LDA21-0059 Potter Greens Rezoning

As 20 year residents of this community, we strongly oppose this rezoning. After reading the comments already submitted, most of our concerns are widely shared. Our key issues are as follows;

1. The traffic implications of a four story apartment complex in this location are going to choke entry and exit to Potter Greens in a way the City planners could not have possible taken seriously into account. In front of the LRT station, the 4 lane to 2 lane transition is already a problem in rush hour.
2. Traffic and parking in Potter Greens is tight already, and adding a 4 story apartment will undoubtedly create havoc on streets that were designed for low volume residential planning. The safety of pedestrians and children need to be taken into account when considering the implications of this rezoning.
3. The City talks a good game on being environmentally progressive and yet wiping out a natural area that is obviously appreciated and cherished by the community get trumped by increasing tax revenue from an apartment complex.
4. Our area was considered a desirable community to live in when we bought our lot and built our home. We appreciated how this community was originally designed and watched it grow and develop over the years. We understand that things change but this particular rezoning is too much for the residents to stand still on.
Current 4 story complexes in the area were much better located and planned for traffic compared to this submission.

J&L

I am strongly opposing the proposal of this rezoning for the following reasons:

1. The natural area with trees is a valuable reserve for birds, animals and people in our community. It also provides a good separation/buffering zone between the busy Lewis Farm bus/LRT station and our community. Please do not remove the trees in the area.

2. The local traffic volume in our community has already been high. If the proposed low rise apartment is built, the situation will become much worse. In addition, the coming construction of the LRT station and railway in Lewis Farms will make the local traffic in the area terribly bad.

3. The proposed low rise apartment does not fit in the overall existing plan in Potter Greens where there is no low rise apartment in this mature community. This low rise apartment will be too intrusive for Potter Greens.

4. The low rise apartment will for sure drag down the overall value of every house in this entire community. Due to the limited land size, the construction of the low rise apartment will not accommodate many new peoples but make the area over-crowded and significantly change the decent nature of the entire community.

Please stop this rezoning for good.

I would like to comment on the proposed rezoning for the Potter Greens neighborhood.

When we purchased our home on Palmer Close back in 2009, it was mainly for the great neighborhood as well as easy access from the Anthony Henday OR the Whitemud. It's a peaceful crescent with great neighbors. It was convenient for our son's school, sports activities and a great location.

In the past few years we could see the land in question (RF5) was being worked on and it seemed exciting to see more development in a residential neighborhood. Much to our chagrin we are now looking at a potential 4 story, high density, complex with many apartments. Which will inevitably lead to more traffic in the area. Having purchased (on purpose) a home in a crescent for less vehicles traffic was a main contributor to our choice. Now with a potential 4 story structure (with retail possibilities no less), traffic will become a problem. There is mainly 2 access to our street and both would be hindered by 100's of apartment in the vicinity. Not to mention vagrant vehicles parked on our Crescent. I'm sure you can understand our concern and that's not why we purchased (and pay taxes) in Lewis Estates.

Rest assured I am not opposed to growth in the city but wouldn't it make more sense to build (even larger complex) by the Lewis Bus Farm land (currently described as AGU)? It would keep all retail in the same area as the Henday Promenade, reduce traffic in residential neighborhoods and keep it close to public transit. Making the (RF5) area for green space, along the Lewis Estates gold course hole #11 is much better and more viable idea.

Please don't take away for neighborhood, please don't succumb to reducing our quality of life, please don't remove our peaceful and great wild life and please don't make want to sell our house...

I was surprised to see a road closure buried in this rezoning (sneaky). This road should not be closed and made into a path. If there is a accident at PGD and Picard a ambulance or fire truck does not have access to 250 home and about 1000 residents. How has been allowed for over 20 years?
I participated in the city's visioning of the land where the bus centre is now and this great Transit Orientated Development. What a joke....That process was only done to get a transit centre approved and a big parking lot. More recently approval for a 24 hour maintenance yard for trains.
No more changes to the plan. Build what was planned when i moved in. Closing a collector road .... crazy.

This is an absolute "spit in the face" for all residents of Potter Greens.
Our decision to move to Potter Greens was based factors such as green space, treed areas, amount of neighbourhood traffic and the zoning for the spaces in question here. Duplexes similar to The Shores would be a good fit and makes sense. It fits with the rest of the area. A 4 storey, high density apartment complex with commercial businesses crammed into a corner of the neighbourhood does not.
Destroying the beautiful treed areas that house a large amount of wildlife in the area and provide a dampening of noise from the already horrendous Webber Greens Drive cannot possibly sound like a good idea to anybody except Melcor. The volume in this area has grown exponentially over the years. The roadways cannot support added volume. The LRT station is already going to make the area a terrible place to get in and out of.
This work is just going to drive down our property values, increase our property taxes and invite more unwanted traffic to the area.
The Edmonton Police indicate that this neighbourhood is low in crime but the City needs to be aware that those stats do not include the amount of foot traffic that wanders around the area constantly, invading our yards and rummaging through our vehicles.
The LRT station is already going to cause this to spike significantly, the addition of high density housing will just add to it.
I could go on forever with valid reasons to deny this rezoning. Traffic volume, wildlife preservation, green space availability, crime rate increases, noise pollution.
Fix Webber Greens Drive before anything else. It is an insult that this type of roadway is what is provided for the area.
The fact that construction is already underway is also insulting. Do our voices really matter? Or is this simply just part of the process that needs to be documented?

