Edmonton pivot to hybrid zoning already showing 'strong' results in nearby community

EDMONTON -

The City of Edmonton hopes to implement a land-use strategy and zoning revamp that are already showing strong results in Beaumont.

Beaumont recently changed its zoning bylaws to allow more mixed-use buildings, hybrid land-uses, and homes with up to four dwellings on a single lot. The new approach to zoning and district building is something Edmonton has been working toward for years.

District planning allows Edmonton to harmonize the strategic goals set out in the City Plan and simplify zoning bylaws, land-use policies and plans. 

The proposed changes will drive the city closer to achieving 15-minute districts, a goal outlined in the City Plan passed last year.

The plan aims to allow Edmontonians to access all of their daily needs —- like groceries, health care, recreation, accessing green spaces and transit — within their respective districts without having to drive.

The work toward changing district planning and zoning in Edmonton is ongoing. The City will be asking for public feedback in the new year.

"People are looking for more," said Marco Melfi, city planner. "(People) want to have these things in their neighbourhood. They want to have these things close to them.

"They want to be connected to the people they live close to," Melfi added.

"It really provides the opportunity to keep encouraging the interaction between transit and housing, where people live and how they move around the city."

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and several elected councillors campaigned to champion the change in approach to city planning.

For Ashley Salvador, Ward Métis councillor, the zoning pivot would allow the city to reduce its carbon footprint, increase transit use, and create sustainable density in neighbourhoods.

"I think it's about quality of life, and people want to be able to live a little bit more locally," Salvador said.

"When you're able to walk, bike, take transit to everything you need within about a 15-minute distance of your house," she added," (it creates) an awesome lifestyle that builds a vibrant business community as well.

"Instead of expanding outwards (as a city), we are able to build inwards and up."

• Alberta projects population will reach about 6.4 million by 2046
• 'Growth provides opportunities': Experts weigh in on Alberta’s population projections

BEAUMONT SEES 'POSITIVE' RESULTS

The City of Beaumont has already implemented a similar style of land-use planning that has helped create better-integrated neighbourhoods, a city planner says.

"What it means is we're able to focus on regulating what building looks like and how it interacts with context, instead of what it's being used for," Teaka Broughm, City of Beaumont manager of current planning, told CTV News.

"Traditional land-use bylaws focus a lot more on use," Broughm said. "We've seen a lot of segregation of those uses over the last three or four decades, whereas what we're trying to do, as a progression, is move away from that.

"It's going to look and feel like any neighbourhood did before," she said. "What's happening in the building might be different."

Broughm added that their approach to zoning allows industrial, commercial, and residential zones that are integrated at a smaller scale, making the city more accessible.

According to Broughm, this style of city planning makes cities more livable and provides certainty to developers and builders to increase continued investment.

"Our housing product still looks like a single-family home, but is a daycare or includes multiple suites," she said. "Our neighbourhoods can grow and change over time."

• Edmonton eliminates minimum required parking restrictions
• Edmonton easing requirements to allow for patio expansion

RITCHIE EXAMPLE OF 15-MINUTE COMMUNITY

For several local businesses in Edmonton, there is no better proof of concept of the results a 15-minute community can produce than the southeast Edmonton neighbourhood of Ritchie.

The Ritchie Market — housing Biera, Acme Meat Market, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company, Little Duchess Bake Shop, and a Transcend Coffee location — opened a few years ago.

Suddenly residents had a local place to eat, grab a coffee, and pick up fresh meats or sweets within walking distance from their home. The market created foot traffic that led other entrepreneurs to the area, including Kind Ice Cream.

"We wanted something that was walkable, and that was also densely populated," said owner Candyce Morris. "Ritchie was our dream."

City planners hope the hybrid zoning bylaw changes will ensure that entrepreneurs don't have to make the first move in transforming a neighbourhood. Instead, more housing options, sidewalks, transit access, and green spaces will turn any area into a 15-minute community.

"I think we are going to see change, and I feel really hopeful about that," Morris added.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson and Alex Antoneshyn