Part IV Edmonton Zoning Bylaw
Bylaw 17501
January 25, 2016
To accommodate the comprehensive redevelopment of Strathearn Heights Apartment site into a transit oriented mixed-use urban village, primarily residential, with a range of housing types complemented by neighbourhood serving commercial uses.
This Provision shall apply to Lots 1, 8 and a portion of 7, Block 5; Lot 6, Block 6; Lot 29, Block 8, all in Plan 2528 H.W.; Lot 1A, Block 5, in Plan 1663MC; Block A, Plan 002 4690, located north of 95 Avenue and west of 87 Street, Strathearn, as shown on Schedule A of this Bylaw, adopting this Provision.
This Provision establishes three sub areas identified in Figure 1 and as follows:
Area A - row housing;
Area B – row housing, stacked row housing, low, mid and high rise apartment housing with live/work and small scale commercial opportunities; and
Area C - residential and commercial mixed-use development including row housing, stacked row housing, low, mid and high rise apartment housing, live/work units, and a clubhouse/amenity centre.
Figure 1: Sub-Areas
To create a transit oriented urban village where people can live, work, shop, and play, with spaces and opportunities to enhance social interaction and recreation.
To enliven the streets and promote walkability by designing residential and commercial buildings with active frontages, and multiple doorways and windows.
To offer a number of public open spaces that provide opportunities for active and passive activities in formal and informal spaces, including such options as garden squares and park blocks.
To provide places and facilities that support a mixed neighbourhood demographic for existing and future residents.
To ensure high quality open space design and landscaping enabling year round use by providing spaces for public art, street furniture, and lighting which enhances pedestrian experience.
To provide traffic calming measures to enhance pedestrian safety.
To integrate with the Strathearn LRT Stop by providing better pedestrian and cyclists connectivity along the 88 Street corridor.
To contribute to a socially sustainable community by providing housing for a range of household types, physical abilities, ages, incomes and demographics.
To encourage alternatives to the automobile, the development will be walkable, conducive to cycling, and transit supportive by giving high planning priority to compact, human-scale and mixed land use.
Minor Home Based Business
Residential Sales Centre
Row Housing
Fascia On-premises Signs
Freestanding On-premises Signs
Apartment Housing
Child Care Services
Extended Medical Treatment Services
Group Homes
Live Work Units
Lodging Houses
Minor Home Based Business
Residential Sales Centre
Row Housing
Stacked Row Housing
Fascia On-premises Signs
Freestanding On-premises Signs
Projecting On-premises Signs
Temporary On-premises Signs
Child Care Services
Convenience Retail Stores
Creation and Production Establishments
Health Services
Indoor Participant Recreation Services
Personal Service Shops
Professional, Financial and Office Support Services
Residential Sales Centre
Restaurants
Specialty Food Services
Fascia On-premises Signs
Projecting On-premises Signs
Apartment Housing
Child Care Services
Group Homes
Live Work Units
Lodging Houses
Minor Home Based Business
Major Home Based Business
Residential Sales Centre
Row Housing
Stacked Row Housing
Fascia On-premises Signs
Projecting On-premises Signs
Freestanding On-premises Signs
Temporary On-premises Signs
Bars and Neighbourhood Pubs
Business Support Services
Child Care Services
Commercial Schools
Community Recreation Services
Convenience Retail Stores
Creation and Production Establishments
Flea Market
General Retail Stores
Government Services
Health Services
Household Repair Services
Indoor Participant Recreation Services
bb. Minor Alcohol Sales
cc. Minor Amusement Establishments
dd. Personal Service Shops
ee. Professional, Financial and Office Support Services
ff. Private Education Services
gg. Residential Sales Centre
hh. Restaurants
ii. Secondhand Stores
jj. Specialty Food Services
kk. Fascia On-premises Signs
ll. Projecting On-premises Signs
mm. Freestanding On-premises Signs
nn. Temporary On-premises Signs
The development shall be in general accordance with the Site Plan as illustrated on Appendix I.
The maximum number of Dwelling units shall be 1,900.
The maximum Floor Area Ratio shall be 3.5 for the area of application.
Minimum Setbacks from the property line shall be in accordance with Appendix II.
The maximum Height and Floor Plate in the mid tower zone for high-rise Apartment Housing shall be as specified in Table 1 and as shown in Appendix III.
The maximum building Height for low and mid-rise Apartment Housing shall be as specified in Table 2 and as shown in Appendix III.
Table 1: Maximum Height and Floor Plate of High-Rise Apartment Housing
Tower No. |
Max. Height (m) |
Max. Floor Plate area (m2) at Tower Mid Zone |
T1 |
78 |
750 |
T2 |
81 |
750 |
T3 |
75 |
750 |
T4 |
71 |
750 |
A17 |
64 |
830 |
A18 |
64 |
830 |
NOTE: Floor Plate relates to the tower mid zone.