I am opposed to the change in the zoning. We will have more traffic that can’t be handled, crime rate will increase. In addition to changing the peace and quiet neighborhood we moved into. Why does the City of Edmonton always start with a project that was tolerated by the neighborhood and change it to a much larger one. I saw this happen in an area that I used to live in. We are the tax payers of the area and not the developer to which you are catering to. Do not change our neighborhood with increase density housing

One of the biggest issues these days is the parking of vehicles. Families are tending to have at least two vehicles, one for each parent and in some cases individual vehicles for individual children. The general impression is that more and more children are continuing to live with their parents longer, and the number of parking spots becomes an issue even on residential streets with single-family houses (FF1). I would be concerned if the proposed development did not include at least two off-street parking spots for each apartment plus at least an allowance for a third parking spot for half the number of apartments.

If a multi-use path is to replace the extension of Potters Greens Drive north of DC2 (206), then the present temporary turnaround in the northeast corner of DC2 (206) should be made permanent.

We moved into the area specifically because of the forested space. The wetland area provides a truly special feel and supports countless wildlife. We said when we moved that if they ever took down the trees that would be it for us. There are so many parks and public green spaces nearby that it seems like a waste to destroy something special for something that is already present in the area. I’m hearing that the lack of spaces in schools is one reason for the opposition to the proposed low rise and increased population/traffic. This is not the space to use for that as the roads are absolutely not ready for the increased traffic. The small section of potter greens was never meant to be a high trafficked (school & multi unit housing in addition to regular neighbourhood traffic) road or they wouldn’t have had houses that need to back up across it to leave their driveway. Please do not ruin a beloved part of the community.

These are terrible proposals and it is offensive that the clearing and site preparation work is already started.
The traffic on Picard is heavy and to put more traffic on a narrow street that often has park user vehicles parked is purely unsafe.
The type of building(s) proposed do not fit in this section of the neighbourhood and insulting to those who believed city assurances in the past.

Stop this revision.

My wife and I moved to Lewis Estates last year. We chose the area and the house that we did specifically because directly across from is a gorgeous wooded area. We fell in love not just because of the esthetics, but because they act as a sound barrier between us, Webber Greens, and the Henday. These roads will only get busier and louder when the LRT station is finished. Not only does this proposed rezoning increase the traffic on Webber, as well as Potter Greens Drive and Picard Drive, which is where we are located, but it removes that which makes living next to these busy roads tolerable. This to say nothing about the destruction of a beautiful green space, and the habitats of all the animals that live therein.

I can't see how adding an additional park to this area, when there are at least 2 within a couple blocks of this zone, makes any sense. If a new park must be built it makes more sense to put it behind the area where the daycare sits, but again, there are 2 parks within a few blocks.

Changing from a row house development to a low-rise apartment is a move driven by greed, and not practicality. The area is not set up for the amount of people a low-rise apartment building accommodates. Even if the connecting road is built, all the neighbourhood roads in the area are effectively single-lane. The increased traffic brought on by this build would push the road capacity beyond it's max, and would serve only to make the noise in this area unbearable.

This proposed rezoning is an insult to everyone who lives in this area, in every way, and must not be allowed to move forward.

We recently moved to Lewis Estates and had investigated the use of this property prior to purchasing. Should this proposed rezoning occur, it would be a compete betrayal by the City of Edmonton. We will be affected by decreasing property values, increasing noise and traffic, decreasing privacy into our yards, and eliminating the beautiful sunrises that we have come to enjoy.
Also, the traffic along Picard Drive is significant and multiple close calls occur weekly at the golf cart crossing. Increasing this traffic increases the likelihood of an adverse event.
We ask that the City of Edmonton stay true to their word and hold firm with the original zoning that so many people have planned their homes and lives around.
Cheryl

Before we purchased our home in Potter Greens 17 years ago I contacted the City of Edmonton to inquire when the Potter Greens Drive roadway would be completed. I was told there was not a timeline for the developer to finish the road but it was on the plans and be completed someday. We did purchase the home and have been patiently waiting for the road to be finished so there was more than one way for us to exit our area.
I disagree with the entire proposed rezoning including the installation of a foot path and not constructing a roadway.

