LDA22-0588 Glenora 136 Street RA8

I want to express concern over the proposed rezoning on 13611 & 13607 - Stony Plain Road NW, and 10240 - 136 Street NW. I live across from the proposed rezoning, and I think there are several issues that the City Council should know that will negatively impact the residents who live on 136 Street and Stony Plain Road.

1. It violates the Carruthers Caveat Covenant that reinforces the preservation of Glenora’s “Garden City Suburb” design. “The caveat ‘runs with the land’ meaning it is binding against each successive owner. Provisions of the caveat include restrictions on commercial development, imposing detailed and variable restrictions on a lot-by-lot, block-by-block basis with regards to setbacks and minimum values for new construction, and limiting the number of dwellings to one 'dwelling house' per lot” (https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/assets/PDF/Glenora_Heritage_Areas-POCA.pdf, page 6).
2. A multi-unit complex does not enhance or complement the architectural heritage and aesthetic of Glenora as per the Glenora Heritage Character Area project. The proposed building would be right next door to a single-detached house (10240 136 Street; Mayhew Residence), across from Glenora School (built in 1940), and facing two houses (Brennan and Allyn Residences, which are 102 and 100 years old, respectively, and are testaments to the architectural style and practices of pre-Second World War architecture). All of the aforementioned properties are on Edmonton’s Inventory of Historic Resources. This area also “has the highest concentration of buildings developed during Glenora’s Golden Age of Architecture” (https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/assets/PDF/Glenora_Heritage_Areas-POCA.pdf, page 15). Building a multi-unit complex in the area would not only detract from the historical significance of the area but also harm the aesthetic and cultural value of the neighbourhood. The proposed development could further exacerbate the loss of historic resources and loss of character in the area if it were to go ahead.
3. There would be negative impacts on traffic, congestion, and street noise. As others have already mentioned, there is currently no parking on Stony Plain, 102 Ave, and limited parking on 136 street, north and south of Stony Plain. The proposed building would be next to an elementary school that sees road and pedestrian (aka families with young children) traffic in the mornings and afternoons. Plus, with an LRT line coming in the next few years, I don’t understand how parking will support and contain the building's residents and its visitors without it spilling onto the street right in front of my property. Not to mention the unwanted traffic and congestion that a multi-unit building will bring to our quiet and peaceful neighbourhood.
4. Obstructed view and shadow cast on 10 houses on my block and into the neighbourhood during winter months, months which are already short in daylight hours.
5. A multi-storey unit towering over my house would invite unobstructed views of my property and a loss of personal privacy, which would impact the overall livability of the community and elicit distress for me and my family. The proposed building could also be a deterrent to home buyers who value privacy as well.
6. Loss of green space and mature trees. Glenora is one of the few areas in the city that has streets lined with mature trees. This makes for a uniquely beautiful environment that integrates the natural landscape and wildlife from the river valley into the neighbourhood. Glenora’s large trees help to regulate heat in the summer and provide several ecological benefits such as better air quality and stormwater management. Access to urban green spaces also offers Edmontonians various physical and psychological benefits as well. With intentional stewardship, these benefits can continue for generations of Edmontonians to come. We’ve already seen nine mature trees in front of our street cut down in preparation for the LRT Line, and this action has already increased street noise and dirt onto our property and has noticeably altered the character of the street. Cutting down more trees would be a terrible strike against the preservation of green space in our city.

I urge City Council to consider alternative development plans that would preserve Glenora’s historical and cultural significance, reduce traffic and street noise for the residents of 136 Street, and preserve green space in our city. I believe that by doing so, you would not only be preserving the city's heritage but also fostering a sense of community, pride, and well-being among the residents of Glenora. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

The City of Edmonton City Plan document defines a clear focus on promoting Edmonton’s history and encouraging a sense of local identity by preserving and enhancing heritage. Building a 6-story multi-use facility is incongruent with this focus by placing undesired congestion in one of Edmonton’s most iconic and historic neighborhoods that does not match or integrate with current residential structures. As an owner of one of the neighborhood’s oldest homes built by well-known Edmontonian, Lester Allyn, I have concerns about the gross disregard for citizen on-premise privacy and the natural elements that make this neighborhood special. Many mature trees have been cut down along Stony Plain Road to support the Valley Line LRT expansion. It is important that we continue to build sustainable and affordable transit for citizens, so although the street directly in front of my home has been ransacked of its natural beauty, I understand the reasoning that building the LRT along 107 Avenue would not be economical from a city-planning standpoint. However, I am also a proponent of preserving what we have left of this natural beauty, including mature trees, sunlight, and air quality, all of which are impacted by the erection of a 6-storey facility due to the removal of an additional ~15 mature trees that reside on these lots, increased traffic, and sunlight blockage.

