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Edmonton council looks for answers on Century Park and Ride6 ?' p, x2 C- _8 n2 S% l
6 @% @) E9 I- C' M2 I3 NThe city is exploring a raft of options to deal with the looming loss of the Century Park and Ride, including a new LRT station, a parkade and a shuttle bus.% Y7 I4 w+ L0 x8 `! `( q
The city could lose the current park and ride lot as early as 2020 when the lease on the land expires. The developer of the Century Park area has told the city he is not interested in renewing the lease.. b$ m9 o ?# u
Coun. Michael Walters said he believes the city won’t find just one solution to the problem and will have to run a shuttle from the Heritage Valley bus terminal, consider building a new station near 40th Avenue and find a way to replace at least some of the parking on a city-owned piece of land on the site., B; o+ G. ?; P! @% a
Walters said the current park and ride lot was always understood to be temporary. The city considered building a 1,200-stall parkade at the station, but abandoned those plans.( G5 X' }! Q+ y' i
Walters said whether that 1,200 stall parkade is the right option is up for debate, but something will have to be built. : q6 Z. M& S2 ~5 [3 P
“Read my lips: we will build some sort of parking facility on the Century Park Site,” he said.4 e8 N8 E! D: Y$ C& u; N
Council may also get other options with a planned rezoning for the site that is coming forward later this year. The area was initially pitched as a dense, transit-oriented development with multiple residential towers.) a* j$ w6 N: M
Walters said after years of waiting on that project he would like to see the developer move forward. 5 ^& [( ?# N7 G5 }# ?% P1 N& Z
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“We have been through two economic upswings. We have seen 25 per cent population growth in the city. We have had some of the lowest interest rates we have ever seen and still nothing has been built,” he said.
0 ^) e7 F) @( o) v) L5 @: s2 z/ V/ CThe city’s chief planner agreed the city has waited too long to see movement.
. w1 P3 Z9 R+ Y7 X! {& j“It has certainly taken longer than we anticipated and hasn’t become everything we hoped for.” |
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