I rarely comment on city matters as I trust the current council to act in the best interests of our city.
Your article, “Development concerns raised” on the front page of your May 24 paper definitely caught my attention. I wholly concur with the views presented by former city manager Bill Holtby and former councillor Neal Korotash as conveyed in the article.
As a city, St. Albert must stay focused on the 80-20 residential-non-residential assessment target. Full build out in the northern part of the city along with continuous promotion and support of industrial-commercial development could achieve this within the current land base.
Being the northern hub of the Edmonton capital region along with the anticipated development of northern Alberta resources will provide future opportunities that must be pursued to achieve the goal of 80-20. The land base exists now to achieve that goal. Developer initiatives, as already demonstrated to date, can help achieve this long-term goal.
Stay focused on the 80-20 target!
Paul Chalifoux, former mayor of St. Albert