When my wife and I purchased this home from the original owners that had owned the property for 97 years, it was important to the family that the home be maintained. They received offers from developers that they turned down because it was important this historic residence would retain its strong connection to place—a key strategy of the Edmonton City Plan as indicated on pages 80-82. In the photo below, you can see my home indicated by the red arrow and the proposed construction site in the adjacent box. This photo was taken in the late 1920s and in my opinion, provides proof of city design intention, where thoroughfares to Edmonton’s center are integrated with nature. The denaturalization of this community has been continually perpetuated for 100 years. Progress is inevitable, urban development cannot be stopped, but I believe a key to healthy communities is through integration of natural green spaces alongside manufactured/urban green spaces. Our parcel of land contains an 80+ year old tree that we will fight tooth-and-nail to maintain because it’s important to our community heritage—where is that commitment from the city? We can only replace so many mature trees with concrete pads littered with plants and call it “green space”. Of course, this is consistent with Glenora’s “garden city suburb” that has long defined this historic neighborhood as a component of Carruthers Caveat Covenant.

For me, stewardship of this historic neighborhood is a responsibility I took up when I purchased this 99-year-old brick home that was built by Lester Allyn.

Area congestion matters for safety of our children. An area congestion analysis must be conducted to mitigate issues associated with avenue mergers on primary corridors that contain mixed-use transportation, including motor vehicle, LRT, walking and cycling. A similar condition exists where 95ave meets Connors Road, but with a key difference: Edmonton’s historic Glenora School is directly adjacent to the proposed construction site. Edmontonians are already frustrated by the congestion issues associated with the intersection of 95st and Connors Road, but this issue will become dangerous when traffic congestion leads to misuse of arterial streets. This is well-documented in the City of Edmonton’s Crash and Equity Analysis Report which describes the mismatch between design and intended use of arterial streets in the High Injury Network (pg.17). If this building is constructed, you can mark my words that Glenora will be added to the list of crash-prone neighborhoods in Edmonton in the following years. Constructing a building of this magnitude directly between 102Avenue and Stony Plain Road, across the street from Glenora School, with no plan for citizen access to the building, regard for walking/cycling/LRT traffic, and intended arterial road use, is a recipe for disaster. This has already become evident with increased traffic on 136st, as it is the first direct connection between 107Ave and Stony Plain Road—a road which is directly adjacent to a second school, Westminster, and the Glenora Community League. I drive this stretch of road twice daily and the number of drivers that speed up/down to skirt construction on the Stony Plain Road Bridge, the 142st and 107 Ave traffic circle, or the 102Ave and Stony Plain Road merger has only increased with limited access to

Edmonton is a settler-city. Even today as technology companies flock to take advantage of the University of Alberta’s advancements in machine learning. Or perhaps for affordable housing, a career in petroleum production, or as a student at one of the city’s world-class post-secondary institutions. The City has a limited number of heritage assets and a limited number of historic neighborhoods that are distinctly “Edmontonian”, due in large-part to the construct that folks can come to Edmonton and make it whatever they want. Edmonton, does, in fact, have an identity, but it must be preserved through stewardship of mature neighborhoods and their intended design.
I hope that you will strongly consider the points I have outlined.

I am against the proposed rezoning and development. Like others have mentioned, the building is simply out of scale for this neighbourhood. Parking is very limited in this area and options for parking have become worse over the past five years with increased subdividing of lots.

The development will have a negative impact with increased traffic volumes in an already congested neighbourhood and that is without the completion of the LRT. Unlike some of the contributors below, I do not equate increased traffic as adding "vibrancy" to a neighbourhood. The bottom line is that the size of the development reduces the quality of life in this neighbourhood.

