EDMONTON – Edmonton City Council has approved re-development of the historic Molson Brewery Site in Edmonton’s Oliver neighbourhood.
The valuable land just west of the downtown core has been sitting vacant for years, and a developer has been eager to start building on the land.
On Monday evening, City Council approved standard zoning for the Molson Brewery site, which means it’s now zoned for business, residential and park spaces. Councillors Don Iveson, Ben Henderson and Linda Sloan voted against the rezoning.
The meeting lasted well into the night as several residents spoke up against the proposed plans, saying they may not fit into their community.
“I think that there’s a lot of time to look at this site and to develop it in a smart fashion,” said Mark Gitzel Oliver Resident Monday afternoon. “I can’t control Council, I wish I could. I would stop it if I could.”
It’s been a contentious issue for community members, though, who are in favour of re-development of the site but wanted certain changes to the proposed plans. Residents have pointed out they’re in one of the densest communities in the city – a lot of people use public transit, walk, and cycle – and they wanted the re-development to reflect that kind of activity.
The developer’s planning to build two-storey buildings with office and retail space as a first-phase, with plans to expand to residential in the future. Despite several questions and answers about the design plans, some residents still left the public hearing disappointed, saying there’s no guarantee the developer will move ahead with future phases.
“At the end that’s all, it’s talk essentially. yes, the standard zoning has passed. We don’t know if any of the concerns that we’ve brought up will be addressed in the future,” said Chris vander Hoek with the Oliver Community League.
“We’re not merchant developers,” said Ralph Huizinga with First Capital Realty. “We don’t develop, sell, and move on. We stay with our developments. We’re committed to living with what we build and being long-term citizens in the communities that we develop in.”
The developer, who still has to go through the permit approval process, says residents could see some excavation starting this fall, with heavier construction in the spring.
With files from Vinesh Pratap and Quinn Ohler, Global News
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