As a 30+ year resident of St. Albert, I would hazard a guess that a large number of homeowners in the GEA (Greater Edmonton Area) have been closely following with interest the ongoing debacle of infill construction that is plaguing Edmonton city council.
I would like to remind council members who are planning to run again, as well as any prospective candidates seeking a position on council in the upcoming fall civic election, that this is an issue that will not see favour if brought forward to our council.
The zoning change in Edmonton and subsequent permitting to allow up to eight units on what was a single-family lot without consideration of the remaining residents is not an option in my opinion. I can say with some measure of confidence that a large majority of St. Albert homeowners would agree with me, particularly in the older mature neighbourhoods such as Akinsdale, Sturgeon, Mission and Lacombe, for example. The lot size and zoning in these older areas allow for single-family residences with reasonable clearance, and this is one of the reasons that we settled in Akinsdale when we left Ontario.
However, as we are seeing with some recent infill projects in Edmonton, with the change in zoning, the planning department is allowing up to three-storey, eight-unit infill projects with little or no consideration for the remaining neighbourhood residents.
This is not a change that would be acceptable in St. Albert, and I will predict that this is a question that will very likely be brought up to the candidates during the fall election campaign.
Rob Pritchard, St. Albert