I do live within a block of the proposed development and the shadow study indicates that much of this area does receive shade from the tower throughout the year. I don't need additional shade. This is Edmonton with winter hanging around 7 months a year.

This proposal should be shot down. A comprehensive plan for development along the entire west leg of the LRT needs to be developed in conjunction with bordering communities along the LRT route and the city. Until then, developers are going to continue to push the limits and the city councillors and managers will continue to cave into their requests.

I do not support the proposed RA8 rezoning of this property. The size and scale of RA8 seems too large for the neighbourhood! This property needs to reflect what it is surrounding, which is single family homes, a school and in between two major high-traffic roads.
Looking at the Glenora neighbourhood, the city should be proposing something along the lines of RF5 or RF6. Row housing or Medium density multiple family would provide more density and also support the “missing middle” housing initiative that is important to cities.

This area already has parking issues, where you are only allowed to part in one side of the street (136th st only allows one side parking). Along with this proposed property being right beside a elementary school, I cannot comprehend how a 6 storey building will have enough parking and not hinder the already congested traffic during peak times.
This proposal already lacks information about the property plan, how many units, how much parking spots, etc.. so I decided to walk by the property in question to see it for myself. A 6 storey building would essentially engulf the entire property, living no room for anything else! I do think this is the best place to build 6-storey multi-unit housing. This property is located on one of the busiest streets and already does not have enough parking!

For the people in support of this proposed rezoning, please walk around Glenora and see the neighbourhood! This property is not close enough to Westblock to fit in with the high rise apartment scale (RA9). The property is surrounded by single family homes, where something like town houses or row housing would fit perfectly! I am not against adding more density and supporting the missing middle housing initiative but this RA8 proposal is ridiculous.

I support changing the density of established neighbourhoods, however rezoning this corner to RA8 is a significant rezoning step from the current RF1 zoning. There are several options between RF1 and RA8 that would increase the density and still be supported by the current infrastructure, such as RF5 (row housing) or RF6 (medium density multiple family zone).

RA8 is too broad; there is too much uncertainty in what the final building will be, and its use. There are no details or limits on how many units may be built. I do not want to support a project with such limited information.

Also, without requirements for the builder to include on-site parking for each unit, on street parking and congestion in the area will be impacted. This location cannot support significant on-street parking. There is no parking on Stony Plain Rd. There is no parking on one side of 136 Street, north of SPR, and no parking on one half of 136 Street, south of SPR. (There is already an issue with illegal parking in this area.) And around the block, there is no parking on 102 Avenue.

The school across the street is also a major stakeholder that should be considered. Higher enrolments will impact funding and class sizes (most classes at the school already have more than 30 students). And residents and guests may choose to illegally park in the school’s parking lot, creating more administration.

This really is a great addition for the area.

It's especially great for young families. Easy access to Glenora school and Westminster school, future LRT line, the shared-use path along a major bike route in 102 Ave, downtown, and the river valley.

It's an important development considering the housing supply needs in Edmonton for young families who want access to their needs. I wish this was 8 floors so more families have opportunities to live here.

Another point is this will help with sustainable city building. Increased property tax revenue for the City. Also, more dense redevelopments allows more people to live closer to their needs without any need of additional $$$ for road infrastructure to construct and maintain.

As for complaints of scale and aesthetic, the people this will bring to the area will make it more vibrant than a small bungalow (i.e. more kids using the playground or families biking along 102 ave or families hiking to the river valley). As for complaints on traffic, I think this type of development will improve mobility because increased density will mean more students can walk to school instead of being driven and more people can take the LRT line for longer trips. As for shadows, this dense development will bring more people to walk in the area so the shade is good with the summer heat.

Overall, I really like this rezoning application.

Commercial spaces will be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. Glenora is currently lacking options for commercial development with the main commercial strip being Vi’s for Pies, Columbian Coffee, ect. It would be nice to see additional restaurants and coffee shops within the neighbourhood, however still maintaining the scale and aesthetic of what’s existing.

