City moves closer to finalizing district plans
When Julie McLennan decided to push back against a rezoning application to allow an apartment building on the lot next to her McKernan home, she pointed to city plans that didn't include her address as eligible for densification.
"I think it’s important so community members know what to expect," McLennan told CTV News Edmonton in March.
Those draft district plans have now been tweaked.
Some changes make it plain the City of Edmonton wants to see density on corner lots or properties beside parks even if they're not along major roadways.
City councillor Andrew Knack says he believes the plans are necessary to show Edmontonians how the city will grow in the coming decades.
"The last thing you want to do is create that type of disconnect because then you start breaking trust," Knack told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, city planners are attempting to balance transparency and clarity with the piecemeal reality of development.
The new district maps no longer have solid borders, and staff say the written parts of the plan carry equal weight.
"If you just look at the nodes and corridors map and see the boundary, you might think ‘this is the only place development can happen,’ when in fact, there’s policy support for development in a number of other places as well," said Sean Bohle, a senior city planner.
Knack's primary concern is Edmonton's booming population.
As it stands, aspects of the plans look ahead to a city of 1.25 million, a population figure that may be just a couple of years away.
"I do think we need to be very realistic with Edmontonians in saying like, 'We are growing so quickly," said Knack, who will discuss the draft plans with his fellow city councillors at the end of May, plans which could be approved by late summer.
"If these plans don’t better reflect that, we are going to have some very challenging conversations."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.