Latest news with #ValleyLineWestLRT
Calgary Herald
20-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
High density nodes get pushback at Edmonton public hearing
Edmonton city council hosted a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed rezoning bylaw that would affect parts of Wîhkwêntôwin, University-Garneau, Stony Plain Road, 124 Street and 156 Street. Article content Article content What does the bylaw do? Article content Bylaw 21128 is a city-led initiative that proposes applying standard residential and mixed-use zones in select priority growth areas. The goal is to support medium- and large-scale housing and mixed-use development in transit-connected areas and streamline redevelopment in alignment with the City Plan and district plans to support a population of two million. Article content Article content The approach removes the need for individual rezoning applications, aiming to cut red tape for builders and homeowners. Article content Article content Why these areas? Article content According to the administration, a technical review helped select the priority growth areas based on land use patterns, redevelopment potential and transit access. Several corridors are slated to be served by the Valley Line West LRT and bus rapid transit routes B1 and B2, making them ideal candidates for higher-density, mixed-use development. Article content In the University-Garneau major node, for example, the rezoning would allow buildings up to 75 metres in key locations, like 109 Street and 82 Avenue. Other areas, such as between 109 Street and 110 Street, have been scaled down to 23 metres in response to concerns from nearby small-scale residential areas. Article content A divided community Article content Public feedback has been mixed. While many speakers voiced strong support for the initiative, citing the need for more housing and more efficient development processes, others raised concerns over the impact on existing communities, transparency and the city's engagement process. Article content Article content Brian Murray, a partner at B&A Studios, voiced his 'strong support' for the rezoning proposal which he described as a 'real, tangible step toward delivering more housing, greater affordability, and more sustainable growth.' He argued the bylaw would reduce red tape, ensure faster delivery of new housing in the city, and create certainty for redevelopment, especially in well-connected areas like Garneau. Article content Article content 'It will allow for a broader mix of housing types that reflect the diverse needs of Edmontonians,' he said. Article content Ryan Jakes, a 24-year-old lifelong Edmontonian, also backed the plan, calling it an 'important step in the right direction' that balances long-term goals with neighbourhood context to provide a more affordable, livable Edmonton. He also applauded the city's youth engagement efforts.
CBC
12-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Stony Plain Road businesses dreading expedited construction plan for Valley Line West LRT
A series of staggered full and partial road closures to build the Valley Line West LRT has businesses in the Stony Plain Road area worried. Business owners made their concerns heard during Tuesday's urban planning committee meeting at city hall. Traffic woes have already plagued the construction area along Stony Plain Road, 156th Street and 87th Avenue for several years. More major road closures are set to come along the LRT route, as the city and project builder Marigold Infrastructure Partners start partial and full closures to speed up its construction. With the expedited construction schedule, the LRT expansion is set to be complete in 2028. WATCH | Some business owners worry as Edmonton wants to speed up Valley Line West construction: Edmonton plans to speed up Valley Line West construction. But there's a catch Duration 1:55 The City of Edmonton is looking to quicken the road construction portion of the Valley Line West project, as construction enters it's fourth year. As CBC's Travis McEwan reports, it will come with phased intersection closures until the end of November. Restaurant El Corazon is one of many businesses that have had to deal with reduced clientele because of access cut off by construction. "Although we can all agree that the construction needs to be expedited, closing down major intersection is not the answer," said El Corazon owner Percy Wiredu during the meeting. "There are over 400 employees and thousands of patrons that use 142nd street to access the West Block. Road closure on 142nd Street would see job losses, significant reduction in traffic to the businesses, which ultimately would lead to business closures." The $2.6-billion project, now in its fourth year of construction, is the largest infrastructure project the City of Edmonton has undertaken. The accelerated roadwork plan involves a three-phase approach from April to November: Phase 1 (April to July) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 124th Street (full closure) Stony Plain Road at 156th Street 87th Avenue at Meadowlark Road Phase 2 (July to September) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 142nd Street 95th Avenue at 156th Street Phase 3 (September to November) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 149th Street Marian Switzer owns The Gilded Rabbit Art and Framing along 149th Street and Stony Plain Road. She's worried she'll lose half of the store's revenue with a full closure of a major intersection. (Madeleine Cummings/CBC) Marian Switzer, another business owner in the area, said she's worried she'll lose half of her store's revenue with a full closure of a major intersection. She owns The Gilded Rabbit Art and Framing along 149th Street and Stony Plain Road "The timing for my phase two, phase three also hits us at a really inconvenient time," Switzer said during the meeting. "September to December is our busiest time of the store. It's where we make half of our money for the year. That's what keeps us going through the summer. "It's been a lot. It's been COVID, construction, inflation, possible looming tariffs coming from the States." A common concern from the business community was a lack of consultation on the part of city administration when it came to determining options that would allow for some traffic for people to check out businesses. "The crux of the issue is that the plan completely cuts off access from all neighbourhoods to the south, as well