Latest news with #DowntownActionPlan
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: Partnerships are key to providing student housing
Access to safe and affordable housing has become one of the most pressing issues faced by university students across Canada. While the impact is greatest on students themselves, their lack of accessible housing has serious downstream effects on our economy, downtown vibrancy, and the ability to grow to meet needs of industry and our community. Edmonton is experiencing significant increases in rental rates. The average rent for a one-bedroom unit in October 2024, was $1,362 — up 30 per cent from the average rent of $1,049 just three years ago — and rents are still rising. This financial burden is compounded by similar increases in food and transportation costs. Students are having an increasingly difficult time balancing their responsibilities at school with the need to earn enough income to cover their cost of living. This has serious impacts on Alberta's economic future as industry and local communities are telling us they need more talent to drive innovation, productivity, and economic growth. MacEwan University takes great pride in our place in O-day'min, our ward in the city, and our contributions to the vibrancy and safety of the downtown area. We currently bring over 20,000 people to the core every day during our fall and winter terms, and with our plans to grow to 30,000 students by 2030, we will have an even greater impact on downtown revitalization. We are not growing for growth's sake. We are growing to meet the demographic demands of youth in high school and the demands from the economy. Roughly one third of MacEwan's students rent their accommodations and as we grow, more students will be looking for places to live, particularly downtown. The Downtown Investment Plan identified we need to double downtown's population by 25,000 residents, and the Downtown Action Plan echoes this as a priority for downtown's growth. Students can be part of the solution. Our student residence of 846 beds is at capacity. We do not want to own, operate, or maintain a new residence; we are focusing on our core mission of post-secondary education. Our approach to housing has been to identify and work with partners to support housing options for our students. We want the housing industry to do what it does best: Support accessible housing for our students. About 18 months ago, we began bringing people together to find new and creative ways of ensuring downtown has more accessible housing for our students. We brought developers, property managers, social-housing leaders, the municipal government, and students together. We surveyed our MacEwan students. We did predictive modeling of our growth. We've been working with this information and listening to these needs over the past many months. We believe we're developing a responsive approach to MacEwan's student housing that focuses on partnerships. As a result, MacEwan invited potential partners to submit proposals for accessible housing for students. Interested vendors responded and committed to a set number of units at a discount for MacEwan students. Simply put, students have another option for accessible housing in proximity to MacEwan, and properties get help attracting renters to their building. This fall, we will be piloting this new approach. If successful, the plan is to add more units with a variety of properties over the next few years, adapting the number and variety of units as demand and the housing market evolve. Helping the private sector understand the affordability challenges that students are experiencing provides benefits beyond this project. Many housing options are not designed for students, and the conversations we've had will help the housing sector conceive and plan projects that take the needs, wishes and concerns of students into consideration. Things like 24-7 security, high-speed internet, laundry facilities, reasonable rent, intergenerational connections, and gathering spaces are important. Improving housing accessibility takes a creative approach and a sustained commitment from all stakeholders — government, business, industry, and other key players — to address the pressures our students and broader community are experiencing. This is a pilot and we anticipate, if successful, a new approach to securing housing for our students. Dr. Annette Trimbee is president and vice-chancellor of MacEwan University. We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don't publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal |The Edmonton Sun.
Global News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
City reveals new plan for downtown Edmonton as part of revitalization efforts
The City of Edmonton is now proposing its new Downtown Action Plan as part of the city's latest initiative to revitalize the downtown core. The hope is that it would achieve the city's goals of increasing property values, growing the number of people living downtown, reducing commercial vacancy and attracting more workers, students, and visitors to downtown. 'Our downtown is a place where commerce, diversity, and creativity flourish. It's a place for everyone to gather to celebrate, share ideas, learn, trade and innovate,' Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said in a statement. 'The Action Plan is our road map to unlocking downtown's full potential. It was built with input from our passionate community partners and, together, we will make meaningful progress in our downtown.' According to the city, this five-year plan builds on existing work, including the Downtown Vibrancy strategy. Story continues below advertisement Eight actions were outlined in this plan and includes suggestions such as upgrading infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, lighting, street furniture, landscaping), exploring housing projects, increasing public amenities and programming, increasing safer public and private spaces, and expanding entertainment districts. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Downtown Action Plan comes with a price tag of approximately $553 million. According to a statement, roughly $511 million is leveraged through the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy, with roughly $440 million contingent on the proposed extension which hasn't officially been approved. Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the downtown business association, says she received overwhelming positive feedback from the introduction of last summer's entertainment district along Rice Howard Way. 'To see just the very European-style experience on the street that the entertainment district brings. You can go and grab a beer or a glass of wine from a restaurant and stroll outside and have some gelato with your wine on the street. It felt very different and it's the kind of experience people are looking for,' McBryan told Global News. Currently, an entertainment district lies between 101 and 100 streets on Rice Howard Way. The proposed expansion would include businesses along 100A Street between 102 Avenue and Jasper Avenue, as well as a few shops facing 100 Street. There are also plans to create another entertainment district along 104 Street between 104 Avenue and Jasper Avenue. Story continues below advertisement For events that already take place on 104 Street such as the Downtown Farmers' Market and Winterval, McBryan says it allows them to include the businesses along the path. 'Most events when we do street closures, if you want to sell alcohol, you have to set up your own beer garden and that takes business away from restaurants already there,' she explained. There are some community groups, such as the Alberta Avenue Business Association, that question why the focus is solely on downtown. 'The last 10-year plan gave us a result of losing our tax base in downtown. Why should we keep bidding on a horse that is dead?' executive director Erick Estrada said. 'I think there is a lot more than downtown that we have to offer in Edmonton, and they're not the only ones who could benefit from a more holistic approach. I think there are a few other areas that each district can identify as their economic priority, and we aren't looking at that,' he added. The plan was unanimously approved in Tuesday's Urban Planning Committee at council, and will be discussed in a future city council meeting.
Edmonton Journal
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton urban planning committee recommends Downtown Action Plan
Article content Edmonton's urban planning committee is recommending that city council give the recently released Downtown Action Plan approvals next week, but part of the plan's recommendations are already underway with an expansion of Downtown's entertainment districts. At the urban planning committee meeting Tuesday, Edmonton city council requested that the Downtown Action Plan be brought to council next week after a thorough review. Although it will be examined by council, the committee took a step further with one element within the plan, which was to recommend the expansion of the Rice Howard Way entertainment district, which started last year, to 104 Street.
Edmonton Journal
12-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Downtown Edmonton needs action now
Article content The City of Edmonton has released its Downtown Action Plan, outlining key capital, operational, and programmatic investments needed to revitalize our downtown. With eight goals and 45 sub-actions, the plan calls for more than $553 million in municipal investments over the next five years. Ambitious? Absolutely. But essential — and consistent with the scale of investments seen in other major North American cities that are prioritizing their downtowns.
Edmonton Journal
12-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton council to examine freshly minted $553-million Downtown revitalization plan
Article content Edmonton city councillors are set to debate a new Downtown Action Plan this week that could chart the course for more than a half-billion dollars to be put toward the development of the city's core. The proposed strategy bears a striking resemblance to a Downtown Investment Plan released in October by a group of businesses 'I do think it's a breakthrough,' said Jason Syvixay, vice-president of strategy and operations for BILD Edmonton Metro. 'I think we've been able to come to the table on both sides, public and private sector, be very vulnerable and open and honest, transparent about what we see to be the issues and challenges in Downtown — as well as the opportunities.'
