New towers coming to downtown Edmonton as part of $1.2B Station Lands project

After more than a decade of planning, construction crews have started building 600 new housing units in the Station Lands development between city hall and Chinatown.

Qualico Properties held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning on phase two of the project, which also skirts The Royal Alberta Museum and Rogers Place.

EPCOR Tower was the first portion to be completed and was the tallest building in the city when it opened in 2011.

Phase two includes a pair of rental-residential towers, playgrounds, public patios and commercial spaces.

Thursday's announcement comes about a month after two men were beaten to death in Chinatown. Following those homicides, community members packed city hall to demand that council help make the area safer.

Council has since approved more money for social work, redeployed police to the city's core, and amended a transit bylaw in an effort to improve the area.

Qualico's senior vice president thanked Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and his council for that work before applauding locals.

"We know there are challenges in our downtown today," Mike Saunders told a crowd at the site.

"I am inspired by the commitment of our local business community across all of downtown and specifically Chinatown for standing up and making sure that their voices are heard."

"I'm really optimistic about the growth we are seeing and the way we are coming together to tackle societal issues of houselessness, mental health, addiction crisis that are impacting the revitalization efforts in the downtown and Chinatown area," Sohi said.

Construction on the first tower in phase two is expected to be completed in July 2024.