'Problematic decision': Permit board revokes Boyle Street application for new downtown location
Boyle Street Community Services say a city tribunal has revoked the development permit for its new headquarters and service centre.
The King Thunderbird Centre will replace Boyle Street's current aging facility to provide health services and drop-in support to people experiencing homelessness while incorporating Indigenous cultural programming.
That location is just two blocks north of their current site, a former banana ripening warehouse converted into a social support agency hub.
The Subdivision Appeal Board (SDAB) is an independent tribunal established by city council to hear appeals related to subdivision applications, development permits and enforcement orders.
While Boyle Street was informed of the decision Friday, the SDAB decision has not been released publicly as of publication.
The hearing happened on Nov. 10, and according to the hearing agenda and index, 15 different appellants advised the SDAB about their opposition to the new Boyle Street location.
Many of the appellants said the zoning class Boyle Street applied for its development permit did not sufficiently encompass the range of services the site will house.
"The types of operations Boyle Street offers are not compatible with the expectations of a commercial business district," said one appellant.
Jordan Reiniger, Boyle Street Community Services executive director, says it is "extremely disappointed" by the SDAB's "problematic decision."
The facility has already invested $8 million into buying, designing and renovating the new centre. Boyle Street has also fundraised $22.5 million of the total $28.5 million cost.
"Fundamentally, the zoning that we had applied for was the same zoning that we've operated under in this facility for many, many years," Reiniger said. "We felt very strong about the merits of our application because of all the due diligence we had done."
Jordan Reiniger, Boyle Street Community Services executive director, speaks with media on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton/Jeremy Thompson).
Some of the named appellants include the following:
- Chinatown and Area Business Association;
- Chinese Benevolent Association of Edmonton;
- Fukienese Association of Alberta;
- Ukrainian National Federation;
- Central McDougall Community League;
- Victoria School of the Arts Parents Coalition; and
- McCauley Community League.
The McCauley Community League noted in its application that it opposes the development in part because similar social service agencies in the downtown core use proper zoning conventions, like the Hope Mission and Herb Jamieson Centre.
"The use class has been misrepresented," the community league said. "Boyle Street currently operates, and proposes to operate, a drop-in centre or day shelter. The application is limited to medical services and professional services. It does not include that of a drop in centre or day shelter."
Others believe the new location for the community support centre will harm their organization or business operations.
Reiniger said Boyle Street is still reviewing its options to respond, saying the SDAB decision is only a "road bump."
"We have a lot of options in front of us," he added. "So this project is not dead. We are going to continue to push forward with it, and we have some really strong partners that continue to support us as we do that."
But the permit appeal now sets back the facility's anticipated opening date next year.
"What's troubling about that is that everybody sees the need that's out here right now," Reiniger added. "The challenge that we are having with people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Edmonton and in the core and the King Thunderbird Centre is a solution to a lot of those challenges.
"The longer the delay is, the more problematic it is for the folks that are here on the street that are most at risk."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson and Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.