Who are we?
The Greater Hardisty Community Sustainability Coalition is a grassroots citizen group from East Edmonton lending our time, talent and experience to ensure residents of this 1950’s era area have a voice in its renewal, sustainability and future. As the area aged to maturity, its mix of commercial and residential properties gradually came into disrepair as vacant commercial properties emerged, and crime increased. Our team is entirely volunteer led by civic minded folks, passionate about rebuilding a new, functional, connected, and healthy community node. Many team members also share professional expertise as pro-bono contributions to achieve our goals. We are especially interested in conversations about gathering the business community together, and diversification of housing stock. No matter the background or experience, we welcome and need passionate input as we move forward in further implementation of the 101 Ave corridor redevelopment.
What do we want?
We want to help build a better, sustainable street that is connected to our neighborhoods and used by our communities. We seek a place vibrant with commerce and social interaction, one that has the density to match. We’re also collaborating on housing options and Social innovation ventures that will enhance urban wellness for all.
Our vision is reflected in the City Plan as a Safe ‘Vision Zero’ Street that is welcoming, attractive, comfortable, and functional for all users in all seasons. Redevelopment potential includes rectifying the eight dangerous intersections along the avenue, creating an opportunity to introduce active mode infrastructure and transit orientated development, and build the elusive ‘missing middle’ format sorely needed in our mature neighborhood.
What have we done?
Continued funding for the avenue’s planning and design concretely demonstrates the City Plan in action, and our team successfully lobbied City Council for this allocation by maintaining our commitment to the engagement process, holding elected officials accountable, striving for the quality design and best practices we outlined in our feedback to the 101 Ave Corridor Study.
In short, 101 Ave is an ideal location where we as community support creation of the denser urban form our city needs. We pointed to the city’s own Market Housing and Affordability Study which confirmed how the area is one of 6 commercial nodes with the highest probability of sustaining urban density in the city. In consideration of our presentations, Administration suggested short term safety solutions while a motion to continue with $2 Million of capital funding for planning and design work on 101 Avenue was approved by council. Although these temporary measures fall short of significantly advancing the vision we seek, when capital funding for the reconstruction and repaving of 101 Avenue does become available in a future budget cycle, the work now completed has a higher likelihood of proceeding in concert with complete street scape improvements designed to deliver on the extensive work and feedback already provided by the residents of Greater Hardisty.
Continued funding for the avenue’s planning and design concretely demonstrates the City Plan in action, and our team successfully lobbied City Council for this allocation by maintaining our commitment to the engagement process, holding elected officials accountable, striving for the quality design and best practices we outlined in our feedback to the 101 Ave Corridor Study.
In short, 101 Ave is an ideal location where we as community support creation of the denser urban form our city needs. We pointed to the city’s own Market Housing and Affordability Study which confirmed how the area is one of 6 commercial nodes with the highest probability of sustaining urban density in the city. In consideration of our presentations, Administration suggested short term safety solutions while a motion to continue with $2 Million of capital funding for planning and design work on 101 Avenue was approved by council. Although these temporary measures fall short of significantly advancing the vision we seek, when capital funding for the reconstruction and repaving of 101 Avenue does become available in a future budget cycle, the work now completed has a higher likelihood of proceeding in concert with complete street scape improvements designed to deliver on the extensive work and feedback already provided by the residents of Greater Hardisty.
Where are we going?
Our aim is to disrupt the usual paradigms of urban renewal, a cycle and process that often struggles to achieve redevelopment of this nature in a timely manner. By leveraging the worth of our #greaterhardisty community engagement -- the citizen customer base we represent -- as a value-added asset to prospective developers, we are seeking a variety of partnerships to help build out the avenue as new suburban middle density complete street corridor node. In other words, we trust that by reducing barriers to developers with secure community acceptance and cooperation ahead of development we will achieve our objectives and do so with improved timelines, substantial efficiencies, and worthy standards.
What do we ask?
If you are reading this, you likely have a contribution to make. Whatever that may be, your assistance can have a meaningful impact. If you believe that our #greaterhardisty collaborative approach can improve the way forward and build a great #YEG101, please contact ghcscoaltion@gmail.com or phone 780-951-5253 to arrange a discussion.
