Latest news with #MichaelJanz
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Janz confirms his run for re-election
Article content Michael Janz is looking to represent ward Papastew for a second consecutive term. The city councillor formally announced his intention to run again at an event Friday evening at the University of Alberta's Room at the Top. He confirmed he will be running as an independent, even though the province has changed the rules to allow for political parties in municipal elections in Calgary and Edmonton.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Edmonton may revise zoning bylaw to reduce mid-block multi-family units
A number of Edmonton city councillors are in favour of amending the city's contentious zoning bylaw, in one way by reducing the number of allowable units in new multi-family buildings, from eight to six. The zoning bylaw — a year-and-a-half old — allows developers to build eight-plexes in neighbourhoods across the city. The revised zoning bylaw that went into effect in January 2024, reflects the city's goal to create more housing types and denser neighourhoods. Michael Janz, Ward papastew councillor, raised a motion at the city's urban planning committee meeting Tuesday, to cap the number of units in the middle of a block. "In the corners, you can still build bigger units but for the mid-block, it's a recognition that there are greater impacts on your neighbours mid-block," Janz told CBC News. He said 80 per cent of the complaints he receives about infill have been about mid-block units. "We want to see more density in the nodes and corridors, more density in the priority growth areas, more density on corners, not necessarily the unit maximum in a mid-block area." The committee voted in favour of the motion, which goes before a public hearing June 30 for debate, along with other suggested amendments to the zoning bylaw. But other councillors, not members of the urban planning committee, oppose the change at this time. Coun. Anne Stevenson said it's still too early to gauge the outcome of developments. "I'm not sure exactly which problems we're trying to solve with this. I know that there are concerns around parking," Stevenson told CBC News Tuesday. "At this point we have a very, very small sample size of units that have actually been completed and occupied. So I don't think at this point we know how those will work, what impacts they'll have." Zoning bylaw update The committee was discussing a report that provided an update on developments over the past five years. It shows the city issued 555 development permits in 2024 for housing, resulting in 2,403 new residential dwelling units. More than half of the approved units were for row housing, the report says. The number of housing units approved in 2024 doubled from 2023, the report shows. "Since 2019 there has been an increase in all forms of multi-dwelling housing, including backyard, semi-detached and row housing developments," the report says. Members of the public spoke at the urban planning committee, some in support and some in opposition to limiting the number of units. Jan Hardstaff, a resident of Belgravia, said the rate of development over the past year has been overwhelming to communities. "There has been a surge in eight-plexes are not compatible mid-block to surrounding development," Hardstaff told the committee. "They are alarmed, anxious and angry at what they are seeing, and they are experiencing real negative impacts." Janz and Stevenson say council will consider future revisions to the zoning bylaw when needed.
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Edmonton may revise zoning bylaw to reduce mid-block multi-family units
A number of Edmonton city councillors are in favour of amending the city's contentious zoning bylaw, in one way by reducing the number of allowable units in new multi-family buildings, from eight to six. The zoning bylaw — a year-and-a-half old — allows developers to build eight-plexes in neighbourhoods across the city. The revised zoning bylaw that went into effect in January 2024, reflects the city's goal to create more housing types and denser neighourhoods. Michael Janz, Ward papastew councillor, raised a motion at the city's urban planning committee meeting Tuesday, to cap the number of units in the middle of a block. "In the corners, you can still build bigger units but for the mid-block, it's a recognition that there are greater impacts on your neighbours mid-block," Janz told CBC News. He said 80 per cent of the complaints he receives about infill have been about mid-block units. "We want to see more density in the nodes and corridors, more density in the priority growth areas, more density on corners, not necessarily the unit maximum in a mid-block area." The committee voted in favour of the motion, which goes before a public hearing June 30 for debate, along with other suggested amendments to the zoning bylaw. But other councillors, not members of the urban planning committee, oppose the change at this time. Coun. Anne Stevenson said it's still too early to gauge the outcome of developments. "I'm not sure exactly which problems we're trying to solve with this. I know that there are concerns around parking," Stevenson told CBC News Tuesday. "At this point we have a very, very small sample size of units that have actually been completed and occupied. So I don't think at this point we know how those will work, what impacts they'll have." Zoning bylaw update The committee was discussing a report that provided an update on developments over the past five years. It shows the city issued 555 development permits in 2024 for housing, resulting in 2,403 new residential dwelling units. More than half of the approved units were for row housing, the report says. The number of housing units approved in 2024 doubled from 2023, the report shows. "Since 2019 there has been an increase in all forms of multi-dwelling housing, including backyard, semi-detached and row housing developments," the report says. Members of the public spoke at the urban planning committee, some in support and some in opposition to limiting the number of units. Jan Hardstaff, a resident of Belgravia, said the rate of development over the past year has been overwhelming to communities. "There has been a surge in eight-plexes are not compatible mid-block to surrounding development," Hardstaff told the committee. "They are alarmed, anxious and angry at what they are seeing, and they are experiencing real negative impacts."
