Mill 99 - Ritchie DC2 Rezoning (LDA22-0070)

***The discussion has concluded. A What We Heard report is available to view and will be shared with Council when they make their decision at Public Hearing.***

Thank you for participating in engagement activities for this rezoning and plan amendment application. Please review the information on this page and provide feedback before the end of the day on April 30, 2023.

The role of the public is at the ADVISE level of the City’s Public Engagement Spectrum, which means that the City will use any feedback that you share to make sure the review of the application is as complete as possible and takes neighbourhood context into consideration. It will also be summarized for City Council so that they know your perspective prior to making a decision at a future Public Hearing.

APPLICATION DETAILS

(Applicant rendering, subject to change)

The City is reviewing an application to rezone 9903 to 9907 - 80 Avenue NW and 9919 80 Avenue NW from an existing Site-Specific Development Control Provision (DC2.940) and the Low-Rise Apartment Zone (RA7) to a new Site-Specific Development Control Provision (DC2).

The proposed DC2 Provision would allow for a development with the following characteristics:

• Two buildings, separated by a public open space/plaza area
• Maximum building heights:
  • East tower building (at 99 Street NW corner) - 65 metres (approximately 19 storeys)
  • West building - 23 metres (approximately 6 storeys)
• A maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 5.5
• Up to 230 new residential dwellings, at least 70 of which would have 2 or more bedrooms and 9 would have 3 bedrooms or more
• Up to 350 square metres of commercial floor area in the east building
• A maximum tower floor plate of 675 square metres for the east tower building

As a result of feedback received from the City’s technical review and planning analysis, the Edmonton Design Committee, and public engagement conducted in 2022, the applicant has made some revisions to the proposal, mainly related to making the proposed tower taller, but slimmer. Key changes include:

• Increasing the maximum height of the tower from 49 m to 65 m (approximately 14 to 19 storeys)
• Reducing the maximum floor plate of the tower from 827 to 675 square metres
• Increasing the space between the tower and the property lines (setbacks)
• Reducing the amount of commercial space from 500 to 350 square metres

A comparison document between the initial and revised proposed DC2 Provisions has been prepared to show the changes from the initial proposal.

The application also includes proposed amendments to the Strathcona Area Redevelopment Plan to facilitate the rezoning:

• Residential Objective #7: Proposed exemption for this site
• Commercial Objective #1: Proposed exemption for this site
• Historic Preservation and Urban Design Objective #3: Proposed exemption for this site
• West Ritchie Area Land Use Policy 4: Proposed exemption for this site
• West Ritchie Area Built Form Policy 1: Proposed exemption for this site
• Figure 9: Change rezoning site from Low-Rise Apartment to a new Mid-Rise and/or Commercial/Residential Mix category

NEXT STEPS

City Administration will prepare a report to City Council providing a recommendation on this rezoning and plan amendment application. The City’s recommendation will be determined by a thorough review of the proposal, which involves technical considerations, such as traffic and drainage impacts, and alignment to approved City land-related plans and policies (e.g., The City Plan). The report will also include a summary of the feedback received through this engagement so that City Council can factor community feedback, along with the City’s recommendation, into their decision. The decision to approve or refuse this application will be made at a future Public Hearing where anyone interested can also request to speak directly to City Council and share their perspectives prior to a decision being made.