Update on the Main Street Overlay

The Main Streets Overlay (MSO) has been in effect since September 2017 and was intended to provide guidelines to commercial redevelopment on arterial roads across the City. Communities along 109 Street expressed concern soon afterward, that the MSO impacted many of the regulations communities helped develop under the 109 Street ARP and that the MSO had been applied to Parkallen from 65 Avenue to 68 Avenue on 111 Street. Following a 17 month review by Administration and engagement with communities, a City Report was presented at the City of Edmonton’s Urban Planning Committee meeting on January 29th. Parkallen representatives Jan Hardstaff and Anne Pratt, Garneau representative Brian Kropf and Elaine Solez (CACCL) presented at the City Of Edmonton’s Urban Planning Committee (UPC), providing community feedback to the City Report. The communities requested the Committee recommend removing the MSO from Parkallen’s existing internal neighbourhood business strip and four additional apartments it had also covered. Councillor Michael Walters made a motion to have the application of the MSO in Parkallen removed and this will be done. 

Other community concerns regarding the MSO along 109 Street included: the elimination of pre-decision consultation with neighbours if a development application requires a variance, changes to rear setback and removal of step backs that reduce the sensitive transition from commercial development to residential neighbours and changes allowing larger bars. The Urban Planning Committee agreed these are concerns and have sent them back for further review by Administration who will report back in the fourth quarter of 2019.