine Road. It might sound like a riddle but that’s exactly what’s at stake with the proposed Erin Ridge North area structure plan and why city council favours short-term transportation pain in the north over long-term economic gain for the entire city.
On Monday council ignored the advice of its own administration and agreed to Landrex Developers’ proposed phased closure of Coal Mine Road. Roughly three-quarters of the east-west artery will eventually close so the right of way can be dug up and turned into a trail. That means about 2,000 vehicles a day will have to find other routes to St. Albert Trail and the Wal-Mart power centre across the street.
Closing Coal Mine Road won’t happen overnight, but it wasn’t supposed to happen at all. St. Albert’s top planning guide, the municipal development plan, the city’s transportation plan and even the joint intermunicipal plan with Sturgeon County all show Coal Mine Road as a key road in the northeast. The closure has been a bone of contention for Sturgeon, whose residents account for 40 per cent of the traffic, and neighbours like Christ Community Church, but was supported by the chamber because the closure is part of a bigger picture: new development.
The closure allows Landrex to dig up the east end of Coal Mine Road where underground services will be installed. Quite understandably the developer, who is footing the bill for services, does not want to take on the high cost of rebuilding the road. Instead it will become a picturesque landscaped trail that will provide a natural buffer for the future large-lot “elite” (the city’s term, not mine) homes in the east half of Erin Ridge North.
Given the northeast sector arterial road might not be built for another 20 to 25 years, at first glance it seems perplexing that council would choose to close Coal Mine Road, a move that will result in more traffic on Erin Ridge Drive, Eastgate Way, Everitt Drive and Ebony Way.
Erin Ridge North is the gateway to St. Albert’s expansion dreams. All our services basically end at the city’s pre-annexation boundaries. Hooking up new development to water and sewer requires expensive extensions — all of which start at Erin Ridge North. If that area isn’t developed growth will stall on both sides of St. Albert Trail.
With that much at stake, it’s no surprise council opted to overlook city administration’s insistence that closing Coal Mine Road wasn’t in the best interests of St. Albert’s transportation network. Landrex held all the cards and that ultimately won the day.
The good news for Erin Ridge residents is Coal Mine Road will be closed in phases. The section from St. Albert Trail to Everitt Drive will remain open until Everitt Drive is extended north, a timeframe that depends on how quickly residential and commercial land is developed. Plans in the east are not as cut and dry. Landrex proposed realigning Range Road 253 so that it connects to Bellerose Drive, however they made that pitch to the wrong council since it’s a Sturgeon County road. A temporary connection that would dump county traffic onto Eastgate Way is another possibility.
The Coal Mine Road decision all but paves the way for council to finally give the green light to the Erin Ridge North area structure plan, a development that has suffered years of delays and re-writes that pre-date the 2007 annexation. The plan won’t go to a final vote until Jan. 11 however it’s already apparent council is licking its chops over the possibility of new homes, apartments, car dealerships, big-box stores and movie theatres that are said to be interested in the prime highway commercial land along St. Albert Trail. That kind of non-residential tax revenue is not only desperately needed at city hall, it’s the only way St. Albert will grow to the west.
Bryan Alary is the Gazette’s co-editor. Read his Civic Matters Blog at www.stalbertgazette.com.
