I was shocked to learn that city council may approve nine more years of construction and six more buildings being erected beside the two 10-storey Botanica condo buildings in Oakmont. Three of these proposed buildings are to be 28-, 25- and 12-storey towers. Two words come to mind when I think of city council approving such a monstrosity of a development ... cash grab! The two Botanica buildings will bring approximately 400 new residents into an already traffic-congested area. Now city council will be considering cramming in another 1,000 residents. That should make driving/walking/shopping in that area truly enjoyable.
City planners already made the decision (not even 10 years ago) to zone these areas as ‘low-density residential’ and then ‘commercial’ next to the Shops at Boudreau, which I’m sure the majority of St. Albertans would support in keeping it that way. So it infuriated me to find out a developer had the audacity to march into our city, purchase this land (where all of the surrounding community has already been established) and then give us a bunch of misleading and incomplete information ... telling us all (like we’re a bunch of idiots) that honestly, rezoning this area is the best thing to do with this land.
Developers have always ranked high in my books of people who typically should not be trusted as their job encourages brainwashing tactics and skewing the facts in their favour. I am given the perception more often than not, that developers desire to line their pockets as quickly as possible and then disappear in a cloud of dust onto their next project. Mr. Haut clearly doesn’t have the best interests of our community in mind here. What he is proposing will create an even greater traffic-congested nightmare for all those who drive anywhere near the Boudreau Road/Bellerose Drive intersection. Furthermore, the height of those towers (1) will continue to destroy our beautiful skyline along the river, (2) will block the sunlight, creating massive shadows and infringe on the privacy for adjacent residential neighbourhoods, (3) will decimate the property values for hundreds of residents, (4) will create unnecessary strains and costs on our emergency response teams and (5) are ridiculous for St. Albert where the population is only 66,000. Towers that are almost triple the size of the Botanica buildings belong in cities like Edmonton, not here. But as a side note Mr. Haut, if you’re dead set on erecting highrise towers, please contact Damon Davies regarding his Oct. 2 letter to the editor. Apparently he is wearing his big kid pants and seems open to the idea of having the towers built right next to where he resides.
My husband and I, along with our three young children, specifically moved to Woodlands because we loved walking and biking with our kids along the river trails, enjoying the natural beauty of the outdoors and admiring the incredible skyline thick with gorgeous mature trees. When we accessed the trails along Sturgeon River, it felt like we were immersing ourselves into a little slice of heaven. Unfortunately over the past couple of years, city council has permitted developers to begin slowly eroding our little slice of heaven. One eight-storey and two 10-storey condo buildings along the river have gone up, forever changing the skyline and views along the river of this so-called ‘Botanical’ city. Furthermore, the one 10-storey Botanica condo building was built so close to the edge of the river that it looks like it will compromise the future stability of the riverbank. Now with the possibility of three more condo towers going up (way above the tree line along the river), I worry that city council is not only jeopardizing this city’s ‘botanical’ appeal, but is at risk of damaging St. Albert’s family appeal as well.
I have been reading from and listening to far too many St. Albert residents expressing frustrations and genuine concerns with the developments being approved in this city. Time and time again, I am given the impression that city council (1) sides with developers over residents, (2) sides with condo owners over family home owners and (3) sides with future residents over current ones. Not true, city council? Then prove it! Listen to those who put you in your position. Reject the proposal to rezone the areas in Oakmont.
Jonina Martin, St. Albert
