Tell city hall to put protecting your property taxes and planet ahead of developer profits

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City Council is about to make a decision that will have huge financial impacts on us all. The decision they are making comes down to the issue of urban sprawl, something Edmonton has wrongly pushed hard on in the past and has cost taxpayers and the city an increasing amount of money every year as a result. Right now, private industry developers are asking Council to enable more sprawl so they can build new neighbourhoods further and further out, which is hugely profitable for them. The problem for the rest of us, is the further you build out, the more expensive it costs for the city to service. Those neighbourhoods will require new infrastructure (underground and above ground), public transit, fire, library and recreation services, snow clearing, grass cutting, police response, and on and on. 

 

This article shows how much our taxes suffer when we continue to sprawl: 

Owning a house in a new development is a dream for many would-be homeowners, but a new city report suggests that taxpayers in other parts of Edmonton will have to pick up a $1.4-billion tab for the development of three new neighbourhoods. (Global News, 2016)

 

While there are times it is necessary to unlock new land, this is not it. Edmonton currently has more than 80,000 spaces within existing neighbourhoods (not including areas within the city that have yet to begin building housing such as the U of A farm land, the Coliseum area, among others) to build new homes. Edmonton’s population is absolutely growing and we need more housing. Council recently changed zoning requirements that will enable a lot of new housing to be built. That along with the 80,000 plus available spaces and the new land being unlocked for building with in the city will provide enough housing for many years worth of growth.

 

 

 

Map via Councillor Ashley Salvaldor. The red outlined areas represent areas currently available and zoned for development. https://www.ashleysalvador.com/post/guiding-growth-for-complete-communities

Note that a significant portion of greenfield land surrounding our city is already slated for development (seen in red outlines). The Area Structure Plans for these lands were approved many years ago, and it would be extremely challenging for a Council to reverse those decisions. That said, what we do have the power to do is chart the course towards a more financially responsible and responsible future today, and to be clear about our intent to abate the endless expansion that has persisted for decades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI3kkk2JdoI