Several city councillors want to read the fine print about a proposed clean-tech and sports village development before deciding whether to give the project its first green light.
Coun. Cathy Heron said she will introduce a motion requiring Rampart Avenir/Melcor Developments and SAS Sports and Entertainment to submit an area structure plan for their joint proposals before council decides whether to do away with a 'future study area' label on the northwest lands.
The notice of motion came after a marathon session and public hearing Tuesday that saw councillors raise numerous questions — and a few eyebrows — about the companies' concept plans.
Avenir is a clean-tech residential development next to a business park geared toward professionals and companies with ties to emerging green technologies.
"If we had a 100 per cent guarantee that that was what would end up in that land up by Carrot Creek then I think we'd be very excited and go for it, but we have no guarantees," Heron said in an interview.
One of the areas of concerns was the complex nature of the joint-submission itself. While Avenir outright owns its share of the 85 hectares of residential land west of Range Road 260, the light industrial park it plans to develop is actually held by SAS, which has purchased an option on the eastern half of the site.
Those eastern lands would also feature a sports village with a 2,500-seat baseball stadium, the largest indoor fieldhouse in Canada, five ice hockey sheets, along with a mixed-use transit-oriented commercial area, and a residential node.
The third proponent, Melcor, owns residential land south of Avenir's holdings.
Council was cautioned verbally and in an official report that visions outlined by the groups might not necessarily proceed as advertised.
All three holdings are currently listed as a future study area on maps in the municipal development plan (MDP) — essentially meaning their future use is undefined. Changing those uses to residential, mixed use and industrial would automatically raise the value of the land, Heron explained.
"I don't think the Avenir owners plan to sell it but we don't have any guarantees that they won't just flip the land to some other developer and we're going to end up with a bunch more housing up there," she said, adding council's preference would be to see a mix of land uses.
An area structure plan, the next step in the planning process, drills down to specific zoning, and can only be changed by council after a public hearing.
Avenir project director David Bromley said Heron's motion, if approved, would delay the MDP change for six months while his group completes the necessary studies for an ASP. His group wants to work with council but also said he has to keep investors in mind.
"We have an investment group that we just don't want to annoy by delays," he said. "It's difficult to keep people motivated when there's continuous delays."
Landfill a sticking point
The notice of motion came after a flurry of questions from council touching on issues like housing density, Avenir's partnership with technology giant Cisco, the impact on city revenues and Avenir's plans to remediate a former dry landfill in the middle of SAS' lands, one of two in the area.
Until the landfill is remediated and an environmental buffer is lifted, administration recommends not proceeding to third reading.
Bromley said his group is prepared to do the necessary remediation this summer and when that happens Alberta Environment will lift the buffer.
Industrial need
The industrial component has actually shrunk since plans first went public a few years ago. The city just purchased 11.5 hectares bordering Villeneuve Road and Ray Gibbon Drive, land that will be used for storm water drainage from the third stage of the Ray Gibbon.
That leaves 23 hectares for industrial. That wasn't enough for the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, which says the entire area should be considered for a new industrial park given its proximity to the ring road, Ray Gibbon Drive, Villeneuve Airport and future bitumen upgraders in Sturgeon County.
Chamber spokesman Mike Howes said council has to look at the big picture when reviewing land-uses. That can't happen until the city receives an independent study on the amount of industrial land St. Albert needs for the next 20 to 25 years, along with possible locations for an industrial park.
The first study is under way and will come to council on June 20, however the latter won't be ready until late 2011.
"We strongly suggest you defer the matters before you today at least until these studies have been completed and you have good, current information to work from," Howes said.
Questions linger
The meeting left Crouse with a number of questions about what the developers are selling, including whether St. Albert Sports is viable as an entity. And while the overall visions might be commendable, council has to understand what they mean, he said.
"At this point I don't have the vision of what 100 per cent residential with high-tech means. It's got this vision of being something more than just high tech … I don't understand what that is yet. That's what most [councillors] are struggling with."
Council did approve first reading of the MDP change, a legislative requirement so the Capital Region Board can provide its input. The matter returns to council on June 20 when the public hearing resumes.
Heron isn't sure when she'll introduce the motion, but said it could be before June 20 to give the developers more time to work on the area plan.
