Forest Heights infill project takes flak from both sides of debate
Some residents in Forest Heights say they feel powerless to fight back against some new homes they think are too tall and don't fit the neighbourhood.
One infill owner is intentionally building single-family homes rather than a multi-plex because of his own negative experience with infill.
Julien Laplante's new three-storey home certainly sticks out in the east-central Edmonton neighbourhood's sea of bungalows and post-war semis.
Its height is allowed under city zoning rules, but there is one obstruction ahead: the neighbours.
Edmonton infill
An infill project in Edmonton's Forest Heights neighbourhood on June 24, 2025.
(Cameron Wiebe/CTV News Edmonton)
Two years ago, his property on Rowland Road featured a bungalow which he said had foundation and roof issues.
Laplante and his wife plan to live in the middle of three single family homes they're building on the 90-foot lot. He's been introducing himself to neighbours, acknowledging it's a big change.
There are anti-infill signs on lawns nearby, but Laplante didn't build an eight-plex like the zoning allows because of his own experience with infill.
"We wanted to be an asset to the community, not a detriment.'
— Julien Laplante
'We wanted to be close to single-family houses, not multi-family (ones),' he said. 'We're from (nearby neighbourhood) Strathearn right now. Strathearn has a lot of that development going on, so we've seen that.'
Ashley Salvador, the city councillor for the area, says while Laplante is following the letter of the zoning bylaw, million-dollar single-family homes are not the infill that city council is trying to encourage.
BIGINFILL
An Edmonton infill project is seen on June 24, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton/Cam Wiebe)
'Part of the reason we are moving forward with a number of changes in our zoning bylaw is to diversify the types of housing we're seeing, so that we can start to integrate more affordable options into our neighbourhoods,' Salvador told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.
Whether it's 'not enough density' or 'too tall,' Laplante is hearing concerns from both sides. He believes he's found a middle ground.
'We really wanted to make sure that this wasn't a multi,' he said. 'This lot could've been used for something a lot different.
'We wanted to be an asset to the community, not a detriment.'
City council will debate zoning changes at a public hearing next week.
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