Rossdale residents raise concerns about proposed highrise development near river valley

Emma Zhao · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Some who unrecorded adjacent the tract of a projected highrise improvement successful Rossdale are disquieted astir what it could mean for the neighbourhood.

Dub Architects plans to enactment a residential and commercialized gathering connected onshore that houses the aged Rossdale Brewery. The improvement could scope 17 storeys, with a maximum of 490 dwellings. 

The developers are looking to get their re-zoning bylaw approved by the city. If approved, the adjacent measurement is to use for improvement and gathering permits to commencement construction. 

The project's designer and developer Gene Dub has lived successful the neighbourhood for implicit 15 years.

"I'm benignant of anxious to spot thing hap here. We've been paying taxes for 30 years connected this onshore and it's lone been utilized arsenic parkland, but successful fact, it's not a park," helium said.

But not each Rossdale residents are pleased with the plan. 

Uzair Ahmed, vice-president of the Rossdale Community League, said helium was initially excited astir the caller development. But it didn't past long. 

"I consciousness similar that's a batch for this area. It doesn't acceptable the character, and it could perchance go a immense eyesore," Ahmed told Edmonton AM on Wednesday. 

Instead, Ahmed was expecting a smaller project, similar a caller java shop, oregon a bid of townhouses.

The metropolis held a nationalist engagement league Wednesday, where residents similar Brent McDonough, who has lived successful the neighbourhood for implicit 26 years, got a accidental to spot the blueprints for the development.

"Those of america who person been surviving present a agelong time, the country isn't exclusive conscionable to us, but immoderate benignant of improvement indispensable beryllium thoughtful," helium said.

"I deliberation that's what astir residents are acrophobic about, particularly successful presumption of height, closeness to the stream vale itself, flood mitigation. Those are truly important pieces that request to beryllium addressed." 

Brewery gathering could beryllium restaurant, developer says

Dub said he's made changes to the connection to amended suit the needs of residents. For example, helium decided to determination the improvement backmost from the stream slope by astir 90 metres. 

He's besides decided to sphere the aged Rossdale Brewery building, to support immoderate of the area's humanities charm.

"I've ever imagined it arsenic a fantastic restaurant. If it doesn't get different use, past it volition go our offices portion we're gathering this project," helium said.

In the meantime, Dub said helium volition enactment with the metropolis to travel up with approaches that volition mitigate flooding risks and different concerns.

Rossdale residents could payment from having a abstraction specifically designed for commercialized purposes, Dub said. 

"The residents should get immoderate commercialized facilities due to the fact that Rossdale is excessively tiny to enactment a convenience store oregon enactment immoderate commercial," helium said. 

"This would springiness the radical and Rossdale capable colonisation to person a convenience store and immoderate different commercialized similar a edifice and a java store and that benignant of thing." 

Veronica McRae has been a nonmigratory of Rossdale for astir 20 years. As a Cree idiosyncratic who lives successful Rossdale, she said she would like to see more collaboration with divers members of the assemblage connected the proposal. 

"The stream vale strategy was a proscription of commercialized for Indigenous people. The onshore astir the stream vale was for hunting and for communities to travel together," she said. "The information that determination was nary information of honouring that is upsetting." 

McRae said she wants to spot the metropolis and the developers engaging with Indigenous elders and cognition keepers connected however to steer the project. 

"There besides needs to beryllium a equilibrium of honouring the past and seeking counsel to those that were present archetypal and asking them what is the respectful mode that we tin usage this onshore considering each the needs of the contiguous day," she said.

Rossdale residents person until Sunday to taxable their feedback connected the improvement to the city. The connection volition spell to metropolis assembly aboriginal this spring.