as all traffic from both westbound and downtown, westbound from downtown and eastbound into downtown," said Stewart Fraser with land developer and builder Cantiro. Cantiro developed the West Block, at 142nd Street and Stony Plain Road, which houses businesses like El Corazon. "What guarantees do we have that this work will be completed in the proposed nine-week timeline? What really irks me about this plan is the blatant disregard for the directly affected stakeholders," Fraser said. This frustration was also voiced by Mayor Amarjeet Sohi who called on administration and Marigold Infrastructure to communicate more with the business community to reach solutions that would alleviate the hit to vehicle traffic. The push to complete roadwork is being spearheaded by Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack. "I saw a lot more progress on the roads in 2024 than I did in 2022 and 2023, so let's see that multiplied instead of the first two years, which was, if I'm just being very blunt, it was disappointing," Knack said about Marigold's progress on the project. "Let's get moving, get the work started, get it done as per that new schedule, and I think that'll be better for everyone." Committee voted unanimously to have administration take the feedback presented during Tuesday's meeting and determine what can be done to address specific concerns.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Latest leg of Edmonton's Valley Line West LRT construction to bring more major road closures
More major road closures are coming along the Valley Line West LRT route, as the city and project builder Marigold Infrastructure Partners start partial and full closures to speed up its construction. Traffic woes have plagued the construction area along Stony Plain Road, 156th Street and 87th Avenue for several years. The new push will lead to the roadwork part of the project being completed this fall, instead of taking two more years, Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack told CBC News. "We've had so much construction fatigue, and I'm hearing it from folks all the time," Knack said, pointing to a motion he made last October to look into having more construction done in a shorter amount of time. Constituents often tell Knack that they want to "rip the band aid off, get it done," he said, adding that Wellington Bridge, a major east-west corridor on 102nd Avenue, is coming down at the end of 2025. "We need to be done the road construction throughout the rest of the west end, so people can at least use Stony Plain Road as their main east-west corridor going in, because they won't have 102nd Avenue," Knack said. "If we're doing all this work at the same time — it's already a lot for people, I think that would be a disaster." The $2.6-billion project, now in its fourth year of construction, is the largest infrastructure project the City of Edmonton has undertaken. The accelerated roadwork plan involves a three-phased approach from April to November: Phase 1 (April to July) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 124th Street (full closure) Stony Plain Road at 156th Street 87th Avenue at Meadowlark Road Phase 2 (July to September) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 142nd Street 95th Avenue at 156th Street Phase 3 (September to November) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 149th Street Marigold Infrastructure would then shift the focus to work on building tracks and system infrastructure. Tammy Hennig is one of many residents in the area whose patience is running thin with project construction. "Even for walking, it's a headache, because we never know where you can cross and where it's safe to go — anywhere from usually about 149th to farther down," Hennig said. A full report on progress of the Valley Line West LRT will be made available on Feb. 11, during an urban planning committee meeting at city hall.
CBC
07-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Latest leg of Edmonton's Valley Line West LRT construction to bring more major road closures
More major road closures are coming along the Valley Line West LRT route, as the city and project builder Marigold Infrastructure Partners start partial and full closures to speed up its construction. Traffic woes have plagued the construction area along Stony Plain Road, 156th Street and 87th Avenue for several years. The new push will lead to the roadwork part of the project being completed this fall, instead of taking two more years, Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack told CBC News. "We've had so much construction fatigue, and I'm hearing it from folks all the time," Knack said, pointing to a motion he made last October to look into having more construction done in a shorter amount of time. Constituents often tell Knack that they want to "rip the band aid off, get it done," he said, adding that Wellington Bridge, a major east-west corridor on 102nd Avenue, is coming down at the end of 2025. "We need to be done the road construction throughout the rest of the west end, so people can at least use Stony Plain Road as their main east-west corridor going in, because they won't have 102nd Avenue," Knack said. "If we're doing all this work at the same time — it's already a lot for people, I think that would be a disaster." The $2.6-billion project, now in its fourth year of construction, is the largest infrastructure project the City of Edmonton has undertaken. The accelerated roadwork plan involves a three-phased approach from April to November: Phase 1 (April to July) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 124th Street (full closure) Stony Plain Road at 156th Street 87th Avenue at Meadowlark Road Phase 2 (July to September) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 142nd Street 95th Avenue at 156th Street Phase 3 (September to November) 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street) Stony Plain Road at 149th Street Marigold Infrastructure would then shift the focus to work on building tracks and system infrastructure. Tammy Hennig is one of many residents in the area whose patience is running thin with project construction. "Even for walking, it's a headache, because we never know where you can cross and where it's safe to go — anywhere from usually about 149th to farther down," Hennig said. A full report on progress of the Valley Line West LRT will be made available on Feb. 11, during an urban planning committee meeting at city hall.
