LDA20-0216 Strathcona The Baron Rezoning

I offer my support and encouragement to this proposed rezoning. As a life-long Edmontonian, I believe that it would be beneficial to the Strathcona neighborhood, not only by means of beautifying the Whyte Ave scene with good looking architecture, but also helping spur economic grow and development in the area by expanding its residential community.

I am writing in support of this project. The architecture is sustainable and a true representation of a forward-thinking city. White Ave needs more residential density for safety. I am also in support of this project because the podium's architecture fits in with White Ave's historic quality and character. I also appreciate the consideration for the set back that eliminates a shadow effect on neighboring buildings. A truly extraordinary project for the City of Edmonton.

This looks like a beautiful project. Could be a big win for the greater city of Edmonton and the surrounding community. I hope we see this project moves forward!

Whyte ave/Old Strathcona has been evolving for the past 25 years starting with the old St Joseph hospital that is now a mix of Residential and retail/services . There is nothing historic about car dealerships on whyte the developers here are taking HUGE risks but the end result with shops on the main floor and mid rise residential will help Whyte ave . Have you walked east of 102 st and south of Whyte ave these days WOW and incredible mix of residential and main floor services ,my guess 1000 new units over the past 10 years this is great .
Whyte ave keeps losing retailers and restaurants we lost KEG/army and Navy/Planet organic 'starbucks /second cup/Doans/blaze pizza .billiards club./chapters/king and I plus a number local iconic local retailers.
More residential in the area will only want retailers and services to come back to old Strathcona.
When you add residential to an area it becomes more dynamic and more vibrant ,i do not want to see a WHYTE AVE that i walk down the street and can not get a coffee /burger or a speciality shoe store.
More well thought out mix use projects will bring people who stay and shop and make everything about Whyte ave the best it can be

I fully support this proposed development project by Wexford. The area will benefit greatly in the long-run by seeing projects of this type/size/scale developed in this landmark area. Wexford is a proven developer that will build a project of tremendous quality and thoughtful design that compliments this historic yet evolving area of the Edmonton community.

This is a great idea.
I fully endorse the use of mass timber and no parking. This is as green as one can build with what we know today.

This would be a great opportunity to revitalize the site and bring new life to the area.

Remember the old Brian Hall jingle “ Build it now build it in cedar”

Please update this with “ Build it now build it in reclaimed timber”

The proposed building has beautiful heritage podium architecture that fits in with the architectural vernacular of Whyte Ave, with sustainable, mass timber construction. This will improve the neighbourhood and the height and density will not have a negative impact on the street or neighbourhood.

1) Whyte Ave needs more residential units for safety, vibrancy, and to support the local businesses
2) Whyte Ave is riddled with retail vacancies and new residential projects will help improve the urban realm by allowing new businesses to open, supported by residents
3) Edmonton, Alberta, and Whyte Ave all need economic stability and recovery and a project like this is a positive for the street, city and province.
4) The proposed building has beautiful heritage podium architecture that fits in with the architectural vernacular of Whyte Ave, with sustainable, mass timber construction. This will improve the neighbourhood and the height and density will not have a negative impact on the street or neighbourhood.
5) The residential portion of the building is set back almost 6 meters from the street, and since this building is on the North side of Whyte Ave, there will be no shadow effect.

This project needs to be pushed through.

The proposed building has beautiful heritage podium architecture that fits in with the architectural vernacular of Whyte Ave, with sustainable, mass timber construction. This will improve the neighbourhood and the height and density will not have a negative impact on the street or neighbourhood. A great project and can't wait until it's built!

This building should be forces to comply with the neighbours existing zoning restrictions- 4 stories.

This area already has an established aesthetic and character that makes this neighbourhood what it is. A taller building would not only be out of place but it would create more of a wind tunnel but be horribly out of place.

Support this developments. Looks great

Completely opposed to this development. In favour of more density, but this isn’t the answer.

