The City of Edmonton is seeking public input on plans to turn Edmonton’s Old Strathcona neighborhood into a community hub as part of the city’s efforts to revitalize the area.
After two phases and a public participation session, the city is in the third phase of the plan. Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy.
The draft plan makes seven recommendations, including adding more green space and bike lanes, changing Whyte Avenue to prioritize pedestrians and transit, and closing portions of 83 Avenue to vehicular traffic.
“The majority of the customers that come into these stores are already non-drivers. People are vastly overestimating the number of drivers,” Papastu Ward City Councilman Michael Jantz said.
“We want to have a space for all seasons. A place where we can have a fire pit, a place where we can have festivals. We’ve also had ‘Ice on White’ and other winter festivals here.” “Even in the winter, people are looking for cool places to go out and hang out,” Janz explained.
Janz said there were questions about how closing some of the traffic would affect businesses such as the Old Strathcona Farmers Market and Fringe Theater.
Get the day’s top news stories from Canada and around the world delivered to your inbox.
The Old Strathcona Farmers Market is located on a black strip of 83rd Avenue and may become pedestrian-only.
Communications Coordinator Elaine Doucette said they are working to bring as many people into the community as possible.
“This is really great and could add some life to the market, create more outdoor space and extend the market out onto the street, making it safer for pedestrians,” she said.
But Doucette said the market would require major renovations if plans are approved.
“Trucks are not allowed through. They have to move through the entire loading area,” she said. “Right now, we need to install some overhead doors on the east side of the building for farmers to load onto their trucks. But it all fits into our revitalization plan.”
Part of the proposed plan to add green space includes the removal of a parking lot that the farmers market leases from the city to provide free parking to customers.
“Free parking is a very popular commodity right now. For us to be able to do that and offer free parking to our customers is a huge benefit to the market,” she explained. “She’s two blocks from the river valley and has a lot of beautiful green space.”
The councilor explained that only certain areas would be affected, so drivers would still have the option of coming to Old Strathcona.
“We know there are 3,500 parking spots in this area. There’s a lot of parking. We need to do a better job of showing people, ‘This is where you can park and this is where you should go.’ There is, he explained.
Jantz said it’s too early to know whether the changes will be possible. He said it will still be years before any work begins.
“Even if the city council approves the plans, we still need to raise the money,” he explained. “That would include a combination of funding for different streetscapes, funding for park space and selling off some properties that could become new housing,” he added.
Residents have until April 7th to make their voices heard. online survey before being presented to City Council in August.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