Building No. |
Max. Height (m) |
A5 |
17 |
A6 |
39 |
A7 |
39 |
A8 |
17 |
A9 |
39 |
A10 |
26 |
A11 |
26 |
A12 |
32 |
A13 |
26 |
A14 |
26 |
A15 |
32 |
A16 |
26 |
A19 |
29 |
A20 |
25 |
A21 |
36 |
A22 |
36 |
A23 |
25 |
The maximum Height for Row Housing and Stacked Row Housing shall not exceed 12 m.
The maximum Height for Accessory Buildings, such as garages, shall not exceed 4 m.
All mechanical equipment, including roof mechanical units, shall be concealed by screening in a manner compatible with the architectural character of the building, or concealed by incorporating it within the building framework.
Commercial and commercial-related uses shall be permitted only on the first and second floor as identified in Appendix I, with the exception of building A20 where commercial and commercial-related uses shall be permitted on all floors. The maximum Floor Area for commercial and commercial-related uses shall not exceed 9,800 m2 for the entire site, 500 m2 in Area B, or 9,300 m2 in Area C.
Restaurants and Specialty Food Services shall not exceed a capacity of 100 Occupants or 120 m2 of Public Space.
Bars and Neighbourhood Pubs shall not exceed 230 m2 of Public Space.
Flea Markets shall be limited to farmers markets involving the sale of items such as local meats, produce and handicrafts.
Minor Amusement Establishments shall be limited to an accessory use to a Restaurants Use only.
Secondhand Stores shall be limited to the sale of antique or vintage goods.
Row Housing/Stacked Row Housing shall be developed to provide a visual break/articulation in the building Façade. The break shall be articulated by a combination of recesses, projections, change in building materials, colours, or a physical break in building mass.
Notwithstanding Section 46, a minimum Amenity Area of 7.5 m2 per Dwelling shall be provided on the entire site including courtyards, balconies, roof top patios/gardens, grade level display gardens and terraces.
Separation Space and Privacy Zones:
on the periphery of Sites shall be reduced to required Setbacks;
between buildings on the same site, shall be reduced to a distance the equivalent of the total minimum Setback that would be required were each building on its own site; and
notwithstanding ii. above, shall not be required where side walls of adjacent buildings face each other and habitable windows are not located directly opposite each other, such that privacy is not impacted.
Bicycle Parking spaces shall be provided for residential units in a weather protected and secure area.
The driveway ramp for underground parking structures shall be at grade at the property line and must not exceed a slope of 10% for a distance of 4.5 m inside the property line and to the satisfaction of the Development Officer in consultation with Transportation Services.
Vehicular parking requirements of Section 54.2 of the Zoning Bylaw that relate to development within 400 m of a LRT stop shall apply throughout the entire site.
Parking variances may be granted by the Development Officer if:
The owner can demonstrate, at any development stage that the parking required is less than any minimum required by Section 54.2 of the Zoning Bylaw;
The owner implements programs which reduce parking demand such as car share programs, carpooling, or universal transit passes to the satisfaction of the Development Officer; and
The owner shall submit a Parking Impact Assessment to the satisfaction of the Development Officer in consultation with Transportation Services.
Garbage collection shall be located within parking structures or buildings and if at grade shall be located and screened from view of adjacent residential sites. Gates and/or doors of the garbage enclosures must not open or encroach into public or private road right-of-way.
Signs shall comply with the regulations found in Schedule 59E of the Zoning Bylaw.
Notwithstanding Section 85.6 Minor Alcohol Sales shall be permitted within Area C.
The owner shall submit a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Assessment that shall be reviewed and accepted by the Development Officer prior to the issuance of a Development Permit to ensure that development on the Site provides a safe urban environment in accordance with the guidelines and principles established in the Design Guide for a Safer City.
Prior to the issuance of any Development Permit, the Development Officer shall ensure that a signed agreement between the City and the owner, requiring the Owner to provide the City at the time of Development Permit approval, the option to purchase 5% of the proposed number of residential units at 85% of the market value. If the Owner enters into an agreement with another agency (i.e. Habitat for Humanity), to the satisfaction of the City of Edmonton, then this regulation shall not be required.
bb. As a condition of the Development Permit for Area C and prior to the release of drawings for Building Permit review, other than a Building Permit for excavation and foundation, the applicant and/or owner shall provide proof satisfactory to the Development Officer in consultation with the Environmental and Energy Coordination Unit that, if necessary, the lands have been remediated to a level suitable for the allowable uses. The Development Officer shall not physically release the Development Permit for the purposes of a Building Permit, other than an excavation and Foundation Permit, until this condition has been adequately satisfied.
All commercial and residential building Façades fronting onto a plaza or public or publicly accessible street, other than a Lane, shall have active commercial or residential frontages.
