Despite the economic turmoil faced by the province, St. Albert has continued to thrive, with major commercial and residential developments forging ahead or readying to break ground in 2017.
Despite the economic turmoil faced by the province, St. Albert has continued to thrive, with major commercial and residential developments forging ahead or readying to break ground in 2017.
A historical tax assessment split provided by the city shows that St. Albert's non-residential developments have increased. In 2017 it is projected that the split will be 85.5 residential/14.5 non-residential. A decade ago, the split was 89.4/10.6.
Here's a look at the developments that are contributing to St. Albert's non-residential growth.
North of St. Albert
1. Jensen Lakes
Melcor completed phase one of St. Albert's first beachside community this year.
The 150-hectare site is located north and west of Walmart and is bound by Villeneuve Road to the south and Sturgeon County to the north. About 70.5 hectares of land is designated residential, with another 10.9 hectares set aside for commercial development.
The development will house two schools, public parks, trails and a community lake. Paired homes and estate homes are currently being sold in the northeast quadrant of the development. Housing options are expected to include single-family units, apartment buildings, duplexes, townhomes and estate homes.
Construction of both Sister Alphonse Academy and Joseph M. Demko School are underway and expected to be complete in 2018. Construction of the private beach and community lake is expected to be complete in 2018-19. Total build-out of the development is 10 to 15 years.
An eight-auditorium movie theatre by Landmark Cinemas was announced as the anchor tenant for The Crossing at Jensen Lakes, located along the St. Albert Trail. It is projected to open in 2018.
2. Cameron Developments
Cameron Development Corp. added to the tenants list for its Erin Ridge Shopping Centre early this year. The 480,000 square-foot development south of Costco will house a mix of national tenants, mid-size retailers, restaurants and independent shops.
The most recent site plan, dated March 2016, shows 12 new confirmed tenants: Lowe's, Shell, Panda Express, GNC, Michaels, PetSmart, Binh's Nails, Jayden Salon, Sally Beauty Supply, Zig Zag Tailor, Erin Ridge Veterinary Centre and Erin Ridge Dental.
There are still 10 spaces, ranging from 1,200 square-feet and upward, available for lease.
3. Erin Ridge North Phase 2 (Landrex)
The second phase of Erin Ridge North is expected to include both commercial and multi-family residential development. The site consists of 149.55 hectares (369.5 acres) located north of Costco. The commercial site measures 25 to 20 hectares, with the rest being used for multi-family housing. The commercial site will house smaller, neighbourhood stores.
4. King of Kings Church lands
The 10-hectare church site is located south of Costco, on the corner of St. Albert Trail and Coal Mine Road. The developer will establish a thin commercial strip along St. Albert Trail, with the rest of the development devoted to residential property with about 1,500 homes.
5. Triple Five – Triple Five Group of Companies
Triple Five Group of Companies owns about 100 acres on the west side of Highway 2 at the northern tip of St. Albert. The company is a major shopping mall owner and operator, with holdings such as West Edmonton Mall. Not much is known about this development.
6. Badger Lands
Council postponed the invitation to tender North Ridge 2 (Badger Lands) Area Structure Plan until 2019, due the 10 or more years it will take to service the area.
Boudreau Road: former Hole's property
7. The former Hole's greenhouse site
The former Hole's greenhouse site was subdivided into three parcels in 2012. The Shops at Boudreau, a commercial development, is located at 101 Bellerose. The development is complete. This summer Chrisen Realty Corp. announced a new Italian market would be added to the site. Mercato by Italian Bakery is under construction and projected to open in August 2017.
Botanica, a condominium project, sits next to the Shops at 105 Bellerose Dr. After unanticipated construction delays, Boudreau Developments Ltd. is set to complete one of two steel-and-concrete apartment buildings this spring. The 120-unit building offers both large suites and penthouses. The luxury condo project features a rooftop patio, fitness area, community kitchen and library. Construction on the second building will start in spring/early summer 2017 and is expected to be complete in 2019.
St. Albert Trail
8. St. Albert Centre
The former Target space is undergoing a redesign. The new wing will feature a common area, three box units and a dozen regular-sized retail spaces. Re-development is scheduled to end in fall 2017, but some retailers are expected to open their doors in the spring. Marks, which relocated from St. Albert Trail, is already open. London Drugs is confirmed to move into the new space in the spring. A floor plan will be presented at the February St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce meeting.
9. Inglewood seniors' complex
After suffering many delays, construction on the seniors' housing complex planned for 2 Inglewood Drive began this summer. The site was sold to Careadon Corp. in Oct. 2015, after Lions Village of Greater Edmonton failed to secure the necessary financing. Careadon will go forward with the life-lease model originally envisioned for the complex, but has made some tweaks to the original design.
The building has grown and will accommodate an extra floor, a parkade and 164 units. The lower level amenities will include a medical office, family room, library, exercise room, craft room, winemaking room, woodworking shop, full-sized movie theatre and storage facilities. On the seventh floor there will be a rooftop garden.
