Future of downtown development to be debated over 2 days at Edmonton public hearing

Madeleine Cummings · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Dozens of Edmontonians volition beryllium sharing their opinions connected the aboriginal of downtown development as a two-day nationalist proceeding kicks disconnected Thursday greeting astatine metropolis hall. 

According to the Office of the City Clerk, arsenic of 4 p.m. Wednesday, 72 radical had registered to talk astatine the peculiar nationalist proceeding connected whether metropolis assembly should widen the downtown Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) by 10 years. 

CRLs, which let cities to get wealth against aboriginal spot taxation revenues, are a mode to concern improvement successful places wherever revitalization mightiness not different happen.

When spot values wrong a CRL country increase, a municipality tin usage the further taxes to wage down the outgo of borrowing for peculiar projects there.

Edmonton has 3 CRLs, and the downtown 1 — established successful 2015 — is acceptable to expire successful 2034. City officials accidental extending it by a decennary would let the metropolis to money much projects and instrumentality a downtown enactment plan. 

The presumption of the extension, and who stands to payment from nationalist and backstage investments successful the core, person go contentious — and determination are millions of dollars astatine stake. 

The extension's supporters are calling it a "generational opportunity" to amended the metropolis without raising taxes portion critics are questioning wherefore a privately-run lawsuit parkland should beryllium included successful the deal.

What's caller successful the plan?

The hold would adhd immoderate caller projects to a database that includes already completed ones similar the downtown arena, assemblage rink and Alex Decoteau Park.

Infrastructure for caller lodging successful Ice District, expanding the Winspear Centre, improving LRT entrances, brownfield remediation and the lawsuit parkland are among the additions.

The province, the City of Edmonton and OEG Sports and Entertainment announced earlier this twelvemonth that they were closing successful connected a woody that included a caller all-season lawsuit park.

The state would wage $97 cardinal and OEG would wage $84 cardinal with the remainder — $69 cardinal — coming from the City of Edmonton done the CRL extension.

The existent CRL besides has a fig of projects that are successful progress, similar Warehouse Park, northbound of Jasper Avenue, betwixt 106 and 108 Streets, and a pedway connected 103A Avenue.

Has the CRL worked?

A caller metropolis study says the CRL has attracted caller concern and spurred improvement downtown to the tune of $4.7 billion.

"I deliberation that the CRL makes consciousness to a batch of proponents due to the fact that it's worked with the arena task before, and truthful it's seen arsenic a continuation of that," said Dan Mason, a athletics absorption prof astatine the University of Alberta who consulted connected the arena woody but has nary engagement successful the extension.

The metropolis report said the CRL brought 3 caller bureau towers and thousands of caller residential units downtown.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he's keeping his caput unfastened but the CRL has helped alteration downtown — and determination is inactive much enactment to do.

"We whitethorn not beryllium wherever different downtowns are successful North America, but we are connected the way to bash truthful and things are getting amended and we conscionable cannot suffer momentum," helium said astatine a quality league Tuesday.

Though downtown generates little spot taxation gross than it utilized to for the city, Sohi said reversing that inclination would payment each Edmontonians.

Sohi besides said investors see the authorities of a city's downtown arsenic a origin erstwhile deciding wherever to bring their business.

Who benefits?

Some downtown concern groups and organizations — similar the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and the Downtown Revitalization Coalition — are urging metropolis councillors to enactment the extension.

They accidental the CRL isn't conscionable astir improving downtown but strengthening the full city's system and infrastructure.

"From lodging to transit to nationalist safety, the CRL enables a much livable and investable metropolis without raising taxes," the groups said successful a June 20 quality release.

Some of the CRL extension's critics are zeroing successful connected the lawsuit parkland arsenic a crushed not to enactment it.

The lawsuit parkland would beryllium a city-owned installation eastbound of Rogers Place, with abstraction for much than 6,000 radical extracurricular and much than 2,500 inside. 

While the metropolis would ain the facility, it would beryllium privately run, with one-third of booking clip oregon abstraction disposable for assemblage groups and non-profits astatine below-market rates. 

A study submitted to the metropolis from OEG said the caller venue would assistance capable a spread successful the marketplace and bring customers to downtown businesses. 

Councillors asked medication to person the company's economical payment estimates independently assessed. The city's investigation concluded the company's assumptions astir economical interaction were just and reasonable.

Mason, the U of A professor, said it each boils down to whether investing successful the lawsuit parkland and the different projected developments is the champion mode to execute downtown revitalization.

"The statement is implicit whether oregon not this benignant of improvement and these types of subsidies warrant that benignant of concern oregon whether that wealth could beryllium spent connected thing other that could besides pb to this benignant of conclusion," helium said.

Chelsea Tessier, co-owner and caput brewer astatine Polyrhythm Brewing, northbound of downtown, said she likes the CRL arsenic a exemplary but she and her spouse don't enactment the operation of the projected extension. 

"We'd similar to spot much diverseness and these funds being dispersed retired astir downtown," she said. 

She said different tiny concern owners consciousness the aforesaid and would like to spot different parts of the metropolis revitalized.

Other concern owners and organizations person shared arguments for and against the hold with CBC News this week. 

Sylvester Borowka, who owns the edifice Continental Treat, said helium supports it due to the fact that it could pb to accrued ft postulation downtown and fortify community.

Several metropolis councillors person criticized parts of the deal.

Ward Nakota Isga Coun. and mayoral campaigner Andrew Knack says he wants to remove "financially irresponsible aspects" from the extension. He'll beryllium sharing his program to bash that at news league earlier the proceeding connected Thursday morning.