City council is in the best position to decide if a so-called leapfrog development at the city’s northern edge is in the best interests of St. Albert, not a planning official, neighbouring municipality or regional body.
Council on Monday approved first reading of changes to the municipal development plan (MDP) — St. Albert’s top planning blueprint — that would allow Triple Five Developments to proceed with a major commercial development at the northern edge of the city. The vote was unanimous, despite the objections of city administration, neighbouring landowners, the City of Edmonton and Sturgeon County, which all deemed the Triple Five proposal a case of leapfrog development because lands to the south are undeveloped.
Leapfrog development typically is a no-no in urban planning, since most communities are built from the core outward. That ensures the orderly extension of underground water and sewer, roads and services like emergency services, public transit and snow removal, and allows for logical transitions between neighbourhoods and developments. It is for those reasons that leapfrog development is largely prohibited in St. Albert’s MDP, and discouraged by the Capital Region Board’s (CRB) growth plan.
Council must consider the professional advice of its experts in its decision, but it also has a responsibility to taxpayers that cannot be understated. While no specific plans for the site have been released, Triple Five — which has major international holdings including West Edmonton Mall — has indicated it would be a significant commercial venture.
It might not comply with planning principles but it fulfills the letter of council’s top priority over the last three years — economic development and diversifying property taxes — an area where we have seen some progress but not as much as some would prefer, in the annexed lands in particular. The logistics over extending underground services has been nothing short of a headache, with few landowners willing to help with the upfront costs or ready with firm plans for the area. The latter is the case for the parcel south of Triple Five, an area controlled by 17 landowners who have yet to submit a development application.
Despite the objections raised Monday, it seems the battle over Triple Five’s proposal will not be fought at city hall but within the confines of the CRB, which must sign off on the plan. City councillors are already mustering themselves for making a case to the region that Triple Five’s development is not a true case of leapfrog development, that its approval will not lead to similar non-contiguous development elsewhere, and that it’s the best decision for St. Albert’s economy, which is an important part of a healthy regional economy. This is St. Albert’s first real test at the regional board, the first time council will have to do some real politicking to make its case.
Even if the CRB signs off on the MDP change, it could be several years before development happens in this area and council has time to ensure it’s the best fit for the community. While St. Albert desperately needs more developable commercial land, Triple Five’s holdings include a sizeable area designated in the MDP as residential, which adds to the complexity of creating a viable area structure plan and puts the onus on Triple Five for making a successful pitch to council. But when that time comes, St. Albert city council will be in the best position to decide what’s in the best interests for St. Albert.
