Edmonton City Council has approved Zoning Bylaw changes that will help increase awareness of upcoming residential construction in established neighbourhoods.
The changes, effective September 1, 2017, mean the City will be sending out letters informing residents adjacent to, and across the lane from, properties in mature and established neighbourhoods where permits have been approved for the demolition of an existing residential building and/or new residential construction that meets Zoning Bylaw requirements. Previously, the City would only send out letters to neighbouring residents when a variance was granted to the Zoning Bylaw regulations or the proposed development was a discretionary use.
“Edmonton is the first and only major city in Canada to provide notification letters to neighbours for approved developments that meet all zoning regulations,” said Colton Kirsop, Senior Planner for Zoning Bylaw Implementation team at the City of Edmonton, in a press release. “Making Edmonton a leader in informing the public about all types of upcoming developments in mature and established neighbourhoods.”
The new notification letters are just one of various initiatives the City has been using to help increase information sharing about new developments and mitigate construction issues in mature and established neighbourhoods. Some of the other initiatives they are using include development permit notification signs, the infill liaison team, the infill compliance team and the City’s Infill Edmonton website, which can be used by residents, homebuyers and builders.
The notification letters will include similar information to the development permit notification signs and will be accompanied by a new ‘Neighbours of Infill’ brochure. The brochure will clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of builders and the City, and will provide information about what residents can do when they have concerns.
The City hopes these letters, and the accompanying brochure, will help neighbours better prepare for the change and facilitate earlier communication and information sharing between neighbours and builders/property owners. The City will monitor the outcomes of both the notification letter and brochure for a six month period to determine whether refinements or changes are required.
