Planners from St. Albert and Edmonton will team up over the next eight months to develop a joint land-planning concept for the largely undeveloped area separating the two municipalities to help reduce costs of future transportation and infrastructure projects.
“Ultimately, it's about seeking opportunities to reduce costs and potential duplication and increase economic development by enabling efficient planning and delivery of municipal services and infrastructure,” city spokesperson Cory Sinclair said.
“Any recommendations from this report would need to be evaluated for alignment with St. Albert’s strategic priorities as well as the (municipal development plan).”
“Potential projects that show mutual benefit will be brought to council for consideration.”
Neither St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron nor Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi were available for interview.
St. Albert published a request for proposals (RFP) earlier this month seeking a consultant to provide a detailed work plan; workshops for administrative staff from both cities; a conceptual land use, transportation, and infrastructure plan; and recommendations for joint infrastructure investments.
“Each of the partners envision growth within their respective jurisdictions, which are supported by their own land use and servicing plans,” the RFP says.
Sinclair said the project's $175,000 consulting budget comes from a grant the two cities received from the provincial government last year. St. Albert city council voted in December 2021 to support the grant application, Sinclair said.
“Transportation, infrastructure, land-use planning issues along our shared border have created both opportunities and interface challenges,” he said.
The project, called an Intermunicipal Planning Framework (IPF), follows a similar undertaking the two municipalities agreed to in 2020 for recreation facilities.
The recreation agreement, called an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF), provides a legal framework for the two municipalities to develop, for example, cost-sharing agreements, although no such agreement has been confirmed since.
“St. Albert and Edmonton have a strong history of working collaboratively together,” Sinclair said. “Through collaboration and cooperation, we achieve better outcomes for our residents, businesses and municipalities.”
The RFP says the successful consultant to bid for the project will provide a work plan by the end of May, the land use concept plan by the end of July, and all remaining deliverables by the end of October.
“This IPF will also provide the partners guidance on future land use decisions and the associated servicing and transportation needs, a plan for the phasing of such projects, and potential transportation and infrastructure initiatives that could be funded through a shared funding model,” the RFP reads.
“For the purposes of this project, a general study area has been defined, though it is not meant to exclude potential initiatives which may impact larger areas (or an entire municipality).”
The approximate boundary of the study area is the 127th Street overpass of the Anthony Henday to the east, Mistatim Way to the south, the Trumpeter neighbourhood to the west, and Sir Winston Churchill Avenue in St. Albert to the north.
