As they walked around the small basement of the St. Albert United Church, Sonja and Peter Van Bostelen take a careful look at each of the posters propped up on tables, showing details of the city’s proposed hybrid smart growth plan for the northwest annexed lands.
“The modified grid is a good idea,” said Peter as his wife nodded. “It’s more efficient I think. It’s easier to find your way around.”
The Van Bostelens were two of about 45 people to show up to the city’s hybrid smart growth open house Thursday evening. The session was part of the city’s plan to solicit feedback about the urban planning initiative for the undeveloped areas.
The goal of the hybrid plan is to reduce urban sprawl by creating mixed-use, higher density, walkable neighbourhoods that provide alternate transportation options like public transit.
The hybrid plan calls for slightly more low-density residential development than the original smart growth concept shown earlier this year. It also includes one large high-density, mixed-use transit hub north of Walmart. It also includes two ‘neighbourhood centres’ —mixed land uses but on a smaller scale — along with new road concepts like a parkway, essentially a green space and trail sandwiched between traffic lanes.
The new hybrid plan received plenty of skepticism from council when it was presented on March 1, most notably around an uncertain market demand and the modified grid road design.
Andy von Busse, one of the first to arrive at the open house, said he was concerned about how much of the plan depended on various points coming together to success, something that requires a lot of faith.
“I’m skeptical,” he said, after talking with city staff at the open house. “The end of this story is that, regardless of what they plan, will the market accept it?”
von Busse added that if the city was trying to lessen its reliance on residential taxes, the city would be better to develop commercial and light industrial areas for businesses rather than new residential subdivisions.
For Al Henry, the use of the Carrot Creek area for a light industrial park as proposed is puzzling. He believes the land should be used for other purposes.
“You could put the high-end homes on the river valley,” he said. “Put the light industrial on the St. Albert Trail, have it go from commercial to light industrial.”
Henry also said he objected to the modified grid plan, saying that it would make the area a “mini-Edmonton” and move away from what makes St. Albert popular with residents.
Fellow resident Bob Clark disagreed.
“This type of development is going back to the development of my youth,” said Clark, a 13-year resident of St. Albert who is originally from Glasgow, Scotland. “I’m delighted with it.”
City administration will accept feedback from residents until March 26, after which they will compile the comments and present the information to council in early April.
