WEEKLY UPDATE - DEC 18
Welcome to the final Weekly Wrap Up of 2024! We had a great week to finish off the year - here are the highlights!
At Public Hearing there were two rezonings - one in Prince Rupert and one in Central McDougall. I'm hopeful these rezonings will support the redevelopment of two long-time vacant lots at 111 Avenue and 109 Street and help welcome new neighbours to this well connected area!
We also approved the City’s strategy for dealing with surface parking lots. The current status quo with many unpermitted lots have a lot of serious implications for the downtown, creating an unattractive environment and detracting from vibrancy. The new strategy will provide a pathway for surface lots to meet higher standards for beautification and accessibility. While this won’t address all the challenges of surface lots, I think it helps us to raise the bar and support a more attractive and welcoming downtown.
Downtown was also on the agenda at City Council, where I made a motion for City staff to develop a Downtown Action Plan. Building off the input of stakeholders and a range of work already underway, the Plan will help solidify a strategic way forward for the heart of our city.
At Utility Committee, we approved the revised Performance Based Rate filing by EPCOR. While the original filing had many strengths, we had requested a few adjustments to support greater affordability for Edmontonians, and it was great to see those impacts realised. With these changes, water rates for single families will increase 0.8% less between 2025-2027, and there will be a 0.3% decrease for multifamily units. While not huge changes, I'm grateful for everyone who helped find ways to reduce cost pressures on Edmontonians.
That’s all for 2024! Thank you for tuning in this year and I look forward to reconnecting in 2025!