Edmonton committee endorses extension for downtown revitalization program

Edmonton city council's executive committee has voted to recommend the city extend a program aimed at revitalizing downtown, as it struggles to recover post-pandemic. 

On Wednesday, committee members voted in favour of renewing the downtown community revitalization levy program by 10 years.

The program is an example of a community revitalization levy (CRL), which uses a framework set in the Municipal Government Act to help communities invest in infrastructure.

Community revitalization levies allow municipalities to borrow against future property tax revenues to help pay for infrastructure development required in a specific area. 

Councillors said Wednesday they want to keep funding downtown projects, but need a more stable and long-term source of funding.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told the committee that there are many projects the city wants to accomplish by extending the program, but they also must prioritize getting more people living downtown. 
    
"More residential is the key," he said at executive committee on Wednesday. 

"So within the projects that we have on the list, we should be prioritizing within those projects as well."

A report to the committee says extending the program by 10 years will allow the city to address those barriers to redevelopment.

"Infrastructure that supports public activity, including streets and open spaces, should be a base-level in the downtown and not a nice-to-have. Poor condition infrastructure reflects negatively on downtown," the report says. 

The levy originally came into effect in 2015 and can still remain in effect until 2034, if an extension isn't approved, the report states.

The program area covers about half of the downtown neighbourhood, as well as small portions of the Central McDougall and McCauley neighbourhoods, The program has so far contributed to Warehouse Park, Alex Decoteau Park, stormwater servicing upgrades, the 103A Avenue Pedway and several other improvement and streetscape projects.

Projects that the city would be able to fund with the extension include an event park, more transit infrastructure, and site servicing at the Village at Ice District. 

Puneeta McBryan, CEO of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, said she strongly supports extending the revitalization program. 

"I have to say what's keeping me up right now about this is I don't know that there's enough money today with the 2034 end date to finish Jasper Avenue New Vision," McBryan said at the meeting. 

She said committee should pass the motion, "if for no other reason [than] we can't proceed with the very necessary, very overdue infrastructure projects that were already supposed to be funded under the CRL."

Although the committee passed the motion unanimously, several councillors were critical of the plans at Wednesday's meeting, with some questioning whether it was the best way to build housing and whether public funds should be used for private projects. 

The one member of the public who spoke in opposition was concerned about public money going to OEG and questioning the benefits of the strategy.

A 10-year extension is estimated to generate between $705 million and $976 million in revenue. The recommendation still has to be passed by city council, and the province also has to approve the change.