Editor's Note: Council has a tentative public hearing date set for June 8 on the Riverbank Landing proposal.
Living in St. Albert can be confusing when it comes to municipal affairs. On the one hand, residents are implored to contribute their ideas to an updated Municipal Development Plan (MDP – Flourish – Growing to 100K) and yet on another hand they see a variety of significant development ventures trotted before council that contradict the very intent and direction of the existing MDP. This kind of practice undermines the merit for long term planning, especially if councils choose to go another way independent of the thinking, expertise and public input that went into an MDP.
I am writing this letter in the hopes that St. Albert residents will speak up to this issue, particularly as it concerns the development of lands in Oakmont for an area described as Botanica-Riverbank Landing. All residents of St. Albert are affected because of the planned development’s consequences to Red Willow Park and more particularly, the residents of Erin Ridge and Oakmont who also use Boudreau Road and Bellerose Drive to access their neighbourhoods. Situating a high-density development on the affected land will impose hardship despite the economic benefit of additional tax dollars.
The Riverbank Landing proposal aims to plunk a substantive density of development on top of a mature community already experiencing strains to its existing infrastructure due to the existing Botanica development as well as residential development in the north part of the city, i.e., Erin Ridge, Jensen Lakes. Botanica and the Riverbank Landing proposal present contradictory examples of the development approach St Albert had taken to the Sturgeon River valley bottom lands.
Previously, the city had endeavoured to safeguard public accessibility to both sides of the river, with broad building setbacks from the Red Willow Park corridor. This sensibility in public park planning was abandoned in the development of Botanica by permitting the residential tower to be built at the park gate. This development scenario is now being mimicked in the planned Riverbank Landing proposal.
For the unaware, the existing Botanica residential tower currently sits within 3.5 m of the Environmental Reserve boundary otherwise known as Red Willow Park. The proposed Riverbank Landing proposal has two multistory buildings situated within 17 m of the “top of bank”. To add insult to injury, there is no assurance that the public will have any right of access to the areas overlooking the river.
Interestingly, Botanica was not identified as an Urban Village in the existing MDP nor as a “high density residential development area that is Riverbank Landing. Situating a “high density development” in an area that was not identified for such density of development makes no sense. Further, while the city had committed in the current MDP to a review of the criteria for high density residential development, there currently exist no regulations or design guidelines for these kinds of development. A definition for high density, as distinguished from medium density residential, is lacking.
Riverbank Landing represents a scale of development that should be considered for the Transit Orientated Corridor associated with St. Albert Trail and not in Oakmont. Public accessibility to the north side of the Sturgeon River needs safeguarding with appropriate setbacks from the top of the bank. I hope you join me and others in speaking to council on the concerns and merits of the Riverbank proposal.
Ken Crutchfield, St. Albert
