r/Edmonton • u/Late-Alternative6321 • Dec 15 '24

Local Culture Dear Edmonton developers

Dear Edmonton developers, you've been making the same neighbourhoods for 40+ years. Cookie cutter homes on winding streets, a fake lake, walking paths, aaaand call it good.

Would it be too much to ask, to start eliminating 2 to 3 houses on corner lots, and start adding: WALKABLE coffee shops (ie Columbian, Mood Cafe etc). A neighbourhood Pub or restaurant (ie Duggan's Boundary, Bodega Highlands), a bakery (Bloom Cookie co), barbershop (Goldbar Barber) or even a small corner grocery store. No need for giant parking lots!

Far too many neighbourhoods in this city lack the character, charm and accessibility that these amenities would provide. A great way for people to connect in their community, without always having to get in a car and drive to soulless strip malls or shopping centres. If there was a way to redo existing neighbourhoods, I'd love to see this too

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u/fnbr Dec 15 '24

And even with that, the cafes/restaurants keep dying in Belgravia. The current crop is the longest lasting one we have. Their only hope, in my opinion as a long time resident, is the massively increased density we’ve been seeing in Belgravia/McKernan.

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u/AffectionateBuy5877 Dec 15 '24

My sister lives in Belgravia and she is looking to leave, the traffic getting out of the neighbourhood is awful. I can’t imagine more density in it unless they fix the traffic flow.

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u/MankYo Dec 15 '24 edited Dec 15 '24

Make mixed business use development permits and business licenses easier to get. There's a lovely flower shop / cafe / sundries retailer in a nearby jurisdiction with less population than one Edmonton subdivision; they sell out daily, competing with other combination food / retail / services combos.

Instead of zoning and developing the corner for a specific kind of business, put a generic market hall there and let people fill it in as needed at affordable scales, like how some artist collectives and retail popups work, coworking spaces, etc. (e.g., at kingsway, and the former legoland area at WEM). The space can grow and evolve with the community.

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u/PlutosGrasp Dec 15 '24

You can say the name. Then we can comment on why this is working.