Those driving north on Ray Gibbon Drive might notice another project is taking place adjacent to the twinning construction.
The city has begun servicing for the community amenities site in the neighbourhood formerly known as Elysian Fields, now known as Cherot. This work includes the installation of an underground sanitary pipe that will service both the future lands up for development, and also the community amenities facility.
The Cherot area structure plan in its current form was approved on July 5. Earlier, in January of 2020, city council voted to acquire a 59-acre parcel of land in the area from Rohit Land Developments for a future recreation site.
In July, council approved the renaming of the Range Road 260 neighbourhood to Cherot on recommendation from administration, who said a decision was required to move forward in the process of marketing the neighbourhood.
Manda Wilde, senior project manager for St. Albert, noted the site is still in its early days of the planning process as an approved charter for 2021.
“The opportunity to expand as the city grows is really exciting,” Wilde said. “From a recreation parks perspective, we know that our community group partners are all chomping at the bit to talk to us about what they want and need, and hopefully in the early new year we will start those conversations with the public.”
Council had three options for selecting the site for the city’s future recreation centre, and ultimately selected the parcel in the west-most part of the city. At the time, one reason councillors mentioned for choosing the site included its potential to be a central location as St. Albert grows.
Aleks Cieply, St. Albert’s capital projects manager, said in addition to beginning to install the underground sanitary pipe, the city also added a waterline along Norelle Terrace. He said there will also be ongoing road restoration with some of the construction that has taken place, anticipated to be completed in mid-November of this year.
The sanitary work — including the underground sanitary pipe that will be extended north to Township Road 540 and then along Range Road 260 — will be completed around mid-December.
Colliers commercial real estate also has a sign up directly adjacent to the site the city is servicing. Mike Keating, Collier’s vice-president, said the company is looking to lease 82 acres of land owned by Coda Contracting located between Giroux Road and McKenney Avenue.
While the ultimate use of the land is still uncertain, Keating said the company is getting closer to determining whether it will be a highway commercial site or if it will be light industrial.
“We have lots of interest from retail, but at this stage we’re just exploring,” Keating said.
Wilde described the servicing to the community amenities site as a “vital first step.”
“We’re very excited to see some movement and still just working with our community partners and with Rohit to really start those baby steps and get going,” Wilde said.