Active residential and commercial frontages shall be developed according to the following regulations:
Active commercial frontages shall provide:
building/ unit entrances and windows fronting public roadways and plazas;
at least 70% of ground floor building façades shall be glazed on the exterior; and
At least 70% of the ground floor commercial frontages in Area C shall be designed and architecturally treated to give the appearance of small regularly spaced frontages along the street of not more than 12 m.
Where Commercial Uses are developed on the ground (first) floor of a building, weather protection in the form of a canopy or any other similar architectural element shall be provided above entrances to create a comfortable environment for pedestrians.
Active residential frontages shall:
Include ground (first) floor Dwellings with individual external accesses and use features such as porches, staircases and stoops.
The first floor of any residential frontage, including associated entranceway, shall have a maximum grade separation of 1.5 m from any adjacent public sidewalk.
The top two Storeys of Apartment Housing shall be architecturally treated through the use of materials, canopies, or other architectural features on all faces as shown on Appendix V.
Mid-rise apartments A6 and A7 shall have a minimum stepback of 1.5 m above the 4th Storey on faces as shown on Appendix V.
Figure 2: Stepbacks for buildings A6 and A7
Mid-rise apartment A9 shall have a minimum stepback of 1.5 m above the 4th Storey and an additional stepback of 7.0 m above the 8th storey on the face as shown on Appendix V.
Figure 3: Stepbacks for building A9
Mid-rise apartment A22 shall have a minimum stepback of 3.0 m above the 2nd Storey, 4.0 m above the 6th Storey, and 4.0m above the 7th Storey on the face as shown on Appendix V.
Mid-rise apartment A23 shall have a minimum stepback of 3.0 m above the commercial storey(s) or the second Storey of a residential only building as shown on Appendix V.
There shall be no external staircases permitted within the front setback to the top units of stacked row housing.
High Rise Apartment Housing
Perceived massing shall be minimized through such methods as building stepback variations at the upper levels, building orientation, roof treatment, and the choice of exterior materials and colours.
Residential towers T1, T2, T3 and T4 shall be comprised of three distinct vertical zones: tower base, tower mid and tower top zones. The distinct nature of the three vertical zones shall be integrated through stepbacks in the building mass and/or through the architectural treatment of the Façades, as shown on Appendix V, including:
the tower base zone shall be integrated with apartment housing except for Tower 4;
The tower mid zone shall be differentiated from the tower base zone, but should reinforce some of the design details, colors, materials, and architectural expression from the architecture below on all faces. While there should be similarity in materials to create a cohesive building, a variety in architectural styles should be encouraged among the buildings on the site; and
the tower top zone shall be 2 to 4 Storeys in height and may be stepped back. Special architectural detailing and use of transparent materials shall be required on all faces to create an interesting skyline.
Towers T1, T2, T3 and T4 shall incorporate design features to minimize adverse microclimatic effects such as wind tunneling and rain sheeting.
A Wind Impact Statement, and/or Wind Impact Study, prepared by a qualified, registered Professional Engineer to professional standards, shall be required for T1, T2, T3, and T4. A Wind Impact Study is required where the Wind Impact Statement indicates that uncomfortable or unsafe conditions may result from the building design.
High-rise apartments A17 and A18 shall have a minimum stepback of 1.5 m above the 1st or 2nd Storey (first Storey above commercial) on the face as shown on Appendix V.
The top two Storeys of high rise apartments A17 and A18 shall be architecturally treated through the use of materials, canopies, or other architectural features on all faces as shown on Appendix V.
Quality finishing materials for all of the development shall be used such as stone, masonry, fiber cement siding, cementitious panels, acrylic stucco, wood panel, metal and glass on the lower floors, and predominately metal and glass for the upper floors.
The use of vinyl siding and Portland cement stucco as a finishing material shall not be permitted.
All building Façades shall use compatible and harmonious exterior finishing materials.
The design of rooftops visible from high-rise buildings should be carefully considered which may include a variety of architectural treatments.
A detailed landscaping plan shall be submitted in accordance with Section 55 of the Zoning Bylaw.
Landscaped Amenity Areas shall be provided in general conformance with Appendix VI and shall provide an appropriate combination of soft and hard landscaping, to the satisfaction of the Development Officer.
There shall be two plazas developed as shown on Appendix VI. A public access easement shall be registered for these areas which will serve as amenities for people of all ages, during all seasons and hours of the day. These areas may include public art, landscaping, seating areas or bicycle facilities.
Landscaping Plans shall incorporate native and/or drought tolerant species into the landscaping design.
Vehicular circulation shall be developed in accordance with Appendix IV.
Except for Area A, required residential and commercial parking shall be located entirely underground or in structured parking limited to two Storeys above grade. Above grade parking shall be concealed by landscaping, residential uses, commercial uses and/or an architectural Façade.
