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Research suggests there is no evidence that non-market housing negatively affects the value of surrounding properties. A study by BC Housing Research Centre looked at residential property value trends (sale/assessed values) in areas surrounding 13 affordable and supportive housing sites across British Columbia. It found that “median residential sale prices and assessed values in the areas surrounding the case study sites mirrored or surpassed trends for the surrounding municipality, suggesting non-market housing does not have an impact on surrounding property values.”

This suggests that residential real estate values are driven by local and global economic factors, rather than new non-market housing in a community.

In Edmonton, the factors that impact your property value include things like location, lot characteristics (such as size, shape or corner lot), along with how close it is to commercial areas, transit, utilities and green space.

Affordable housing is a home like any other. Its residents share their neighbours’ interest in maintaining a safe environment. Overall, research shows that affordable housing does not have a negative impact on community safety.

If you have concerns about safety in your neighbourhood, the Neighbourhood Empowerment Team can help.

In 2020, City Council voted to enable Open Option Parking, which means that minimum on-site parking requirements have been removed from Edmonton’s Zoning Bylaw. This allows developers, homeowners and businesses to decide how much on-site parking to provide on their properties based on their particular operations, activities or lifestyle.

Removing parking minimums doesn’t necessarily mean that no parking will be provided. Businesses and homeowners know their parking needs best and have an interest in ensuring they are met, making this approach more likely to result in the “right amount” of parking. 

The introduction of Open Option Parking was recognized as having potential impacts on on-street curbside parking demand and utilization patterns over time. As a result, the City has developed a Curbside Management Strategy, which seeks to more equitably and strategically manage and diversify how we use our public curbside space.

The City of Edmonton, including Edmonton Fire Rescue Services and EPCOR, consider servicing and infrastructure needs during the review of rezoning or development permit applications. These reviews consider the capacity of sanitary sewers and storm sewers, as well as the water supply for fire fighting. If upgrades are required, the builder is responsible for the cost. Required upgrades can include alley upgrades, sidewalk upgrades and extensions, power upgrades or power pole and streetlight relocation.

It is important to note that not all new developments trigger a need for infrastructure upgrades. For example, there can be instances where the design of the building can mean that there is no need to increase fire-fighting water capacity at all. EPCOR has found that Edmontonians have been reducing their water consumption steadily for the past 20 years (owing to things like more water-efficient toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers), which means less wastewater being produced by our homes.

Through neighbourhood renewal, EPCOR also looks for opportunities to implement low impact development (LID). LID is a site development technique that aims to mimic natural processes to manage stormwater runoff close to its source. Examples of LID features include rain gardens, bioretention basins, box planters, soil cells, and absorbent landscaping. EPCOR also works with the City to identify sites in redeveloping neighbourhoods to construct dry storm ponds that slow storm flows and mitigate flooding.