EDMONTON — A group of Edmontonians has turned to the Alberta government for help fighting the city's universal infill project bylaws, claiming only developers benefit from new housing projects in established neighbourhoods. “I’ve seen in Parkview, Parkallen, all across the city, older homes being torn down because these older homes have slightly larger lots than a more modern zoning home would allow or have," said Mark Hillman, one of the leaders of the Edmonton Infill Action Campaign, in an interview with the Western Standard. "So, they're tearing down these homes in mature neighbourhoods so that they can have a larger return on investment." .The City of Edmonton has pitched infill developments as a way to combat the city's growing population. Hypothetically, the strategy involves tearing down an existing single-family home to build a multi-unit building that can be rented at a lower price. "Infill plays an important role in helping us to respond to population growth and meet the diverse housing needs of both current and future residents," reads a City of Edmonton brochure. "The Zoning Bylaw enables more housing types across the city, giving Edmontonians more choices to live in the neighbourhoods they love." Edmonton has taken a blanket approach to this in residential areas, creating a "one-size-fits-all" approach to bylaws governing these infill projects, and while the idea may seem good on paper, Hillman said it is not fulfilling its intended purpose. "We're not against infill," Hillman said. "We just want some, I guess the term 'common sense' is gone the way of the dodo bird, but we just want some common sense thrown at this, and there's none being applied." "It feels like someone feels like a university student made a paper on what, on paper, would be good for a city, but didn't apply any practical reality, and that's what we're getting in the city of Edmonton. We feel like we are on the receiving end of some social experiment, and it is failing.".Edmonton Infill Action Campaign believes the bylaws have led developers to select larger lots in mature areas and flip them for infill projects because that is where they can turn the greatest profit margin. The issue, however, is that these mature neighbourhoods are seeing their populations double, as single-family homes are being replaced by up to eight-unit buildings, and local infrastructure is not equipped to handle it. Hillman pointed to the neighbourhoods of Belgravia and McKernan, both established in the early 1900s and located near the University of Alberta. He said the location incentivizes developers to purchase lots and build multi unit building for students. The issue, however, is that the communities have minimal parking and limited access in and out of the neighbourhood. The group has raised the issue with the municipal government for years, according to Hillman, but they claim the City has taken little action in response and shuts down the conversation when asked why it doesn't prioritize building on empty or abandoned lots rather than neighbourhoods. "It's been met with a lot of, ‘Yeah, yeah, we hear you, but we're not going to do anything,’” Hillman said. "So that's why we're appealing to the province, not the city, because we have tried for the last several years to appeal to the city." .Edmonton Infill Action Campaign has launched a push to get Edmontonians to send letters to the premier's office, seven different ministries, and the opposition ministries. Each prewritten letter is tailored to explain how the current bylaws have led to conflicts with each ministry's mandate. The group has asked individuals to use the pre-written letters posted on the campaign's website to ensure leaders receive a consistent message. Hillman said they are receiving between 100 and 200 new signatures daily, and although he would not name names, he said MLAs have spoken with the group and told them "we're talking about it." They are also holding protests within the community and also intend to hold a larger one outside the Alberta Legislature Building at a later date. "This is something that is getting a lot of attention, and fundamentally, politicians, they're going to act on it,” Hillman said. "They're not going to act on something if it's only a few dozen people complaining. If it's 1000s of people complaining about something or taking action against something, then they're going to pay a lot more attention." Their hope is to prompt the Alberta government to review how the policies conflict with their goals, establish decision standards requiring municipalities to show impact assessments before intensive infill, restore democratic oversight, and audit asset stewardship. "We're not against infill at a core," Hillman said. "We're looking for responsible and affordable infill that respects neighbourhoods. "We know that's a very vague, high-level thing, but we don't think that's insane."
