The Katz Group wants to convert nearly 5.3 hectares of land north of Rogers Place into a mixed-use development called Village at Ice District, which consists of commercial, retail, industrial and up to 2,500 residential units. The city is considering the application, which Stantec filed on behalf of Katz Group Real Estate in March. The application has received the green light from the Edmonton Planning Committee. The plot is located in Central McDougall, which stretches from 106th Avenue to 105th Avenue and from 101st Street to 104th Street. Warren Champion, vice president of the Central McDougall Community League and a longtime resident of the area, is familiar with the proposal and said growth has been long overdue.
“It is the density that is made by design,” he said. “It’s not crowded, it’s a real community there and I’m very interested in the connection to the street and the kind of architecture they will use.” The proposal includes high-rise buildings joined by some medium-sized buildings. A rooftop park and wellness area for the people living there is suggested for the space on the top floor, Champion said in an interview with CBC News on Thursday. “People on high rise have to look down,” Champion said. “It’s probably a lot closer to Vancouver’s architecture than Edmonton’s architecture.” Champion has worked with architects over the years and contributed to the area redevelopment plan for Queen Mary Park and Central McDougall. The site must be relocated before the company can build. The city stipulates that the high floors have a maximum height of eight floors near 106th Avenue and up to 25 floors near Rogers Place at 105th. Anne Stevenson, an adviser to Ward O-day’min, also wants to see something on earth. Part of the space is parking, but the rest is mostly unused. “It’s pretty empty at this point, there’s just literally nothing there,” Stevenson said. “It’s quite deserted.” Stevenson, a former city designer, said she was looking for three features in a proposed development: density, design and diversity. The urban village will be a combination of commercial, residential and commercial spaces, as well as a park area.
“From a design point of view, from what I have seen, it is really open and well connected to the road. I think so [it] “It will bring a lot of activity and life,” Stevenson said. The village would be next to the MacEwan LRT station, marking another frame in the city’s vision for developing neighborhoods near public transport hubs.

Build and they will come

Champion said his only criticism of the proposal was its focus on commercial and retail uses. “Edmonton has a lot of business, literally downtown,” he said. “Do not focus too much on business, focus on the people who really live there.” He said the area needs more residents to support businesses and the urban village should seek to fulfill it. “An urban village is anything and everything you can mention: culture, education, schools, jobs, as you say,” Champion said. “The only thing missing is the people down there. Everything else is there, so that’s what we really need.” The city receives comments from the public on the internet until April 24. Andrew McLellan, a city designer, said that if there are no drastic changes, the proposal could go to public hearing this summer or fall. Village at Ice is expected to take several years to build.