Downtown
10. Grandin Parc Village
Last spring Vancouver-based Amacon got the green light from council to amend its original design concept for the Grandin mall redevelopment. Instead of five 19-storey towers along Sir Winston Churchill downtown, the urban village will see two 25-storey towers and one 20-storey tower mixed into a number of smaller buildings. The project will house 1,200 units and 161,458 square-feet of commercial space.
Two five-storey buildings in the southwest portion of the 3.9-hectare site, will house 139 one-, two- and three-bedroom condo units. The first of the two buildings, Parc Residences, was recently completed. The second building named Tache, with 48 homes, will be ready in the coming months and will include three commercial spaces.
11. St. Anne Street realignment
After 15 months of construction, the St. Anne Promenade officially opened on Aug. 31, 2016. The project was the first phase of implementation of the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan. It extended the existing St. Anne Street through to Taché Street and added a single lane roundabout south of the Provincial Courthouse. The realignment is meant to increase economic opportunity, enhance connectivity and re-energize downtown.
South Campbell Business Park
12. AGLC warehouse
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission's new $91.5-million liquor distribution centre will serve as the province's main shipping and receiving point and distribution centre for spirits, wine and imported beers. The contract for the 473,000-square-foot facility was awarded to Edmonton-based construction company Dawson Wallace Construction Ltd. in January. Construction began shortly after. Completion is on track for spring 2018.
South Riel
Now that the Phase 3 north interceptor project, or Project 9 as it has come to be known, has received the go-ahead from council, development in South Riel and the west of the city can get underway. The multi-million dollar sewer project will extend the sewer line from St. Vital to the new regional lift station located in Kingswood. The additional capacity is needed to kick start at least eight major developments.
In December, the city awarded the contract to Shanghai Construction Group (Canada) Corporation. The successful bid was $20 million – half the anticipated cost. Work is expected to begin in March 2017 and finish in October 2018.
13. Midtown
Midtown is the new name given to the Averton Homes residential project located in South Riel. The 44.5-acre site is across the street from the Enjoy Centre and extends to LeClair Way to the south and to the railway tracks to the east. The medium density urban village will consist of consist of approximately 800 units and integrate park, commercial and residential spaces. Development is expected to begin late 2017.
14. Bellevue Village
Bellevue Village is another urban village planned for the southwest of the city. The 13.5-acre site is expected to incorporate apartment buildings, a lifestyle mall with retail, office and residential space, a grocery store, restaurants and a hotel. The first phase of the development is the apartment buildings that will face Big Lake, which are expected to house up to 600 people.
15. Anthony Henday Business Park
Now that Project 9 has been approved, GWL Realty can begin work on its new industrial park. Located immediately north of Anthony Henday Drive, the development will house 1.3 million square-feet of industrial space and about 300,000 square-feet of select retail and ancillary uses.
Initial construction is set to begin in spring 2017. Phase one will include dock and grade industrial loading bays.
West of St. Albert
16. Riverside
Council approved changes to the Riverside Area Structure Plan in March 2016. The amendment relocated the school site from the north side of McKenney Avenue to a location south of the arterial road, in an effort to make the site safer, as well as increased its size from 3.44 to 4.18 hectares. The amendment also increased the housing density and added more commercial land along McKenney Avenue. The area will now house a projected population of 9,584. Work on the 9.3-acre commercial site is expected to begin in 2017.
Forty per cent of the 356.5-hectare neighbourhood is dedicated to parks and reserve.
17. Ville Giroux
Ville Giroux will feature an urban village with a strong focus on mixed use and medium density residential. Rental properties will also be available. It will house an estimated population of 1,409 at full build out and roughly 81,180 square-feet of commercial space.
18. Employment Lands
The employment lands are located just south of Avenir on the west side of St. Albert, north of Meadowview Drive and Big Lake. The city hopes that the 618-acre (250-hectare) site will one day be home to a business park that will bring jobs and non-residential property taxes to St. Albert.
In October council approved development principles for a future Area Structure Plan, with a focus on medium-and high-density industrial and commercial development. A project charter for the ASP was included as part of the 2018 capital budget.
Earlier in the year the city released market assessment based on economic trends for the capital region. The report identified the strongest sector opportunities as business services, research development, construction, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing and advanced manufacturing.
19. Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields will feature a golf academy, a sports centre, a mix of housing options and an industrial and commercial business park. The 100.5-hectare site is located west of the city and is bordered by Villeneuve Road to the north and Ray Gibbon Drive to the west. About 1,653 people are expected to live in Elysian Fields one day.
20. Avenir
Avenir is located at the western edge of the city and adjacent to Elysian Fields. Most of the 85-hectare site will be developed as a residential community, including a mix of single-family and semi-detached homes, as well as townhouses. About 20 per cent of the area is designated for commercial use. The Carrot Creek Greenway, which traverses the middle of the site, will be extended to link with the city's Red Willow Park system.
21. Strata Lands
The Strata Lands are an extension of North Ridge. The 31-hectare site is located to the north of Villeneuve Road and west of Range Road 255. It is adjacent to Jensen and bordered by the city boundary to the north. Strata Development Corp. plans to begin construction in 2017.
