LDA20-0385 Station Flats Rezoning/Plan Amendment & Municipal Reserve Removal

In reference to Area B: I would like to see a very wide and secure sidewalk as this is on an extremely busy road. I do not oppose the 7 stories (as it is 6 with a parking space underneath, but am concerned that the city just revised the Plan and now there is another request to alter it. The city needs to stick to its vision that is supported by the residents of Edmonton and not just to appease development. We have already seen development approved against the majority of residents in the case of the high-rise behind the Old Post Office and it has failed by the developer and also with the Bateman building in 99th st and 89th ave and the Mill Creek Ravine house that is now being sold by the developer who had "such good intentions". I request that the city be more cautious with development plans... which to be honest appear to be quite haphazard as the are continual requests to change development restrictions.

As for the removal of the Municipal Reserve: This is a historic park where the McIntyre Fountain and Gazebo were initially located. The Flowering Crabs are also of this age. Removing these 3 trees would be absolutely awful. For almost a 100 years they have brought joy every spring to Edmontonians. I am very concerned for these trees. Please let us know if the trees will be safe. If not I have time on my hands to tie myself to one in protest. I am serious.

I am also concerned that additional business development will remain empty as we have already seen a collapse of many Whyte Avenue businesses due to the covid. I would hate to see more empty leases in the area and feel that the existing buildings that are empty should be leased out first before new ones are built.

But having said all of this I do like the idea of another plaza in the area and the use of container cans as construction material. Also I agree with others that there needs to be breathing space for the Strathcona Rail Station. its east historic view was already destroyed by development (which was not supposed to happen!!!) So this historic building with such beautiful architecture and historic meaning to the development of Strathcona and Edmonton needs to have more empty space around it than 5 metres.

Overall, I think the high level concept a good idea for the area, but have a few points of concern:

I think 7 stories may be a bit high for everything surrounding it. Limiting it to 5-6 would make for an easier transition to the area.

Open parking is a bit concerning for safety purposes (i.e. dark corners places to hide, access to utilities, etc.), and maintenance for the developer and the property manager seems counter-intuitive. I understand this is partially to preserve the adjacent parking for the exiting commercial tenant of the old rail way building. If there is a better compromise that makes sense, that would be preferred.

Others have mentioned foot traffic in the area, Some folks try to walk on the west side of the existing train station building and restaurant, which is quite dangerous as it is very close to Gateway Blvd.

There are a lot of folks that are living rough that frequent the MR park to the north. I hope that if this development moves forward, there is consideration as to how to inform and engage individuals that use that space in a respectful, just, and equitable manner. And not to simply displace them because of the nature of their socioeconomic situation.

Parking at grade is a gross misuse of land in this area. It does nothing to enhance the pedestrian experience.
This is not an appropriate development. Please don’t make the same mistake as the long, ugly building to the east. Any development should contain active edges at ground level, and be broken up to reconnect 80 Avenue.

It looks like the old train station is being really crowded by modern boxy structures. If I read it correctly, the distance between the station and the sea container structure is only 5 meters. Would it be possible to see some renderings of the west elevation? Giving the old station some breathing room with a surrounding greenspace is more appealing to me.

I also like the idea of having more connectivity over/across 80th Avenue. The city keeps talking about getting people out of cars, so why not make the area more pedestrian/bike friendly?

How will bicycle traffic flow through the Station Park development on the current Municipal Reserve lands?

Currently, many cyclists use the green space to get east or west of the train tracks without crossing to the north side of Whyte Ave. Some cross Gateway Blvd at the lights south of the train station, while some cross Gateway at the marked crosswalk at 81 Ave.

To do this, people ride along the sidewalk on the south side of Whyte Ave for a half block, to avoid having to cross Whyte Avenue twice (which would be quite difficult and dangerous).

While this is an ad-hoc route that's created by the lack of reasonable alternatives (e.g. no pedestrian crossing of the tracks south of Whyte Ave), and not an official route, it is still quite heavily used (as can be observed in the goat trails in the existing park) by people whose origins and destinations are both south of Whyte Ave but on either side of the train tracks.

Will Station Park allow for people to ride slowly through to access the crosswalk at 81 Ave? Or have a path that allows cyclists to bypass the pedestrian area?

There needs to be allowance for people to ride through and make those connections without having to dismount. Forcing dismounting poses accessibility issues for people who can't walk (many people ride because they aren't able to walk long distances, or who carry heavy loads or trailers by bicycle that can't easily be walked).

My only concern is with the number of pedestrians it will bring to the south east corner of the intersection and how people will move. It’s very difficult to access the train station building already due to the narrowness of the land, and this will force more people to cross the road at whyte which is already very busy and dangerous to navigate with turning cars.

I would like to see pedestrian and bike lane on 80 Ave over the railroad - connecting us to the rest of Old Strathcona if this development moves forward.