Calgary Herald
29-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Edmonton breaks ground on $1.3B Capital Line South LRT expansion
The latest expansion project for Edmonton's sprawling LRT lines broke ground on Thursday, that will, once completed, connect the current Heritage Valley transit centre on Ellerslie Road to Century Park by way of 111 Street. Article content Article content With plans to construct one underpass, two overpasses, and two additional LRT stations, the project is expected to take about five years to build and cost nearly $1.4 billion, barring any overruns on time or budget. The Capital Line South LRT expansion was prioritized in the city's ongoing transit buildout to accommodate what it expects will be 15,000 daily riders once complete because of the area's ballooning population. Article content Article content 'We are growing as a city. We have had over 140,000 people move here in the last three years. We're going to be a city of 1.25 million people projected by the end of this year. We can't stop building transit. We can't stop building ways for people to move,' said Edmonton's deputy mayor and ward papstew Coun. Michael Janz at the groundbreaking ceremony. Article content 'Alberta's provincial government is pleased to have committed $365 million in provincial funding for this project. Now this total includes a recent approval at the city's request to reallocate $41 million in provincial funding from the Metro Line and the Valley Line West LRT projects to support this Phase One of the Capital Line South LRT project,' Dreeshen said. Article content Article content Phase One of the project will add a high-floor LRT connecting the existing Century Park LRT station and spanning 4.5 km to the Heritage Valley Transit Centre, which is currently a park and ride, but will also get an LRT station as part of the expansion. The expansion includes an underpass under 111 Street and 23 Avenue as well as two new bridges over Blackmud Creek and Anthony Henday Drive. Phase one will also add an operations and maintenance facility on the south side of Anthony Henday Drive and a Twin Brooks LRT station. Article content Article content Dreeshen said the province's support for Edmonton's LRT projects ties into the Alberta government's plans to create an 'optimal passenger rail system' for Alberta. Further, he said the province expects to have a passenger rail master plan completed by the summer, which will outline a 15-year plan to create commuter and regional rail services around the province, including connecting Edmonton and Calgary's mass transit systems.
CBC
30-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
City council approves 5.7% tax increase, wants education levy split from property tax
Edmonton city council finalized the municipal property tax increase at 5.7 per cent Wednesday, while council members pointed fingers at the province for an increase in its education tax. Council passed a motion on Wednesday to have city administration work with Alberta Municipalities to explore how to separate the provincial education tax collection from municipal property tax. The motion was put forward by Coun. Michael Janz and passed 9-4 with Tim Cartmell, Sarah Hamilton, Karen Principe and Jennifer Rice voting against the motion. The motion initially included another directive that Mayor Amarjeet Sohi send an invoice to the Alberta government for the entire education property tax collection cost but it was struck from the motion before the final vote. "We frequently get told to stay in our lane, and I'm growing increasingly frustrated that we are, as municipalities, kind of the proverbial punching bag," Janz told council. "We've been advocating for the province to pay their grants in lieu of taxes. We've been advocating for the province to pay a number of things that are costs that we bear for them." Education tax In Canada, public education is the responsibility of provincial governments. The provincial education portion of property taxes, about $98 per month or 25 per cent of the total property tax bill for a typical single detached property, goes to fund schools in Alberta, according to the City of Edmonton. The municipal and provincial education taxes change at different rates each year, and are added together to make up the total tax amount property owners must pay. The tax makes up 29 per cent of the education operating budget. But the provincial government has said it wants to raise the tax so it would make up 31.5 per cent of that funding in fiscal 2025 and 33 per cent in fiscal 2026. Sohi said he wants the financial breakdown to be clear for Edmontonians. "The principle should be, the government responsible for taxing people should be sending them the bill to collect that tax, not another order of government," Sohi said. "We are required to collect taxes on behalf of the province that directly go to the province, but city council gets the blame for that tax, particularly at a time when people are struggling with the affordability crisis." CBC has requested further comment from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Tax increase With the 5.7 per cent increase, a homeowner will pay about $763 in municipal taxes in 2025 for every $100,000 of assessed home value, an increase of $51 from 2024. The median assessed value for a home in Edmonton is $465,500 this year, which would have a $3,550 bill in annual property taxes. "Eighty per cent of the services that people consume on a daily basis are delivered with that $3,550 that we collect to run a municipality. But people don't make that distinction, that one-quarter goes to the province," Sohi said. Property taxes in 2025 will generate more than $2.2 billion to fund the 70 city services, including parks, trails, roads, bridges, transit, recreation centres, attractions, emergency services and social supports. The 5.7 per cent increase is lower than the 6.1 per cent increase that council approved in December. Council's motion will be brought forward as a resolution during Alberta Municipalities's fall convention this year.
