Lendrum rezoning pilot project aims to avoid 'dog-and-pony show'
A plan to replace a cluster of walk-up apartments with a pair of six-storey towers in Lendrum had all the makings for a protracted battle between the developer and the community.
But residents in the south Edmonton neighbourhood won several concessions after the housing authority behind the redevelopment project sat down with them and really listened.
Plans for the project near the University of Alberta’s south campus now call for a public walking path to the LRT through the site, a new daycare and coffee shop on the ground floor, plus an apartment design that’s staggered to make it less imposing along the street.
“Surprisingly, developers can do most things the community wants and still make it viable,” said Greg Dewling, head of the Capital Region Housing Corporation, the developer of the site.
After a dozen advisory board meetings and four voluntary open houses, the housing corporation finally entered the city’s formal rezoning process for the project last Tuesday with the city hosting its first mandatory open house.
The extensive public engagement beforehand — including an independent advisory board — is part of a voluntary pilot project meant to help city council and the building community reduce tensions with neighbouring communities.
Sometimes dozens of neighbours come out to oppose a project — stretching a council hearing long into the night — not because they hate the idea of something new, but because they see design flaws and feel the developer never took their concerns seriously.
Dewling said he was happy to make this effort at the front end, hoping it saves time later. Capital Region Housing Corp. has up to 80 aging affordable housing properties across the city that need to be rebuilt at a higher density within the next 20 to 25 years.
Lessons learned in Lendrum should make that process much smoother.