Structured parking facilities should be designed at street level to minimize the size of the entrances to parking facilities to maintain an attractive pedestrian environment.
Notwithstanding 8.0 (b), Commercial parking and any required visitor parking may be located on the surface on private internal roadways.
The underground and/or structure parking shall not interfere with the viability of landscaping in the front yard setback or private common areas. Adequate soil depth for landscaping such as shrubs and grass over the parkade shall be provided.
The owner shall register a public access easement for all private internal roadways as identified on Appendix IV, to the satisfaction of the Development Officer in consultation with Transportation Services.
Pedestrian circulation shall be developed in accordance with Appendix VI.
A decorative boundary element, fence and/or landscaping shall be provided to distinguish between the public park and private property to a maximum height of 1.0 m.
A minimum 2.0 m sidewalk shall be constructed on private property south of the urban style park connecting 88 Street to the 96 Avenue/existing Lane. The walkway shall be illuminated at night with pedestrian scale lighting. A public access easement shall be registered.
Private roadways and existing Lanes shall be illuminated at night with pedestrian scale lighting.
The following improvements shall be funded by the owner:
Construct new road right-of-way connecting 95 Avenue to 97 Avenue.
Construct a centre median with double row of boulevard trees that is generally 9.0 m wide from 97 Avenue to 95A Avenue.
Construct a centre median with boulevard trees that is a minimum 3.0 m in width from 95A Avenue to 95 Avenue.
All centre medians shall include a combination of trees, shrub planting, hardscaping, sod or other ground cover alternative
The centre medians may be used to accommodate the public art contribution contained in section 10.4 of this bylaw, to the satisfaction of the Development Officer in consultation with Transportation Services.
The centre median may allow for permanent pedestrian scale, off premises wayfinding signage, to the satisfaction of the Development Officer in consultation with Transportation Services.
Boulevard tree planting shall be incorporated along a minimum 2.0 m sidewalks (north of 95A Avenue).
The sidewalks south of 95A Avenue shall be minimum 3.0 m to 4.0 m in accordance with Appendix VI.
Benches, pedestrian lighting and street furniture shall be incorporated in the furnishing zone of the 4.0m sidewalk along the commercial frontages between 95A Avenue and 95 Avenue.
Construct new road right-of-way connecting 87 Street to 88 Street.
Sidewalks shall be constructed on both sides of 95A Avenue in accordance with Appendix VI.
Special paving such as colour, pavement stamping, varied materials or similar treatment shall be constructed for the Lane from 97 Avenue to Strathearn Drive, to the satisfaction of Transportation Services.
The Lane shall be paved to City standards.
Construct a 1.5 m sidewalk on private property and register a public access easement.
The owner will contribute $500,000 towards construction of the development concept of the Neighbourhood Park and Urban Style Park in accordance with City Design and Construction Standards.
50% of all deciduous trees shall be a minimum of 50 mm caliper and 50% shall be a minimum of 75 mm caliper and minimum 6 m on centre.
The following improvements shall be funded by the owner:
The Neighbourhood Park shall be completed to base level development (grade, level and seed). Credit shall be given for existing mature ash and elm trees located within the public park subject to the satisfaction of the City of Edmonton.
The Urban Style Park shall be completed to base level development (grade, level and seed). Credit shall be given for existing mature ash and elm trees located within the public park subject to the satisfaction of the City of Edmonton.
The owner shall enter into a Municipal Agreement with the City of Edmonton to design, construct and maintain the garden square park spaces which shall be developed as formal gardens with tree planting and furnishings to the satisfaction of the City of Edmonton.
Prior to issuance of a development Permit, the City and the owner shall mutually enter into an agreement, including any necessary procedural steps required for accompanying road closures that are necessary to facilitate a private internal roadway and development, to:
exchange lands for new public roadway rights-of-way, and/or
privatize pre-existing public road rights-of-way.
The owner shall provide public art on the site to a value of $293,000.
The public art may take the form of Structural Art which includes artworks created through artistic application of hard landscaping on the site, to the satisfaction of the Development Officer;
Of the total, $43,000 shall be allocated to erect public art on the plaza spaces as show on Appendix VI. This public art contribution shall be erected within 18 months of the issuance of the occupancy Permits of A20 and A21.
$250,000 of the public art contribution shall be developed and erected on the Neighbourhood Park, the centre median along 88th street, and/or the Urban Style Park within 18 months of the issuance of the occupancy Permits of T1 and T2.
A committee with representation from the owner, the Edmonton Arts Council and the Strathearn Community League shall oversee this public art program.
In order to implement Strathearn Heights Silver LEED ND rating, the redevelopment shall incorporate recycling facilities, water conservation strategies, low water landscaping, energy efficient lighting, and reduce the consumption of energy, water and materials.