City of Edmonton seeks ideas for redevelopment of Rossdale Power Plant

The city is looking to transform one of Edmonton’s most iconic buildings.

As part of River Crossing, a long-term initiative to transform the Central River Valley, staff are hoping new ideas can maintain the history of the Rossdale Power Plant, while also bringing it into the future so Edmontonians can enjoy the space.

Some parts of the Rossdale Power Plant are nearly 100 years old and have their original equipment. It was designated as a historic resource by the province in 2001 and was fully decommissioned in 2012.

Since 2022, the building has been fully owned by the city. Now, the city is looking for suggestions on how to renovate it.

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“Really excited in this process to learn more about what other people would want to see here,” said Avril McCalla, River Crossing project lead with the City of Edmonton.

“I think that there is so many creative people out there that we’re going to end up with something really interesting.”

5:37 How should the old Rossdale Power Plant be repurposed?

Applications are currently open, and anyone with a vision for the Power Plant has until April to send in their submissions.

The city hopes this building maintains most of its character and history, but that could be one of the most difficult parts of this redevelopment process.

“It’s not a free-for-all in this space; we can’t just rip out walls and knock things down and reinvent it into something modern and new. There is going to be a real strong balance needed,” said David Johnston, principal heritage planner with the City of Edmonton.

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