Ozerna Surplus School Site Zoning Options

Thank you for your questions and comments. 

The online survey accessible through the Engaged Edmonton webpage (https://engaged.edmonton.ca/ozernasurplus) provides a ‘None’ option for the question ‘Out of the three options, which zoning do you prefer?’ Selecting ‘None’ for this question would allow you to express your thoughts about not moving forward with any of the residential zones. Additionally, you may add your own zoning option by selecting ‘Other (please specify)’.

The City believes that repurposing undeveloped, surplus building sites makes the best and most innovative use of available land to offer greater housing choices to everyone, creating more sustainable communities and better meeting the City’s changing needs. This rezoning application will help the City achieve those goals. 

Thank you for your question. 

Future growth in Edmonton is being redirected into established neighbourhoods in alignment with ConnectEdmonton, our Strategic Plan, and the City Plan in order for the city to grow in a more sustainable way. This is happening all over the city — although the Ozerna and Klarvatten surplus school sites are both located on the north side, there are others located in the west end and south side, for example, that have undergone, and are currently undergoing, similar redevelopment processes. 

The City believes that repurposing undeveloped, surplus building sites makes the best and most innovative use of available land to offer greater housing choices to everyone, creating more sustainable communities and better meeting the City’s changing needs. 

Feedback we receive through this engagement will be considered when we decide which residential zone will be brought forward in a rezoning application. Further public engagement opportunities will be available during the rezoning process, including the ability to voice your opinions to City Council before they vote on the application at a future Public Hearing.  

Thank you for your question. 

Future growth in Edmonton is being redirected into established neighbourhoods like Ozerna in alignment with ConnectEdmonton, our Strategic Plan, and the City Plan in order for the city to grow in a more sustainable way. This is happening all over the city, including development of surplus school sites in other neighbourhoods for residential uses. 

The school site located in Ozerna was declared surplus by Edmonton Public Schools in 2015. An internal City review of the site was carried out to determine if there was a municipal use for the site. Following the review, it was determined that there was no municipal need and the site was declared surplus to City needs in 2017. 

The City believes that repurposing undeveloped, surplus building sites makes the best and most innovative use of available land to offer greater housing choices to everyone, creating more sustainable communities and better meeting the City’s changing needs.

Although the City will be considering feedback from this engagement prior to selecting a residential zone to submit a rezoning application for, the final use of the site will be up to the future buyer. If City Council approves the rezoning application, the site will be listed for sale on the open market. Interested buyers may choose to purchase the site and develop it for uses such as seniors’ housing, if they see a market for that type of development. 

This engagement will not be the only opportunity for the community to provide their feedback on the proposed rezoning. As part of the formal rezoning application process, a public engagement event will be held to solicit feedback from the community on the rezoning. There will also be an opportunity to speak directly to City Council and voice your opinion about the rezoning application at the Public Hearing that it will be presented at.

Thank you for your question. 

During the rezoning application process, the City will review the application and analyze the impact of the proposed development on parking and traffic levels of the adjacent roadways, such as Ozerna Road and 158 Avenue.  A traffic impact assessment may be required at the rezoning stage. The City may ask the developer to provide a Parking Impact Assessment to forecast parking supply and provide recommendations for mitigating any potential impacts. 

Through that analysis, if the levels of service of adjacent roadways are determined to decrease below an acceptable level, the developer will be asked to adjust their development accordingly to limit negative impacts on traffic and parking.

Thank you for your comment. 

Many other surplus school sites in Edmonton have been developed for a variety of uses, such as townhomes and seniors housing. If you are interested in understanding how the surplus school site may look following redevelopment, the surplus school sites nearby in Belle Rive, Caernarvon and Casselman have been developed as townhomes.  The surplus school site in the Mill Woods neighbourhood of Sakaw has recently been developed for seniors housing as well. 

Thank you for your questions. 

Access to the two soccer fields and baseball diamond will be maintained from 158 Avenue, as there will be a park access between the west boundary of the surplus school site and the residential property at 7132 158 Avenue NW. 

A landscape plan will be required to be submitted for any development that occurs on the site. The landscape plan will require a specific number of trees, shrubs and other plants that the future purchaser will need to plant as part of the development. 

Since 2015, the City’s Assessment and Taxation staff have monitored properties near surplus school sites developed for the First Place Program to determine if market values of those properties respond differently than properties located next to undeveloped surplus school sites in other neighbourhoods. To date, no distinguishable assessment change has been found between properties located next to completed First Place building sites and those located next to undeveloped surplus school sites in other neighbourhoods. The City continues to monitor these areas annually. 

Additionally, the Realtors Association of Edmonton states: “There are frequent claims from local residents that the addition of various facilities, amenities, business, or alternative housing types in their community will have a negative effect on the value of property in the community. Overwhelming evidence from studies in Canada and the U.S. indicates that the assumption that house prices will fall is false”.

If the community has fundraised to improve the adjacent playground and basketball court area of Ozerna Park, those sections of the park are not located within the surplus school site boundary and their use will continue. The Ozerna Park sign at the corner of Ozerna Road and 158 Avenue will be relocated within the park upon development of the surplus school site. 

Petitions can be started at your own leisure through a variety of third party services, however the City does not provide resources for conducting petitions. 

Thanks for your question.

Relocation of the surplus school site to a different location within Ozerna Park has been considered. However, it has been determined that the current location impacts the least amount of existing residents (i.e. is not adjacent to residential properties) and still provides for park access to the west of the site and north, adjacent to the playground and multi-use path. Additionally, relocation may impact more than one sports field, whereas the existing location only impacts one soccer field. 

Public parking will be maintained along 158 Avenue and Ozerna Road, where possible, following development of the surplus school site. However, parking will not be possible adjacent to the entrances to the surplus school site development. 

Thank you for your question. 

Both of the school sites located in Klarvatten and Ozerna were declared surplus by Edmonton Public Schools in 2015. An internal City review of both sites was carried out to determine if there was a municipal use for either site. Following the review, it was determined that there was no municipal need for either of the sites and they were both declared surplus to City needs in 2017. 

The City believes that repurposing undeveloped, surplus building sites makes the best and most innovative use of available land to offer greater housing choices to everyone, creating more sustainable communities and better meeting the City’s changing needs.

Thank you for your comment. 

Residential uses were considered for the surplus school site to support City-wide demand for housing and to fit within the current community. 

Commercial uses have not been provided as an option at this stage given the proximity to existing commercial uses in adjacent areas, such as Royal Centre North on 167 Avenue, the 7-Eleven plaza at 66 Street and 158 Avenue, Husky Gas Station on 153 Avenue and  73A Street and strip malls at 82 Street and 160 Avenue.  

However, the future purchaser of the surplus school site will have the option to submit an application to rezone the site to a commercial use,  if they believe there is sufficient demand. 

Thank you for your question.

The toboggan hill is not located within the vacant school building site and will not be impacted as a result. 

The existing soccer field within the surplus school building site is classified as temporary. As part of the City’s Urban Parks Management Plan, the City and school boards support temporary use of vacant school building land as sports fields with the understanding that the use is temporary and may be replaced with a school. If the school boards return the land to the City because they do not need it to build a school, the City can use the land in other ways. 

We understand that it’s a change to build on temporary sports fields and green space. Permanent space will remain (i.e. remainder of Ozerna Park) — it contributes to a wide system of play areas that factors in appropriate space for a growing population.