Councillor wishes to rid Churchill Square of “hulking” staircase

Counc. Ben Henderson wants to rid Churchill Square of the “hulking” staircase that leads to the underground pedway.

Henderson said the southwest staircase near the Three Bananas cafe was always intended to be removed, but it was needed as an emergency fire exit.

He said now might be the time to finally be rid of it, since it blocks the “grand entrance” to the square.

“It would allow people to get in and allow people to see into the square,” he said.

The Southeast corner of the square, including 99th Street, will be closed for construction for 19 months in 2016 to accommodate Valley Line LRT construction. 

Henderson called it a necessary nuisance, but hopes to turn the construction into an opportunity.

The city is planning to build a new access staircase on the east side of the square, which he said could serve as a replacement fire exit.

“At least there’s a trade-off there and we can get one benefit out of the other loss,” he said.

Councillors have asked city administration to look into the suggestion.

In the meanwhile, they are also investigating how the closure might impact festivals and businesses.

“There’s going to be issues that will arise,” Coun. Scott McKeen said. “It’s a huge project, right in the middle of our city.”

Mckeen points to The Taste of Edmonton as an example, which was already squeezed for space last summer. The festival will not have access to 99th Street in 2017.

Major construction on the $1.8 billion project is expected to begin in 2016 and continue until 2020.