We have lived in Lewis Estates, Potter Greens subdivision for many, many years. When we bought in here we were led to believe the undeveloped property owned by Melcor on Picard Drive backing on to the golf course would be adult duplexes similar to The Shores which is adjacent. This undeveloped land is in a quiet area not suitable for high density living purposes. There is a playground/soccer field during which times vehicles are parked on both sides of Picard Drive making it almost impossible for 2 way traffic to get through in a 30 kph zone; this also occurs during the winter when people are using the skating/hockey rink. In addition there are 2 golf cart crossings on Picard Drive one being at the corner of this proposed undeveloped property. One can only imagine the increased traffic along Picard Drive if this rezoning application is allowed, considering they want the extension of Potter Greens Drive to close, the volume on Picard Drive would be horrendous. This purposed high density apartment complex would have a major negative impact on this area and should not be allowed.

I am writing specifically to provide feedback on the proposal to allow Low Rise Apartments to be built in the area that was originally for Row Housing. Similar to my neighbours, I feel this would not be ideal. While I am in support of having mixed types of dwellings in a neighbourhood, apartment dwellings in this part of Lewis Estates would not work well. That area is not on a main road - it would mean increased traffic in an area that has a playground, soccer fields (have you seen this place in the summer? children are crossing all the time), and a childcare centre. Even though it is designated as a playground zone, people speed regularly in the area. We specifically chose this part of Lewis Estates because we had young children and wanted an area that was relatively free of "dense housing". We knew that two schools were being developed in the area and that area was intended for townhouses. This development would change the neighbourhood significantly. On another note, we hope that you will give everyone who has commented on this page at least two weeks notice for the public hearing date. Thank you.

Every element of this proposal is negative. Allowing Melcor to develop high density housing without adding a connector road or twinning Webber Greens Drive will further congest an already frustrating and dangerous bottleneck. Every route into this neighborhood is a bottleneck and it is awful. It was a crime to allow developers to skate by building this neighborhood with a single lane of traffic throughout.

Cutting down the trees that likely attracted many families to this area and setting a children’s playground next to a busy, dangerous road is also awful. Adding more people to an area with insufficient school spaces and no leisure centre is awful. Have been looking at moving out of this area (and city) for a while thanks to all the traffic issues and the lack of amenities, this proposal adds fuel to that fire.

This is an absolute terrible idea for the area.
The increase of traffic will be an absolute nightmare in all area related to this proposal.
The City needs to put way more thorough on projects.
Not to say what other infrastructure will be affected by a project of this size.
Not the area for this at all.

As a relatively new resident to Palmer Close, my wife and I were very surprised and equally troubled after the proposed zoning change in our neighbourhood. We thought we had done due diligence in finding out that the empty lot at the end of Palmer Close was going to be row housing - very much like "The Shores" just down the street on Picard Drive. Of course we always thought that the continuation of Potter Greens Drive was a foregone conclusion as we saw the city plans and in fact could see the existing cut lines where the roadway will be built. And finally we also see that the zoning allows for commercial use in the ground floor of the proposed 4 story apartment, not at all the neighbourhood we thought we bought into!
I feel betrayed, my wife feels gutted and my neighbours, many long time residents' are stupefied, angry and hurt - they all have the same opinion - develop the property as townhomes - not apartments. Complete the Potter Greens Drive connection and keep the promises you made to the community as you said you would in the Neighbourhood Plan!

We are against this change. Traffic is bad enough getting into the Lewis Estates community currently. 87 Ave coming into webber greens the road infrastructure needs to be looked into before this development. It is not sufficient. This will greatly increase the existing traffic issues in this neighborhood which I am concerned about. Speed is a huge issue in our neighborhood already and this will make it worse with increased traffic frustrations. Also the nature area is beautiful with lots of trees and wildlife living in it. It would be a real shame to take it down.

Looks ok.
But dont try and increase the density any further than the proposed rezoning or the rezoned height ... 4 stories is it.
And don't try to slide in more commercial on the school/park rezoning later either.
Otherwise... I'm good.
If you gotta build a school on the big... so be it.
But ... my understanding is the proposed school rezone section is a wet bog ... full of wild life ... just leaving it for a natural preservation area already fits in with the water management pond close by.
I would have preferred the two be connected and designated one bigger semi untouched park .
So if the school doesn't work out ... make it a park already ... and move on .

We have been residents of Lewis Estates for 20 years and back directly onto this property. We were promised from the very beginning that it would be a duplex complex like the shores.
We strongly disagree with this change. It will be more traffic, crime and decrease in property values.
We already watch traffic speed by the park and golf course. We have seen many near misses over the years. Increasing traffic will increase the chances of an accident and I would prefer not to be a witness. Crime is already high enough in the area. More people, more crime.
Part of the beauty of living in the area is the wildlife and wooded areas.
We would hope that the developer would consider the residents of Lewis Estates who purchased in the area on the previous conditions and not destroy our community to increase their revenue.
As a developer I would prefer to have my name associated with a beautiful middle class neighbourhood rather than a lower class neighbourhood with high crime