A series of round table meetings that include concerned citizens will decide what type of affordable housing development is appropriate for 70 Arlington Dr.
City council voted unanimously Wednesday evening to establish a series of two or three input sessions to create a plan for the site, which has been the subject of emotional public hearings for the last week.
The city will hire a third-party expert to facilitate the sessions, which will include all stakeholders with a focus on devising a project that Habitat for Humanity can build that Akinsdale residents also accept.
"I believe the residents in the city and in particular those most affected in Akinsdale are prepared to work with somebody, so let's put that to a third party," said Mayor Nolan Crouse, who proposed the motion.
Council has been considering a proposal to build 58 townhouse units on the 1.2-hectare property. Residents have had many complaints about the proposal, calling the proposed concept too dense and suggesting it was designed without input from the neighbourhood.
Crouse said there needs to be more work done to decide what the project should look like.
The round table process will provide council with recommendations by May 15.
"I think the mayor made a very wise decision. I think we can up with a reasonable development that provides a solution for affordable housing," said Randy Hughes, whose property backs onto the proposed site.
Hughes was firmly against the proposal put forward by Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and its partner Apollo Developments, largely because it would have been 45 feet from his home. His lot, like others in the area, is 10 feet shorter than normal because it backs onto green space.
"It was pretty obvious to me that something was going to get built on the site," Hughes said. "If it's more similar to [the duplexes] they built in North Ridge, with a little more buffer space to the homes that back onto it … that would be perfectly acceptable to me."
Coun. James Burrows felt the round table idea made sense, given that so many residents have said they aren't opposed to Habitat for Humanity but also feel they haven't been heard.
"I think this is what Akinsdale residents are looking for and ultimately I think this is the solution for 70 Arlington," he said.
Carol Watamaniuk agreed, saying that residents have told her over and over that they just want some input.
"In keeping with the St. Albert spirit, we want neighbours to welcome neighbours, that's what community is all about and I think this will help move us towards that," she said.
Resident Amber Emmons said she had mixed feelings and felt apprehensive about council's decision.
"I like the idea that they're willing to talk to everybody that's interested. I think that's exactly what they need to do," she said.
However, she's uncomfortable that city council is moving toward direct control zoning, which allows council to directly decide what gets built, rather than having a zoning designation with established criteria.
City administration and council say direct control provides residents with greater say in the final development, through council.
"It does give us more control if they're willing to listen to our ideas," said Emmons' husband Jim.
Gerry Kress, an outspoken critic of the proposed development and the process used to achieve it, was glad to hear that residents would have more input, but was disappointed that the scope of discussion will be limited to affordable housing.
"I think what would have been best is to start over from square one," Kress said.
"It's not that I'm against affordable housing it's just that the proper process would be to leave it open and have the community have their input on what they think the site should be used for."
Habitat for Humanity CEO Alfred Nikolai said he would be very pleased to talk to as many people as possible about his organization and how it can help the residents of St. Albert.
"Whatever the project is that the community and council wants us to do, we'll make it work," he said.
Direct control
The motion to hire a third party to engage residents came after council passed first reading of a change to the municipal development plan to re-designate 70 Arlington Dr. as residential. Council then passed first reading of a motion to change the land use to direct control.
These changes signal that council is committed to putting residential on the property. But the changes won't be final until they pass third reading, which won't happen until the public hearing wraps up sometime after May 15.
The Capital Region Board must also approve any changes before the process can enter third reading.
City seeks to buy land
Following another motion by Crouse, council also agreed to pursue a purchase of the Arlington Drive property, which is currently owned by the Protestant school board.
The board currently has an agreement to sell the property to Habitat for Humanity for $840,000, money that's coming from the city's affordable housing fund. That sale is subject to council's approving the necessary rezoning to allow residential development.
Crouse thinks it's time the city took over the land, which the school board has been trying to sell for years. Twice in the last decade the board has had sales scuttled by neighbourhood resistance. If another attempt failed, "we'd find ourselves in a little bit of an embarrassing position as a city," Crouse said, adding that he'd like the city to purchase it at the same $840,000 price tag.
"What I'm asking is that we lock this up," he said.
Council passed the motion unanimously.
