Airdrie City council gave two readings June 6 to the proposed Area Redevelopment Plan that identifies specific policies and actions to address 22 issues facing the future revitalization of Airdrie’s downtown core.
Council gave the tentative green light to the bylaw prior to sending it off for approval by the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). It is set to return to council in September for a final reading and seal of approval.
Additionally, council members were presented with proposed downtown redevelopment incentives, including seven resolutions and two bylaws designed to improve the competitiveness of the city's downtown.
“The City has taken a proactive approach to make downtown Airdrie an enticing place to invest by proposing a series of incentives to accelerate downtown redevelopment,” read a press release issued by the City last week.
Stephen Utz, director of the CAO’s office for the City of Airdrie, said in addition to the direction of council and statements of public, there are several reasons to desire and achieve a strong downtown region.
“Downtowns are key economic generators, areas that support multiple uses and limits for all, [and are] frequently iconic with important historic and civil buildings,” he said during the meeting. “[They are] central places for community gathering and places that can offer a higher quality of life.”
According to the press statement, the Downtown Resolutions and Bylaws were first presented to council on Feb. 22, and were thereafter revised in preparation for the June 6 meeting based on stakeholder feedback.
Now that council members have given two readings to the downtown plan, it will be presented to the CMRB for compliance review with the Regional Growth Plan within the week before coming back to council this fall.
“The plan and proposed resolutions are built from extensive public engagement,” Utz said in the press statement. “Our core strategy encourages us to do “downtown differently” by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of our core area and proposing municipal actions and incentives to accelerate redevelopment.
“I am excited to see new residents and jobs attracted to the area from these policies and actions.”
According to Utz, the City’s redevelopment plan entitled “Our Core Strategy” speaks to the significant community participation involved in its development and the idea of the downtown being a central location at the heart of the city – leading to a goal of place-making.
He said in preparing the plan, it was discovered Airdronians felt a lack of love for the downtown’s current state, and urged the expedition of the revitalization plan.
“People wanted to love it – they just weren’t emotionally there yet,” he said. “It was from that dichotomy that we developed the vision that downtown Airdrie is the place that people love.”
Several grants will be used toward the initiative including $750,000 in grant funding received by the Canada Community Revitalization Fund.
Utz first presented Airdrie's draft downtown plan to council in February 2021. The 85-page document outlined a 20- to 30-year objective to “establish the vision and principles for revitalization and to guide the redevelopment aspects of revitalization in a manner that is complementary to council’s aims.”
In an effort to accelerate the pace of redevelopment, the plan proposed 107 actions over the next seven years collaborating with local development industry and stakeholders to land on a combination of resolutions and bylaws to get it done as soon as possible.
The launch of the draft ARP came after the City conducted a downtown visioning exercise in 2017 and various open houses, stakeholder meetings, forums and design charrettes in 2019.
