Time is running out for illegal parking lots in central Edmonton, but at least one developer has taken steps to keep their surface parking for the short-term ahead of the June 30 deadline.
On Monday council voted 12-0, with Ward O-Day’min Coun. Anne Stevenson excluding herself due to pecuniary interest, to rezone six lots located at 115 Street NW and Jasper Avenue. This enables the developers, Greenlong Construction Inc. and Stantec Consulting Ltd., to continue using the land as a parking lot while proceeding with plans to build two high rises with up to 905 residential units on the lots.
By doing so, the parking lot becomes one of 62 of 113 city centre surface lots to request a valid permit. The city estimates there are at least 275 of these parking lots within Edmonton.
Enforcement and Fines
Mayor Andrew Knack said the bylaw would proceed to the enforcement stage for any owners of parking lots with outstanding paperwork.
“People need to follow the rules, if they’re not following the rules, they should not be able to operate it in that way,” he said. “If you’re not in compliance with the use, there would be fines associated to that.”
City officials told Postmedia enforcement could be further escalated to stop orders, violation notices and even blocking access to the land.
Permit Requirements and Timeline
A 2023 report to council found 11 per cent of parking lots were operating with a permit. Council gave property owners 18 months to rectify the situation, which included requirements to plant trees and shrubs around the outside of lots, ensure there is proper drainage and stalls are accessible, and to install lighting and walkways through larger properties, with at least two metres of space required between roads and parking stalls. That 18-month window closes at the end of the month, but anyone who has been issued a temporary parking lot permit has an additional 18 months to implement required changes.
But that’s only if they want to use the land as a parking lot temporarily — the new permit is only good until June 30, 2033, in the case of a gravel parking lot and 2037 years for a paved lot. After that, landowners will need to find a new use for their property.
Benefits of Rezoning
Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz said the city isn’t getting enough value out of surface parking lots and would be better off rezoning them for residential developments.
“It’s a spot that could be homes, that could be a new business, so much more — literally anything more than what it is now,” he said. “In the interim, we understand not everything gets built immediately overnight. Sometimes we have to make pragmatic concessions to move things forward.”
Janz noted using the land Downtown for high rises or other residential would be a net benefit for ratepayers across the city.
“There’s two towers that went in at University of Alberta besides Earls,” he said. “Together, they’re almost bringing in $2 million a year of tax revenue to the city. If we were to do 10 more of those, we’d reduce your property tax by one per cent.”
