The City has selected five key node (urban centre) and corridor (main street) areas where targeted, City-driven rezonings are being pursued to leverage existing transit investment and encourage more housing opportunities and business development.
The areas selected are:
- Wîhkwêntôwin (formerly Oliver) Node and 124 Street Corridor
- 156 Street and Stony Plain Road Corridors
- University-Garneau Node
Not all land within the 5 selected areas will be rezoned. The intent is to focus on sites that have the greatest redevelopment potential, such as those located directly along corridors or within close proximity to mass transit.
Project Status
Current
In summer 2024 we identified locations in each selected area we believed presented the greatest redevelopment potential and would benefit most from proactive, City-initiated rezoning. Based on public feedback changes were made and we went back out from November 4-24, 2024 to collect feedback on the:
- Revised set of sites proposed for rezoning in each selected area
- New, higher-density standard zones within Zoning Bylaw proposed for each site based on The City Plan and district plan policy direction; and
- Zone modifiers recommended for each site, which will guide the maximum height and footprint of buildings to control the scale of development and identify which buildings will be required to have ground-floor, street-facing business space
Next Steps
Feedback received during the November 2024 engagement will be used, along with technical and policy considerations, to make final revisions to the proposed rezonings prior to advancing them to a City Council Public Hearing for a decision. Feedback will be summarized in a What We Heard report to ensure that City Council is aware of Edmontonians’ perspectives prior to making a decision.
Edmontonians will have the opportunity to share their thoughts directly with Council by registering to speak when the proposed rezonings advance to public hearing in 2025. If the rezonings are approved by Council, it would still be up to individual property owners to bring forward development proposals to the City for review when and if they are ready to redevelop their properties.
Wîhkwêntôwin (formerly Oliver) Node and 124 Street Corridor
Not all land within the Wîhkwêntôwin (Oliver) Node and 124 Street Corridor will be rezoned. As outlined on the map below, we recommend rezoning certain sites based on previous public feedback and policy direction from The City Plan and Central district plan (55.1 MB).
Interactive Rezoning Map
You can also search for a specific property using the interactive rezoning map to find out if it is proposed for rezoning and what new standard zones and zone modifiers are being recommended.
Why These Areas?
Learn more about the Wîhkwêntôwin (Oliver) Node and the 124 Street Primary Corridor and why they were selected.
Engagement Opportunities
Fall 2024 Engagement
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the revised sites proposed for rezoning through our online engagement or our in-person, drop-in engagement session on November 12 at Wîhkwêntôwin School. A What We Heard document summarizing feedback and how it was used will be made available before the proposed rezonings go to public hearing.
View the engagement materials:
Summer 2024 Engagement
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the preliminary set of sites recommended for rezoning this summer through our online engagement or in-person workshop on August 21, 2024. Feedback was used to help refine the set of sites proposed for rezoning and the standard zones and zone modifiers being recommended for each selected site.
What We Heard
View the workshop display boards
View the workshop table maps
156 Street and Stony Plain Road Corridors
As outlined on the map below, we recommend rezoning certain sites based on previous public feedback and policy direction from The City Plan and Jasper Place (54.08 MB) and Central (55.1 MB) district plans.
Interactive Rezoning Map
You can also search for a specific property using the interactive rezoning map to find out if it is proposed for rezoning and what new standard zones and zone modifiers are being recommended.
Why These Corridors?
Learn more about the 156 Street and Stony Plain Road Corridors and why they were selected.
Engagement Opportunities
Fall 2024 Engagement
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the revised sites proposed for rezoning through our online engagement or our in-person, drop-in engagement session on November 7 at The Orange Hub. A What We Heard document summarizing feedback and how it was used will be made available before the proposed rezonings go to public hearing.
View the engagement materials:
Summer 2024 Engagement
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the preliminary set of sites recommended for rezoning this summer through our online engagement or in-person workshop on August 14, 2024. Feedback was used to help refine the set of sites proposed for rezoning and the standard zones and zone modifiers being recommended for each selected site.
What We Heard
View the workshop display boards
View the workshop table maps
University-Garneau Node
Not all land within the University-Garneau Node will be rezoned. As outlined on the map below, we recommend rezoning certain sites based on previous public feedback and policy direction from The City Plan and Scona district plan (24.12 MB).
Interactive Rezoning Map
You can also search for a specific property using the interactive rezoning map to find out if it is proposed for rezoning and what new standard zones and zone modifiers are being recommended.
Why This Node?
Learn more about the University-Garneau Major Node and why it was selected.
Engagement Opportunities
Fall 2024 Engagement
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the revised sites proposed for rezoning through our online engagement or our in-person, drop-in engagement session on November 13 at the City Arts Centre. A What We Heard document summarizing feedback and how it was used will be made available before the proposed rezonings go to public hearing.
View the engagement materials:
Summer 2024 Engagement
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the preliminary set of sites recommended for rezoning this summer through our online engagement or in-person workshop on August 15, 2024. Feedback was used to help refine the set of sites proposed for rezoning and the standard zones and zone modifiers being recommended for each selected site.
What We Heard
View the workshop display boards
View the workshop table maps
Project Overview
The City Plan identifies 19 Priority Growth Areas, which are collections of nodes (urban centres) and corridors (main streets) in the redeveloping area of the city (roughly inside the Anthony Henday) anticipated to experience the most near-term growth.
On April 12 2022, the Urban Planning Committee directed the City to pursue proactive rezonings in these areas to help reduce development barriers and encourage more housing and business investment (see item 6.2) A plan for this work was presented to the Urban Planning Committee on February 27, 2024 (see item 7.4).
Creating a strong system of nodes and corridors that encourages transit-oriented development is an important part of creating a healthy, urban, climate-resilient city where Edmontonians have access to a variety of housing and transportation options and can easily meet their daily needs close to home.
Priority Growth Area Selection
The City used a 2-phased process to create the shortlist of candidate Priority Growth Areas for targeted rezonings.
This process involved a technical review to evaluate all 19 Priority Growth Areas based on opportunities to implement The City Plan, existing land use conditions and market factors.
Following the technical review, targeted engagement with development industry groups, citizen-appointed advisory committees and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) helped further refine the shortlist to the final 5 selected.
Read the What We Heard Report to learn more about the feedback received and how it informed the selection process.
Site and Zone Selection - We Are Here
Now that the 5 Priority Growth Areas have been selected the next step is to:
1. Validate which sites within these areas should be rezoned.
Not all land within the selected areas will be rezoned. The intent is to focus on sites that have the greatest redevelopment potential, such as those located directly along corridors or within close proximity to mass transit.
2. Determine which new standard zones to rezone the chosen sites to in order to catalyze demand and investment in alignment with The City Plan direction.
This includes determining what zone modifiers should be applied to guide maximum building heights and footprints to ensure they fit into the surrounding community and which buildings should be required to have ground-floor, street-facing businesses.
Rezoning Application and Public Hearing
Once engagement and the required supporting technical studies and analysis are complete, the City will apply to rezone targeted sites within the 5 selected Priority Growth Areas.
The most appropriate higher-density standard zones that align with the direction in The City Plan and district plans will be recommended.
The proposed rezonings will be presented at a City Council Public Hearing for a decision in 2025.
Edmontonians, industry representatives, and business and community groups in the affected areas will be informed when the proposed rezonings advance to public hearing.
They will have the opportunity to share their thoughts directly with Council by registering to speak or submitting written comments.
