Edmonton Minute: Pedway Decision, Rapid Housing, and a Controversial Parking Garage

Edmonton Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Edmonton politics

This Week In Edmonton:

• Today at 9:30 am, there will be a Community and Public Services Committee meeting. Topics include last summer’s pilot project allowing alcohol consumption in City parks, financing policy options for future recreational centres, and a status update on the Rosenthal Park Site Outdoor Recreation Facility. Overall, City Administration concluded that there is no need for alternative financing policy tools for recreation centres.
  
  
• On Tuesday at 9:00 am, there is an Agenda Review Committee meeting. On Wednesday at 9:30 am, the Executive Committee will meet to discuss the conversion of the Coliseum Inn to housing as part of the Rapid Housing Initiative, in addition to a report on the sale of greenfield residential land.
  
  
• Finally, on Friday, there is a Utility Committee meeting at 9:30 am. On the agenda is the Edmonton Cart Rollout update and EPCOR’s reporting requirements to City Council. The waste cart rollout saw its share of incidents but overall managed to stay within the allotted budget, which for anything City Hall touches is an accomplishment. About 40% of Edmonton's waste could still be diverted.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• The City of Edmonton has finally decided to go ahead and build a $26 million pedway linking Churchill Station to a Qualico development, also near Chinatown. Councillor Anne Stevenson brought forward a motion to spend the dollars elsewhere, but other Councillors were concerned that reneging on the commitment made by the previous council would negatively affect Edmonton’s ability to attract development. Ultimately, the motion was defeated 10-3.
  
  
• The City also decided to spend $14 million on a parking garage at the Orange Hub. The City-owned facility needs to demolish its existing parking garage due to structural issues. This decision did not sit well with some Councillors as its location right near a future LRT station makes it a prime area for development. Some Councillors suggested a mixed-use development might be a better use of the space.
  
  
• Businesses in Chinatown said they were in danger of closing for good if social disorder in their neighbourhood doesn’t improve. Despite being almost directly next to Edmonton Police Headquarters and the Provincial courthouse, businesses in the past have felt compelled to hire their own security patrol. The Chinatown and Area Business Association say that approximately a dozen businesses are planning to leave in the next few months.

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