A redevelopment plan for a home once owned by an Edmonton mayor has some Cromdale residents advocating to preserve the look of their neighbourhood.
The owner of the property at 7852 Jasper Avenue is proposing to tear down the house built in 1912 and replace it with two homes on the same lot.
But some Cromdale residents argue the development goes against the special historic provision currently in place for the neighbourhood overlooking the river valley. The DC1 provision is intended to ensure that any new home has a similar pre-1940s size and style as the rest of the area, according to residents.
Homeowner Elizabeth Giroux pushed to get the existing DC1 provision put in place in the 1970s and doesn’t believe the proposed redevelopment will meet those neighbourhood standards.
“The problem is the DC1 that we put in in the 1970s did not mention anything about lot splitting,” she said.
A ‘conditional sale’ message is posted on thefor sale sign outside of the home for former mayor Joe Clarke. (CBC)
“When we wrote the DC1 in the first place, we were trying to keep out larger two- or three-lot highrises that were going on the other side of 82nd Street. We didn’t even think of putting in any line in there saying we can’t split the lots.”
Residents who live near the home in question were given notices informing them of the proposed redevelopment. Many have written letters voicing their concerns on the redevelopment as city officials review the application for lot splitting.
The home has special meaning to some. It was once owned by former city mayor Joe Clarke, who was first elected in 1918.
Preserving the style of viewpoint homes
But the neighbourhood is no stranger to new homes.
Homeowner Nancy Karvellas and her partner began building a new home in 2013 on property in the same area. Like other homeowners, Karvellas and her partner were required to closely follow the current development bylaws that require homeowners to build to pre-1940s design standards both inside and out.
This house in the Cromdale neighbourhood might be torn down and replaced by two infill homes.
Karvellas is concerned that not every property owner will take the same approach when building in the area, and said others should respect the housing guidelines for the neighbourhood.
“We took into consideration that we needed to abide by the rules,” she said. “We needed to do justice to that area and that lot when it comes to what we’re seeing around us. We have beautiful homes and people care about their properties.”
City officials say a decision hasn’t been made on the property and that will only happen after residents have been given a chance to submit their comments before August 21. The application for the redevelopment is currently under review.