Edmonton city council decides to construct $14M parkade at Orange Hub

Key takeaways: 

• Four councilors desired to have the funds to explore future development alternatives.
• The city-owned Orange Hub on 156th Street houses arts, theatre, and wellness non-profits and requires rehabilitation, including substituting the current parkade.

Council agrees to build $14M parkade: 

Edmonton will pay $14 million to construct a new above-ground parkade at the Orange Hub. The city council selected Wednesday, despite a push from some councilors to explore more development alternatives at the location. 

A city report indicates that the current parkade at the city-owned center at 100th Avenue and 156th Street should be demolished or permanently shut this year because of structural problems.

The above-ground parkade will have 181 spaces for vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles in a three-level garage. 

The city report rehashed two alternative possibilities: a 60-space surface parking lot costing $5 million or a 200-space underground parkade that would cost $35 million.

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The Orange Hub parkade helps coming access the LRT and bus networks. 

“The parkade’s proposed exterior design seeks to improve the urban design of 156th Street and deliver a sense of place and identity for the West Jasper Place neighborhood,” the report stated. Source – cbc.ca

Lost chance

Anne Stevenson, councilor for Ward O-day’min, told the city to put the funds aside. At the same time, it looks at other methods to redevelop the location, including partnerships with tenants, non-profits, and private interests to build a mixed-use residential structure with an underground parkade. 

“I think this is a fantastic chance for us to make our vision in the city plan and demonstrate leadership in terms of the kind of city we want to see constructed,” Stevenson stated. Source – cbc.ca