On paper, the clean-tech and sports city development proposed by Rampart Avenir and St. Albert Sports and Entertainment is an innovative vision currently unheard of in St. Albert, one that would boost the city’s bottom line by as much as $7.4 million at full build out. But before council rolls up its sleeves to scrutinize the legitimacy of the plans, it needs to ensure it has all the information at its disposal, and the intestinal fortitude to stick to its guns.
An area structure plan that would put the Avenir concept on paper for all to see is a good starting point, as suggested by Coun. Cathy Heron. Even more important is a look at the bigger picture and whether that’s the best use for the affected northwest lands. Such an assessment won’t be possible until council receives two reports on St. Albert’s future industrial needs.
The first report, outlining future land requirements for industrial development, is being prepared by a third-party consultant and should be ready by June 20. This work was requested by council to cut through conflicting information coming from two city departments. On one hand, the city’s planning and development department time and again has told council that St. Albert has plenty of industrial land, enough to last several decades, based on historical data. On the other, there’s business and tourism development, which actually deals with firms looking for industrial land. What those companies have said is St. Albert doesn’t have a good enough mix of industrial — lots are too small for the larger players or zoning restrictions discount certain businesses altogether.
The evidence can be seen in North Campbell where rows of lots sit empty. While the market hasn’t been ideal, the developer of the site, PJSJ Holdings, has also said they’ve turned away businesses because zoning is too restrictive. Elsewhere, companies like Standard General and Connect Logistics — both with deep roots in St. Albert — have purchased land in Edmonton because our city did not have lots large enough to accommodate their growing businesses.
Once council gets a truer sense of St. Albert’s industrial needs, a second study will look at possible locations for development, information that’s due later this year. The 1,366 hectares the city annexed seems like plenty, but when you take away non-industrial plans like Erin Ridge North, the commercial corridor along St. Albert Trail, Triple Five’s commercial ambitions to the west, strong interest in residential west of Walmart and factor proximity to Big Lake in the southwest, that doesn’t leave much.
The previous council rejected calls for an industrial park on the lands currently held by Avenir and SAS, largely over concerns about suitability next to Carrot Creek. That overshadowed other arguments like the former landfills in the area that, for the moment, restrict the type development allowed, not to mention the proximity to the intersection of secondary highway 633 and Ray Gibbon Drive, a future eight-lane freeway that will provide a direct link from Anthony Henday Drive to Alberta’s energy-rich north, including upgraders in Sturgeon County.
Whether council sees fit to designate industrial land there or elsewhere, it has to be in it for the long term, and with taxpayers in mind. Enough ink has been spilled over the years on the subject of an 80-20 residential to non-residential assessment split to know such a goal won’t happen overnight, and in fact will likely take decades. But it won’t happen at all if our leaders don’t stick to their guns and continue to cave to outside pressures that want more tracts of housing. Perhaps Avenir is the right land use for the northwest, but we won’t know for sure unless council waits until all the cards are on the table.
