Redevelopment plans overwhelm quiet Holyrood neighbourhood

Proposed rezoning in Edmonton's Holyrood neighbourhood is pushing some residents out of their comfort zone.

A developer wants to build seven medium and high-density buildings at HolyroodGardens, including a residential tower. The new development could include up to 1,200 living units.

The site runs along 85thStreet between 95th Avenue and 90th Avenue.

"We are worried that this is going to be pushed through without people having a proper say," said Marc Harden with theHolyrood community league.

He was one of hundreds attending an open house about the project in southeast Edmonton Wednesday night.

"We're extremely frustrated," Harden added.

HolyroodGardens iscurrently the site of about 160 townhouses. The area has been designated as a neighbourhood station for the new Valley Line LRT, which will run along 85th Street.

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"This means that higher density residential development with some neighbourhood commercial uses is desirable," according to a city document about the proposal.

The proposed redevelopment includes four low-rise residential buildings andone tower that could reach 22 storeys.. The developer also wants to build two medium-rise buildings with businesses at ground level.

All parking would be on site, mostly underground.

Too big for Holyrood

Coun. Ben Henderson, who was at Wednesday's open house, said the developer's vision is too much for the single-family homeneighbourhood.

"There's a point where you push those boundaries too far and I'd love to be able to get it back to an area that everybody can say, 'Yeah, that makes sense in the community,' " he said.

"This is a neighbourhood station and a neighbourhood stop and I think we should be adhering to the rules we set up around that and to my eye this significantly exceeds that."

Though Henderson supports redevelopment in Holyrood, he said the people who already live there needtoagree to the planfirst.

There will be more public consultation in September.