Many projects announced in 2014 could start taking shape in the new year. These include everything from residential, commercial and industrial developments – including two potential hotel sites, one of which has yet not been officially announced.
In anticipation of what's to come, the Gazette took a look at last year's news and compiled a list of projects expected to move ahead throughout and beyond 2015.
North of St. Albert
Ville Giroux
Ville Giroux is located at the western edge of the city, east of Ray Gibbon Drive with Lacombe Park to the east and North Ridge to the north.
Intergulf-Cidex Group of Companies plans for a mix of housing types as well as some commercial development (about 16 per cent) for the 22.4-hectare site. The developer already started servicing land for two apartment buildings on the east site of Ville Giroux in 2014.
Pending the city's approval of the development permits, both buildings will offer about 75 units ranging from one to three bedrooms. Construction is planned to start in early 2015.
Jensen Lakes
Jensen Lakes is expected to house about 5,000 people one day. The 150-hectare site is located north and west of Walmart and is bound by Villeneuve Road to the south, Sturgeon County to the north and Range Road 255 to the west.
The proposed plan shows that developer Melcor expects to use the land for commercial, residential and some institutional development. This includes a school site, a church, public parks, trails and a community lake with two beaches.
Housing options are expected to include single-family units, apartment buildings, duplexes, townhomes and estate homes. About 70.5 hectares of land would be designated residential, with another 10.9 hectares set aside for commercial development. Jensen Lakes is expected to develop over a 10 to 15-year period.
King of Kings church lands
In late 2014, developer Landrex proposed a new area structure plan for its 10-hectare site surrounding the King of Kings Lutheran Church lands south of Costco. The proposal considers the construction of commercial space along St. Albert Trail, as well as residential development and park space east of the church.
Landrex plans to amend the existing area structure plan for the site, reducing the number of homes from 1,600 to 1,500, which would allow for 3,100 residents instead of 3,400. Pending approval by the city, servicing for the site could begin as early as 2015, with the potential for construction of the commercial area by 2016.
St. Albert Honda
The new St. Albert Honda at 875 St. Albert Trail, near Coal Mine Road, is expected to open by March or April 2015.
St. Albert Honda will replace the business' former location in Morinville, Frontier Honda. The 20,000-square-foot building will be almost double the size of the Morinville location, including additional car wash and service bays, a larger showroom and a quick-fix bay.
Boudreau Road: former Hole's property
The former Hole's site was subdivided into three parcels in 2012.
The Shops at Boudreau, a commercial development, is located at 101 Bellerose Dr. – the lot closest to the corner of Bellerose and Boudreau. The first businesses have now moved in with more arriving this year. Businesses include everything from a wine store, a dental office, a café and a hair salon and spa.
Beside The Shops at Boudreau is the construction site for Botanica, a condominium project. Located on the former Hole's greenhouse site at 105 Bellerose Dr., Botanica will feature two steel-and-concrete buildings offering large suites and penthouses, a rooftop garden and outdoor patios.
Construction for Botanica will continue throughout 2015 and is expected to finish by the spring or summer of 2016.
Downtown
Grandin mall redevelopment
The majority of Grandin Park Plaza was demolished in 2014. Developer Amacon is planning to create an urban village with 17 buildings on the site, including three high-rise towers, boutique shops, a grocery store and underground parking. Construction is expected to take 10 years and bring about 2,800 new residents to the area.
The existing office tower, Little Einsteins Daycare and the Scotiabank and SHAVA bookstore location will remain in place. The movie theatre and existing parking structure were demolished.
Amacon hopes to start the first phase of construction in 2015, pending approval by the city. Phase one includes the construction of a sales centre and two five-storey buildings, as well as renovations to the portion of the mall that is being retained.
St. Anne Street realignment
The city of St. Albert is realigning St. Anne Street as the first phase for its downtown area redevelopment plan (DARP). The realignment of St. Anne Street will extend the existing street through to Taché Street. A single lane roundabout will be added to St. Anne Street, located south of the Provincial Court House and north of Grandin Medical Clinic.
St. Thomas Street at St. Anne Street will also be reconfigured to remove the existing median and adjacent service road. The street will tie back to the existing St. Thomas Street, west of St. Joseph Street.
Construction of the new road and moving of utilities will take place between May and October 2015. Changes to the existing St. Anne Street to tie into the new extension will take place a year later.
South Riel
In December, St. Albert council unanimously approved a motion for the city manager to prepare a business proposal to launch the design phase of the Phase 3 north interceptor project.
The project is meant to add capacity to the city's sanitary sewer system to support growth in South Riel, the area west of Ray Gibbon Drive, lands north of McKenney Avenue and in the downtown.
The project is instrumental in moving developments in South Riel forward, such as Cape Construction's Bellevue Village and GWL's plans for a light-industrial development near Ray Gibbon Drive and LeClair Way.
GWL Realty
In early 2014, GWL Realty announced that it was planning for the development of light-industrial warehouses as well as some neighbourhood-commercial development on its site in South Riel.
The 54.1-hectare site is located south of LeClair Way and east of Riel Drive. The developer said the warehouses would provide everything from storage for retailers, as well as office and manufacturing space for smaller companies.
Potential retail going into the commercial part of the site could include restaurants, soup-and-sandwich type shops, a small grocer, as well as destination shopping, such as specialized clothing or hardware stores. A complete buildout is expected by 2020.
Icon Communities
Construction on a new neighbourhood in South Riel could start in 2015. The development is located across the street from the Enjoy Centre. The developer, Icon Communities, plans to build 650 units on 6.82 hectares.
The site is designed to provide townhouses and mid to low-rise apartment buildings for young professionals, first-time homebuyers, young, urban families and people looking to downsize.
Icon also proposes to build a 3.15-hectare commercial site that would connect to LeClair Way in the south. The commercial part would include neighbourhood stores and live-and-work units, where businesses occupy the lower part of a building while their owners live upstairs.
Bellevue Village
Developer Cape Construction announced in late 2014 that it was planning for a new development directly south of the Enjoy Centre. Bellevue Village would combine commercial and residential spaces to accommodate hundreds of new St. Albertans.
The 13.5-acre site in South Riel is expected to offer a new hotel, a lifestyle mall, a grocery store and residential apartment space for between 500 and 600 people. Which grocer and hotel chain will move onto the site has not been decided. The hotel is expected to offer between 108 and 120 rooms. A definitive date for the start of construction has not been set.
Avenir/SAS Sports City
After five long years and numerous discussions, a new area structure plan for Rampart's Avenir neighbourhood was given a go-ahead in 2014. Most of the 85-hectare site is to 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. Most of the mixed-commercial and residential development would be located across from the Elysian Fields along Range Road 260. Completion of the project is expected to take 10 to 15 years, pending servicing capacities and market demand.
Neighbouring developer to Avenir, SAS Sports and Entertainment Group, is expected to come before city council on Jan. 12, 2015. A public hearing has been scheduled for an amendment to the developer's area structure plan for the Elysian Fields.
The development is expected to feature a major sports village along with a mixed-use commercial area, and a residential node. Both Avenir and SAS share infrastructure.
Campbell Business Park
Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission purchased land south of Apex Casino in 2014 (bordered by Campbell Road to the west and 142 Street to the east) for a new distribution centre that will largely replace the existing one at 50 Corriveau Ave.
The new, 950,000-square-foot facility will serve as the province's main distribution centre for spirits, wine and imported beer. The existing St. Albert warehouse at 50 Corriveau Ave. will be re-engineered to support the new facility.
Construction of the new warehouse is estimated to take two and a half years.