I oppose this rezoning application. The Old Strathcona area has a very thorough development plan - this application is an insult to that plan and all Edmontonians. I support high-density infill in Edmonton but it should not come at the expense of our heritage. This high rise could be built a literal stone's throw away from this site and be just as attractive to potential residents and businesses without destroying an irreplaceable part of our community's history. Please, there are other places that could be developed in this area. It does not need to be this exact site. Hold the line Edmonton. Or else what good are plans and rules if deep pocketed developers get to rewrite them?

This proposed rezoning solves zero problems and should therefore be rejected outright.

Edmonton is no longer facing the kind of major population boom that would necessitate rapid expansion of the housing stock, and there are already ample opportunities for condo living in the neighbourhood, many of them recently built and contributing to increased density. Many are also undersold and being rented instead of sold because of the depressed condo market in the city. Providing even greater, similar-purpose housing makes no sense at this time. There is, therefore, no housing problem to be addressed.

Especially following COVID, there are already many commercial spaces for rent in the neighbourhood, many of which do not face the additional cost pressures of supporting a multi-million-dollar development. Such additional costs will only ensure that well-known brands can exist and thrive in the new commercial spaces. The sudden disappearance of Starbucks notwithstanding, there are already dozens of similarly-sized commercial spots available that fit this bill. Therefore, there is no problem of providing commercial space for well-known businesses.

One problem that does exist is the gradual winnowing down of Old Strathcona's character through new construction, higher rents, and loss of historical character as represented by locations like the Archibald Block. This is a problem that should be remedied by council immediately putting forward the motion to designate the area a Municipal Historical Resource so that it's unique properties can be properly maintained and allow businesses like the current tenants (and hopefully other ones that represent similar unique viewpoints), to continue adding to the unique nature of the neighbourhood.

I’m writing in opposition to the proposed redevelopment of the Archibald Block in Old Strathcona.
I firmly believe the historic 1909 structure deserves preservation and hopefully future renovation to its original design.
The COE planning video itself underscores the importance of this building within the Provincial Historic Area. Buildings of this vintage are incredibly rare in Edmonton. The fact that one of this vintage is even being considered for demolition and redevelopment is incomprehensible to me.
If a significant part of the appeal of Old Strathcona is rooted in its history, why would the removal of such a building be seen as a benefit to the area ?
The recent loss of the Minchau Blacksmith Shop, a few blocks east, was another baffling loss to the area, and this proposal seeks to follow a similar path. Demolition of a historic building, that contributes to the historic character and richness of the area, only to be replaced a faceless condo tower.
Continuing down this path of historical building destruction is counter to the direction the city should be taking to preserve and enhance our heritage buildings, for the benefit of current and future generations.
Thank you.

The character of Whyte Ave has been massively damaged in recent years because of rezoning like this. As a longtime resident, I absolutely do not want to see the Archibald Block reduced to a shell of what it is in order to line the pockets of greedy developers whose sole aim is to price gouge Edmontonians and decimate the mom and pop shops that once lined this historic avenue but now cannot afford to stay in business due to rising rent rates caused by this self same development mess. This kind of action, especially in the protected historic area proposed, would be another nail in the coffin for Whyte Ave. I desperately hope this proposed action does not get approved.

I thought the Raymond Block was a truly appalling piece of architecture with little to no connection between the streetscape and the apartment complex above but this takes poor design to another level. If it had any elegance I would be inclined to support the height increase as all cities benefit from variety and urban form created by varying scales of development. Just because we like heritage and preservation we shouldn't be afraid of change but this is just bad. It would be a sad day if council rolled over to the developer's wishes on this site. Didn't they do their due diligence when they purchased the property? If we have any faith in creating Area Redevelopment Plans and going to the trouble of consulting and agreeing on their content we shouldn't amend them without a very compelling reason. This falls short on all counts.

Historic heritage is a treasure more precious than economic profits. Changing the zone from DC1 to DC2 is nothing but shortsighted and harmful to the environment.
A building for residential use at whyte Avenue totally makes no sense. Who wants to live close by a noisy road with no obvious greeneries around.
While, as for commercial use. A building with 4 storeys are enough!!!!!