Building affordable housing on a vacant city-owned lot in Edmonton’s Riverdale neighbourhood is a feasible development project, according to a report prepared for city councillors.
Council’s executive committee will look at five possible options for building on the site during its next meeting on Jan. 13.
The submissions were provided by developers during an expression of interest process that ended last June.
Four of the five options would require the city to sell the land for a dollar. Those proposals include either supportive housing units, affordable rentals, or affordable home ownership options.
The fifth proposal is for a mix of affordable homes and homes available at market price. That developer would buy the land for up to $1.8 million.
The small plot of land, located at the intersection of 102nd Avenue and 92nd Street has been sitting empty since 2016, according to documents.
Riverdale residents were asked to share their vision for the development during public consultations held in early 2019.
The meetings had been requested by the Riverdale Community League, said its president, Danny Hoyt.
“Originally, this land sale would have just gone through without anybody really knowing about it,” he said.
Building affordable housing in the area was part of a long-term vision for Riverdale that had been established in the 1990s, said Hoyt.
“Not everybody agrees with that, but essentially what the league was trying to do, was make sure that residents had the opportunity to have some input on what happens in that space.”
While residents value inclusivity and diversity, Hoyt said, many are still unsure of what affordable housing entails.
He hopes the city will help clear up some of the confusion by sharing its own vision.
“People do want to have a better understanding of what affordable housing means,” he said. “I think it could help reduce that fear and anxiety about what could go next to your home.”
Andrea Wilhelm, who lives a few houses down from the now-empty lot, attended the public meetings to express her support for affordable housing.
“There still is a lot of pressure in the Edmonton housing market, especially in communities like Riverdale, which are desirable,” she said.
“We need to take some of that pressure out in order to be able to house everybody.”
Since moving to Riverdale 17 years ago, Wilhelm has seen the neighbourhood become less and less affordable.
“We could no longer afford to buy the house that we live in now,” Wilhelm said.
“I’ve seen too many wonderful people leave Riverdale because of high rent or real estate prices.”
She hopes the new construction project will preserve the historical aspects of the neighborhood, as well as its community feel.
“So that when you walk past, you feel connected. And also that the people who live there have opportunities to interact with each other and with people across the street or walking by.”