St. Albert city council approved amendments to the Riverside Area Structure Plan (ASP) as well as a redistricting of the ASP for the neighbourhood, following a public hearing held during their May 6 council meeting.
The applications for the Riverside ASP amendments were made by Clarity Development Advisory on behalf of Leader Investments Ltd. in August 2024 to redistrict a single site.
Another application in November 2024 was made by Select Engineering Consultants on behalf of Genstar Title Co. Ltd. to redistrict multiple sites.
Some of the key changes include the moving of high-density sites from the south side of McKenney Avenue to the north side, the reconfiguration of a public park in the northwest of the neighbourhood to improve street frontage, as well as adding a new neighbourhood public park in the southwest, and a reconfiguration of a neighbourhood park south of Ranken Drive as a result of a reconfiguration of high-density sites.
In public engagement opportunities, St. Albert planner Eric Schultz told council the most common concerns they heard were related to density, traffic and parking. He said that the high-density sites are being moved closer to major traffic corridors, and so the overall density of the neighbourhood is not changing. He also added that the change in density was not anticipated to have a noticeable impact on operations at the Rose Gate, Redspur Drive, and McKenney Avenue intersection.
He also said that no parking signs would be added to the first 100 metres of Redspur Drive to respond to some of the concerns they heard from residents.
"We believe this application is aligned with the goal of the city's creating a walkable neighbourhood that has access to community amenities while respecting the natural environment," Coralie Volker of Genstar said.
Coun. Mike Killick pushed back against the proposed elimination of a trail park in the southwest of the neighbourhood, and its reconfiguration into a more functional neighbourhood park. Volker said they viewed the opportunity to add a neighbourhood park in the area provided an opportunity to add additional amenities like a playground, and said they felt there was good connectivity from the north and south local roads.
Coun. Sheena Hughes was concerned about the density, and said she "struggled with the idea that density is creating affordability."
Dave Onishenko, Principal of Clarity Development Advisory, also spoke about the redistricting on a parcel of land along Redspur Drive and McKenney Avenue from medium density to high density, to permit use for supportive living accommodations, group homes, and apartment dwellings.
Onishenko said that he heard that residents were supportive of the applicant's intended use for the site, which was to add seniors housing, and the belief that "the proposed development will be an excellent addition to the neighbourhood."
He said they heard concerns about traffic, but said that they found that senior housing generates one-fifth to one-third automotive traffic compared to standard development.
"Suffice to say, seniors don't drive that much," Onishenko said.
The amendments to Bylaw 8/2025 and Bylaw 9/2025 passed with only Killick opposed. The amendments to Bylaw 10/2025 passed unanimously. Hughes said that the density seen in other, newer neighbourhoods is "substantially higher" than what they were seeing here.
"I know that residents in the area are generally not happy about the density as it comes to fruition. We have to also recognize though is the density hasn't dramatically changed, it's just been shuffled around a bit," Hughes said.