RA8 would support a six storey building which is not keeping within the character of Glenora and is not reflective or supportive of the Cities “Garden City Suburb” guidelines. In a study posted on National Trust Canada Glenora is listed as one of the top 10 endangered places due to the recent demolition of historic houses and new developments not maintaining the historical aesthetic of the neighbourhood.

“A 2015-2017 heritage study of Glenora’s historic core expanded the buildings on the City’s heritage inventory to 137. Since 2016, however, Glenora has seen nine of these inventoried houses demolished for larger homes, often out of scale and unsympathetic to the neighbourhood’s historic character. While the City is working to develop new character area zoning for the neighbourhood, more needs to be done quickly by civic authorities and the community or this residential jewel will be irreversibly eroded.”
National Trust of Canada, https://nationaltrustcanada.ca/nt-endangered-places/glenora-neighbourhood

The property located at 10240 136 Street is currently listed on Edmonton’s Inventory of Historic Resources and as such is of historical and architectural significance to the City.

The subject properties are located in what the City has called the “Old Glenora Character Area” The City has taken substantial steps to begin the conservation process of Glenora, however the Glenora Heritage Character Area Rezoning project seems that have come to a standstill. Without these guidelines in place developers will be allowed to re-zone as the see fit and build to unreasonable densities not suitable for the character of the areas. This type of development would drastically change the character of Glenora and is located on a prime piece of land within the community. The area between Stony Plain Road and 102 Avenue is of historical significance and this should be respected.

The houses directly adjacent to this proposed development will be drastically impacted. Very rarely do you see a development go from a six storey structure down to a small bungalow on attached lots. How will the proposed development ensure the current residences are not looking at a large wall mass? How will the proposed development ensure that the current residence are not affected by shading? How will the proposed development ensure that the balconies are not looking into an existing backyards? There are numerous concerns that would out weight the benefits of this type of development.

o Will block sunlight into neighbouring yards.
o Not a sensitive transition to the surrounding houses.
o Could be overly congested.
o Much higher then what is currently built.
o Loss of privacy in surrounding lots.

This type of development will increase traffic and congestion in the area on an already busy street. Being directly adjacent to the Glenora School traffic is of concern. Parking is already limited on 136 Street and no parking is allowed on Stony Plain Road. RA8 only exists in higher density locations such as 99th Street and 82nd Avenue.

Access into the property will be limited due to the new LRT alignment.

Increased density in the form of six storeys is more suited towards the outskirts of the Glenora Neighbourhood, not within the center. There are very few neighbourhoods if any, located in the City that has RA8 zoning directly adjacent to an RF1. When comparing to the 109 Street corridor through Belgarvia and University area, these lots are all RA7 or RF6.

I would like this to be not approved due to following issues:

1. Where are these new residents going to park their cars? North of Stony Plain Rd, there is already only parking on one side of the road. There already is such limited parking out front, as a new home is being built right now, and a new duplex being built, both in front of my house.

2. The newly proposed LRT will be running along Stony Plain Rd, so there is already no parking north and there is very limited parking East of this properties.

3. We have experienced this before in Glenora, where someone proposes the changes just to sell the property for a higher price (please see MLS: E4324244, E4324245), for 13802 & 13806 102 Ave. This isn’t adding value to the neighbourhood, it just allows someone to profit from proposed land use changes.

4. This is right next to a school, that has heightened parking needs and fluctuations, during peak times. Having commercial or a mixed use building here does not make rational sense, to accommodate the households, parking needs and traffic in the area, with an LRT running right in front of it. The area has zero commercial areas near it. If need be, a building this size, with the ecological footprint that it has should be much closer to Westblock, in Glenora.

5. I spent tens of thousands of dollars redoing the back park of my property to accommodate for additional parking spaces, because my family and friends could never find parking in front of my house (before the duplex and the new building being built in front of my house).

I am not in favour of these changes. Please take these concerns with genuineness and consideration. There is absolutely no parking in the area.

This is a great way to leverage a better tax and ridership base for the upcoming Valley Line West, it will also be a great contribution to housing supply and diversity along a primary corridor. Can't wait to see more applications like this.

This is a suitable site for this kind of mid-rise development within walking distance of a future LRT stop. It's also a very short walk to the bus 2 on 102 Avenue which runs frequently.