There is a City Council Public Hearing this morning beginning at 9:30 am to deal with a revamp of the City’s zoning regulations. It looks to be a big one, so there will be additional sessions on October 17th and 18th, and a contingency date set for December 18th if necessary. For those interested, the new bylaw and its associated rationale span over 700 pages, making for substantial reading material. The City says the primary objective is to replace the current complex zoning regulations with a more “modern and adaptable” framework. Currently, there are 46 distinct zoning categories, and the new bylaw aims to streamline them into 24 categories. The new bylaw would also permit the construction of housing up to three stories in height throughout the city, including duplexes, row houses, and small apartments. More information is also available on a City website dedicated to the bylaw renewal project, and you can explore the impact it might have on your area using this zoning map.
There will be a short meeting of the Agenda Review Committee on Tuesday at 8:30 am. At the meeting, the Committee will finalize the agendas for the upcoming meetings of the Community and Public Services Committee, the Urban Planning Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Utility Committee.
Edmonton Transit Service is looking to improve the design of bus shelters in order to curb vandalism. The latest numbers show that 1,600 glass panels in bus shelters were smashed in 2022, costing the City about $456,000. ETS is teaming up with the University of Alberta to find out what other designs for bus shelters may be workable. It’s not the first time the City has had to splash out cash for smashed bus shelter glass - in 2019 the City spent $201,574 to replace 592 bus shelter panels, and in 2017, they spent $156,000.
