Edmonton city council gave the green light to two major apartment complexes — amounting to four highrises — paving the way for construction of up to 1500 new units in Oliver and the downtown core.
A two-tower apartment complex was approved for the southeast corner of Jasper Avenue and 115th Street in Oliver after a public hearing on Thursday.
A second two-tower complex was also given the go-ahead for downtown at 102nd Avenue and 106th Street.
The Oliver highrises will tower over the neighbourhood at 170 metres and 140 metres, collectively adding roughly 800 units to the area.
If the buildings existed today, the towers would be the third and sixth largest buildings in Edmonton.
An eight-storey podium of small commercial units — intended to attract local retailers over big box stores — will face Jasper Avenue and row houses will front onto 115th Street. The building will be set back two metres from Jasper Avenue, satisfying the city’s plans to prioritize pedestrians along the busy arterial roadway.
Coun. Scott McKeen said exceptional design and the developers commitment to improving the surrounding space with trees and accessible pathways helped earn his vote.
“If we are putting high density and height somewhere, it should be on our major arterials and on our transit routes, and this is a clear opportunity,” he said.
The plan faced some backlash from local residents at Thursday’s public hearing.
Fasika Aklilu, an emergency physician who lives along 115 Street with her family, accused the project of being “developer driven” and took exception with the size of the towers.
The towers are far taller than the 12 storey height restrictions set out by the Oliver area redevelopment plan, a policy document dating back to 1997.
“The current proposal, the scale of it, is beyond human scale,” Aklilu said.
City planners, in a report outlining their support for the project, noted that multiple towers have been built or approved above existing zoning restrictions, including a 160-metre tower just east of the site.
But Aklilu said the developer, and the city, should have explored more medium-density options for the site that conform to the existing zoning.
Coun. Aaron Paquette, the sole dissenting voice on council, agreed with Aklilu. He commended the developer and the design, but said he wanted to see a creative medium-density proposal for the site.
Councillors also approved another major apartment complex on Thursday, even though the rezoning application failed to get the support of city administration.
Edgar Developments proposed building two highrises — roughly 40 storeys and 36 storeys, respectively — on 102 Avenue and 106 Street, adding 700 units to the downtown core.
The developer and councillors ended up drafting an amendment in the midst of the public hearing, addressing some concerns from city planners.
The plan initially called for a narrow sidewalk along 102nd Avenue, less than the recommended 1.5 metres. But the amendment ensures the sidewalk, which faces a future Valley Line West LRT station and bike lane, is at least two metres wide.
“It would’ve been snug before,” Coun. McKeen said. “It’s the difference between a nice, wide downtown sidewalk … versus funnelling people through this tight area, which I thought would have been horrendous with an LRT stop close by.”
City planners had also taken exception with the developers plan for two levels of unwrapped above ground parking. A report said the parking would be incompatible with plans for the surrounding area, including a large downtown park across the street.
The developer pledged to eventually turn the parking into residential units, but never offered a timeline for the transition.
The amendment says the parking stalls can’t be rented to people who don’t live in the building — also known as non-accessory parking — once both towers are finished. The design of the screening around the parking lot also has to be reviewed by a development officer, in consultation with the design committee, to ensure it’s visually appealing.
“We don’t want it to look like hell,” said McKeen. “We don’t want it to scream, ‘there are cars parked behind here.’ We want it to look cool.”
Council also sent a proposal for a controversial three-tower apartment complex in the historic Old Strathcona area to the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board for review. Coun. Ben Henderson said he expects the project will be back before council for approval in July.