EDMONTON -- An Edmonton neighbourhood near MacEwan University is poised for a big makeover that one councillor says will bring some cool factor to the area.
105 Avenue—or Columbia Avenue—north of MacEwan is transforming from a light industrial area to one dotted with multi-level apartment buildings, cafes, restaurants and pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares, says Ward 6 Coun. Scott McKeen.
"You just sort of can see the right mix of things coming together to really support an interesting area up there," he said.
That's why the city is investing nearly $40 million to upgrade and build new infrastructure, including a pedestrian-only public plaza, along Columbia.
"It just goes to show how you can have these various areas of the city almost sort of quietly take off, and the infrastructure can be lagging behind," McKeen said. "We've got it into the budget now to finish that stretch, I think up to 105th Street."
The transformation of the area has been incremental. In 2016, the city upgraded a small stretch of the road and installed bike lanes.
More recently, a commissioned mural of graphic black and white lines popped up on the Dazzmo building on 111 Street.
A slew of new businesses, like a unique food industry "incubator" called The Public, are set to open in the next year.
Entrepreneurs like Paul Kim, who opened a Bean Around the World location in the neighbourhood, decided to set up shop there.
"I hope this area could be a, you know, trendy upcoming area for the younger generations," said Kim, adding that he pays cheaper rent than if he were to relocate to Whyte or Jasper avenues.
Tara Winsor, who works at MacEwan, says she's already been seeing more young people from the university head north instead of south to hang out.
"The neighbourhood is changing," she said. "I think that [the changes] make the area more useful to people who are here day-in, day-out."
While council has already approved the transformation plan, there are concerns that the $40-million vision for the neighbourhood could become a victim of the UCP government's budget cuts as the City of Edmonton re-prioritizes its projects.
"Sometimes these things that look like they're just sort of pet projects or nice-to-haves, well they're really kind of important in opening an area up to development," said McKeen.
Construction on 105 Avenue between 109 to 116 streets is expected to begin in 2020 as underground utilities are installed, while the streetscape will undergo work in 2021.
With a report from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
