WATCH: The new Kelly Ramsey building has its anchor tenant. As Fletcher Kent reports, Enbridge announced it will take up most of the downtown space.
EDMONTON – A major tenant in downtown Edmonton is on the move, but will remain in the city’s core.
On Tuesday morning, energy company Enbridge announced it will be moving offices to the under-construction Kelly Ramsey Tower and to the existing Manulife Place.
The company currently has offices in six different buildings, including Enbridge Tower at 102 Street and Jasper Avenue, and at Enbridge Place at 101 Avenue and 103 Street.
“This move will allow us to consolidate our 2,500 workers from six buildings to the two tallest and newest buildings in Edmonton’s downtown core,” says Leon Zupan, a chief operating officer with Enbridge.
As one of the largest private-sector tenants in downtown Edmonton, Enbridge says it has experienced significant growth and expansion in the downtown core during the past decade. Once moved into its space in Manulife Place and the Kelly Ramsey Tower, Enbridge says it will become the largest tenant in both buildings.
“Despite having many other location choices, Enbridge has made a powerful commitment to the heart of Edmonton’s downtown core with this project,” says John Day.
Day is the developer behind the Kelly Ramsey Tower.
“This is an important win on a whole bunch of different levels,” says Downtown Business Association executive director Jim Taylor.
“We’ve all been holding our breath since the RFP went out, to make sure that Enbridge was going to stay downtown.”
“Your company has had a such a long relationship with the city,” says Mayor Don Iveson. “Not that we thought you would go, but it’s a great sigh of relief to know that you’re really doubling down on your commitments to Edmonton, not just in terms of real estate, but the continuing presence of such a large core of employees.”
The 25-storey building is one of several new office towers planned for the downtown core. Located on 102nd Avenue between 101 Street and 100A Street, it will add 550,000 square feet of office space to Edmonton’s core when it’s completed in 2016. The tower will incorporate the original facades of the historical Kelly and Ramsey Buildings, which sat vacant for several years after a fire in 2009.
Iveson says Enbridge’s decision will help revitalize that particular area of downtown.
“It’s a wonderful re-embracing of Edmonton, so welcome back. You never left, but it’s just wonderful to know that you’re going to still be here as a long-term and committed partner to the city.”
The mayor also praises Day’s vision for the site.
“The opportunity to figure out how to salvage the wonderful historical façades of the Kelly Ramsey building ravaged by fire in 2009.
“They’ve been taken down brick-by-brick. They’ll be put back up brick-by-brick and contribute to an extraordinary reinvigoration of Rice Howard Way,” adds Iveson.
“It’s everything coming together that our downtown plan envisioned.”
Manulife Place is currently Edmonton’s tallest building. The 36-storey office tower is located on 102 Avenue between 101 Street and 102 Street.
More to come…
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