Main Streets Consultation

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The City of Edmonton is asking for public input to find out how streets should be revamped as part of a larger strategy to beautify the city.

Pedestrians may notice metal frames set up on Jasper Avenue where passersby can take photos, creatively reimagining the street. The City is asking people share their ideas for street improvements on social media.

The reshaping of Jasper Avenue is the first project in a decades-long plan to rejuvenate main streets across the city. Edmonton city council allocated $20 million for the first phase of concept design. Nine other streets — including portions of Whyte Avenue — have been chosen as future “main streets.”

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

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(Actually called Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay Review but that's a thread title begging to be skipped over...)

What makes our main streets great?
City seeking input on building design regulations in shopping and restaurant districts

February 14, 2017

When Edmontonians think of main streets, they may automatically think of Whyte Avenue, an area known for its mix of stores and restaurants, and its vibrant street life with lots of people walking and enjoying the area.

The City of Edmonton wants to foster high quality, pedestrian-oriented development along all of Edmonton’s main streets. Beginning on February 16th, 2017, City staff will begin hosting several formal and informal engagement opportunities where Edmontonians can provide feedback on what they’d like to see on Edmonton’s key main streets. Businesses and residents can share their views through open houses, pop-up events as well as through social media, and an online survey.

Feedback provided will be used by the City as it reviews and updates regulations that support high quality, pedestrian-oriented development along Edmonton’s main streets. City staff began a review of the Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay in March 2016.

Features that promote lively main streets include constructing buildings next to the sidewalk instead of behind a front parking lot and allowing space for patios and street furniture.

Dates and times of how Edmontonians can share their views on developing great main streets are listed on the City’s website.

Media contact:

Lisa Sobchyshyn
Communications Advisor
Development Services
780-442-7192

https://www.edmonton.ca/city_govern...nd_design/pedestrian-commercial-shopping.aspx

 

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The Zoning Bylaw Implementation team has prepared changes to the Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay and the Alberta Avenue Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay. Our proposed changes intend to update, revise and replace the existing Overlays with a Main Street Overlay.

Some highlights of this report and proposed changes include:

• Application of the Overlay to all of the city’s established Main Streets, and within 200 m of a transit centre or LRT station
• Refining the required setbacks to promote pedestrian spaces
• Introducing new front and rear stepback regulations to control the massing of development on the Main Street and to reduce the impact on abutting residential zones
• Requiring any residential development along the city’s Main Streets to have an at grade commercial component
• Reducing parking for commercial uses along the city’s Main Streets as outlined in the June 23, 2017, Sustainable Development report CR_3820, Expanding Areas Around Transit that Qualify for Parking Reductions
• Adding design regulations to enhance the quality of new development and encourage all season use.
• Incorporating the Alberta Avenue Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay into the Main Streets Overlay

Proposed amendments are tentatively scheduled to be presented at the June 23, 2017 Urban Planning Committee meeting.

The Zoning Bylaw Implementation team has prepared a draft text amendment regarding the parking rates for main street areas and transit oriented development areas. This report is attached for your review.

Some highlights of this report include:

• Expanding areas of application by 50%
• Reducing the parking rate by 50% relative to standard for these areas
• Ending the eating and drinking pilot program, and consolidating those parking reductions into this regulation.
• Removing minimum parking requirements for garage, garden and secondary suites in the area of applications.

Via email