Edmonton residents voice opinions about 104 Avenue LRT plans

EDMONTON – Edmonton residents attended a workshop Monday night to share their thoughts on plans for 104 Avenue along the future Valley LRT Line.

It was the third public workshop for the Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan.

During the next 25 years, 104 Avenue between 111 Street and 123 Street will be redesigned to accommodate the line and connect nearby neighbourhoods.

“There’s an understanding that the LRT is coming so we should be planning around that, looking for those different land uses that support the LRT, and try to reconnect those two neighbourhoods of Oliver and Queen Mary Park,” says Travis Pawlyk, a senior planner with the City of Edmonton.

“There seems to be quite a disconnect between the two [neighbourhoods] and 104th is the great barrier, so we’re looking to reconnect that and have those communities come together through the 104th plan.”

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READ MORE: Edmonton groups demand more info on LRT expansion

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The City is examining policy, land use, community facilities, transportation, heritage and urban design in order to create a policy for the future corridor.

“The most significant challenge is the uncertainty of when the LRT does come through,” says Pawluk. “Right now, it’s an unfunded extension of the Valley Line, which goes from downtown to Lewis Farms.”

The Valley Line to Lewis Farms is phase two of the LRT expansion. Phase one of the LRT will run from downtown to Mill Woods at an estimated cost of $1.8 billion.

WATCH: Edmonton’s southeast LRT line has cleared the last funding hurdle

Oliver resident Todd Mitzik recently moved back to Edmonton after living elsewhere for 20 years. He doesn’t the like the current state of city, feeling the city is in worse shape than it was when he left. It’s the reason he’s a proponent of the LRT expansion, although he would like to see it done in less time.

“I think the city is always worried about the wrong things, and they’re finally looking at the right things to make the city more liveable, more sustainable, more forward thinking.”

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A final revision of the plan will be presented to city council by mid 2015.

Edmontonians can still provide feed back online.