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By a vote of seven to five, City Council has approved rezoning a property in The Quarters that would see the construction of Western Canada's tallest building. The 80-storey proposal made headlines last October when developer Alldritt Land Corporation first revealed their intention to build a skyline-defining landmark.
"A dedication to the first settlers and all those from around the world who chose Edmonton to make their mark, the directive of this project from the beginning was to design an iconic tower honouring the legacy of those who came to Edmonton and became city-builders, to respect the vision of the Quarters plan, and to create an inspiring, catalytic project," said a release from the developer. "With today’s City Council approval, Alldritt Land Corporation will continue building on the dreams of those who made Edmonton the city it is today through the development of an 80-storey mixed-use tower beside the Shaw Conference Centre."
A swath of steep and underutilized green space would give way to the 280-metre-tall tower and a complementary series of terraces overlooking the river valley. In addition to a variety of retail, coffee shops and restaurants within the podium, the lower module of the KENNEDY-designed building would host a hotel, with residential condominiums on the floors above.
"Our goal is to create an innovative, integrated, and multi-dimensional mixed use tower that helps revitalize this area of the City, while meeting the diverse needs of all those who will live, work, stay and visit the area," said David Benjestorf, Legal Counsel and General Manager of Land Development for the Alldritt Land Corporation. "[The project] will build on the progress of early adopters, the nearby Valley Line LRT under construction and the Quarters Revitalization team that began investing in the area a few years ago."
Provisions have been made for potential connections to Louise McKinney Park and the Shaw Conference Centre. The hotel and condominium development would be a boon for the adjacent conference centre, which Alldritt believes would attract more hosting opportunities if an attached hotel were constructed.
With the approval came a fresh batch of renderings depicting the ambitious plan, which would introduce a mix of parks, shops and housing to the site. The central core of the building and the elevator lobby of each floor of the tower would be clad in historic bricks, collected and preserved over decades by Alldritt, in a nod to the city-building history of Edmonton and Jasper Avenue. Sightlines will be maintained as much as possible at the podium levels, which would be visually porous to allow for pedestrians along Jasper Avenue to see into and through the base of the building.
The Alldritt family purchased the core parcel of land for this project in 1959 and gradually assembled the neighbouring lands, the last of which was acquired over two years ago. With rezoning approval now secured, Alldritt Land Corporation is now moving forward with the detailed design; demolition of the several vacant buildings currently on the property is expected to commence shortly.
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