Opening up the lands west of Ray Gibbon Drive to development and the construction of a new park and trail connections in the Meadowview area are two major projects up for approval by St. Albert city council next year.
On Nov. 3, the city released its draft 2021 budget, which features a 1.1-per-cent tax increase with an operating budget of $112.4 million.
On the capital side, council will consider 10 new capital projects totalling $6 million, the bulk of which will go to a new park and Red Willow Trail connections.
If approved, these projects will be mostly paid for through grants and other sources like reserve transfers and tax-supported funds.
The city took on $13 million in debt for upgrades to Ray Gibbon Drive and widening of North St. Albert Trail this year, bumping up the city's outstanding debt to $47.8 million in 2020 – about 16 per cent of the city's debt limit.
Other capital projects to be funded in 2021 include opening up development in Lakeview Business District and Badger Lands through the creation of an area structure plan (ASP), updates to the land use bylaw, and planning for a new recreation facility.
Over the next few weeks, city council will be discussing amendments and changes to the budget before it comes forward for final approval on Dec. 21.
Future development
While not the most expensive item on the city’s list, a combined area structure plan (ASP) for Lakeview and Badger Lands represent a noteworthy step for St. Albert. Lakeview Business District, west of Ray Gibbon Drive, has been designated as the city's next business park, while the city is currently studying plans for a solar farm in the Badger Lands.
ASPs lay out servicing plans, road networks, proposed land uses and density requirements. They must be in place before development can occur in an area. The ASP for the Lakeview and Badger lands was delayed until the city could update its municipal development plan (MDP) and finalize an annexation agreement with Sturgeon County.
Right now, the only approved ASP within the larger area is for Range Road 260.
Concept planning will cost $746,000 in total, of which $400,000 will be spent in 2021 and the remaining $346,018 in 2022. This ASP will capture more of a high-level intent for the lands, and as developers get ready to put shovels in the ground, the city will move forward with a more detailed neighbourhood plan.
Mayor Cathy Heron said moving this ASP forward is one of the most significant accomplishments made by this council to date.
“It’s not as fun as a rec centre, but getting an area structure plan for a large piece of employment land is huge,” Heron said. “I'm pretty proud of my council and (chief administrative officer Kevin Scoble) for getting this in front of us as a priority.”
Heron added the ASP is an important step for the city to balance out its current tax assessment split of 80 per cent residential and 20 per cent non-residential, as it would help the city grow its non-residential tax base.
“It brings the tax ratio into a better balance to help keep residential taxes down,” she said. “And it brings employment to St. Albert, which I think is nice if you could live and work in the same city and not have to travel outside."
On Nov. 2, city council read for the first time a borrowing bylaw for up to $25 million to service the Range Road 260 lands in the future. This would cover $20.1 million of the cost along with a 25-per-cent contingency fee. The city has also submitted an application for $5 million to the province under the municipal stimulus program (MSP) for the $25.1-million project.
Forest park, trail connections
St. Albert could be spending a hefty chunk of money next year to bring new park amenities and Red Willow Trail connections to the Meadowview area.
Six kilometres of nature and multi-use trails, picnic space, natural playground and views of the river valley are included in designs for the historical Grey Nuns White Spruce Park and Red Willow Trail system.
With Riverside expected to house 10,000 residents once completed, it became clear the city needed new park amenities and trail connections to accommodate growth, according to a project charter included in the city's budget.
The 36-hectare park is located east of Ray Gibbon Drive and south of McKenney Avenue and is known as one of the last native white spruce forests within an urban municipality in North America. Design for the first phase of the park was complete in 2020 and is ready for construction in 2021. This would cost the city $3.1 million to do next year.
The Grey Nuns project is within the Red Willow Park West Master Plan, which plans out future trail linkages and park amenities for Red Willow Park along the Sturgeon River west of the trestle bridge.
Construction of the trail connections between the park and the overall Red Willow Trail System would begin in 2023 at an additional cost of $3.1 million, with another $1.1 million to construct the park's Riverside entrance slated for 2027.
Heron said these trail connections are a missing part in the city’s overall network, and building out the White Spruce Park will give existing and future Riverside residents much-needed park space.
However, there's an unfunded trail connection project that Heron said she'd like to see come forward as well. Coun. Ken MacKay has a motion coming up to fund the first phase of the Oakmont Trail development in 2021. This $298,400 project involves the construction of new trails to complete connections between the existing Oakmont trail system and the Red Willow Trail system along the Sturgeon River.
Traffic calming
Administration is recommending the city spend $613,000 next year on efforts to calm traffic within residential areas.
That may look like an increase in cost from last year, but the perceived bump stems from a combination of two project charters. Funding for the Safe Journeys to School project was brought under the city’s traffic calming budget this year, as most of the work specific to school zones has already been done.
Dean Schick, city transportation manager, said residents in Erin Ridge, Erin Ridge North, Lacombe Park and Grandin have voiced concerns about drivers not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks.
To try to fix this, a lot of the city’s measures involve installing curb extensions to make both pedestrians and crossings more visible for drivers, he said. But instead of spending the money to put in permanent curb extensions right away, temporary measures can be installed instead to test out the waters.
“The nice thing is from an engineering perspective, we get to see the operational impacts to see if it's working, and residents have an opportunity then to experience it," Schick said.
Black and yellow coloured curb blocks to slow down traffic, warning signs and flashing beacons are other examples of temporary measures. Some of these are already in place in Erin Ridge North and along Lennox Drive.
If funds are approved, temporary traffic calming measures installed in Erin Ridge North will be replaced with permanent infrastructure in 2021. Those temporary installations can then be reused at other sites in the city.
From 2015 to 2019, between 30 to 35 per cent of all public roadway collisions happened within residential communities.
Other projects
Some of the other projects being considered for growth capital dollars include a $47,800 key lockbox system for St. Albert Fire Services, $465,800 for an update to the city's land use bylaw, and $500,000 of $1.5 million needed for site planning for future community amenities.
St. Albert's overall capital budget includes five projects that were approved in September for $7.4 million, and roughly $26 million for repair, maintenance and replacement of current capital assets.
