Bylaw 13128
Closure of a portion of 184 Street and a portion of the 184 Street
Government Road Allowance; located south of Wedgewood Crescent
and north of the Wedgewood Ravine, Cameron Ravines
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WHEREAS the Municipal Council of the City of Edmonton may pass a Bylaw for the purpose of closing any road provided that the bylaw is advertised and any person who claims to be affected prejudicially by the bylaw, or their agent, has been given an opportunity of being heard by City Council in relation to the proposed Bylaw; and
WHEREAS City Council has considered the proposed closing and has agreed that it is in the public interest to pass this Bylaw;
NOW THEREFORE the Municipal Council of the City of Edmonton, duly assembled, enacts as follows:
1.All that portion of road, generally as shown on Schedule "A" described as follows:
Firstly:
Plan 471 ET
All that portion of road lying south and east of a line drawn perpendicular to the southwesterly boundary of Lot 1A, Block 2, Plan 3088TR from the most southerly corner of the corner cut off adjoining said Lot 1A
Excepting Thereout All Mines And Minerals
Secondly:
Meridian 4 Range 25 Township 52
All that portion of government road allowance adjacent to the west boundary of W 1/2 9-52-25-4 lying south of the southeasterly production of the north easterly boundary of road Plan
2/3
471 ET and north of the traverse line (having a distance of 46.78 metres) as shown on Plan 932 0608
Excepting Thereout All Mines And Minerals
Thirdly:
Plan 4720AU
All that portion of road lying west and north of a line drawn perpendicular through a point on the southerly boundary of road Plan 4720AU distant 87.00 metres westerly from its intersection with the east boundary of SE 8-52-25-4
Excepting Thereout All Mines And Minerals
IS HEREBY CLOSED.
2.When title or titles are created for the former portion of road as described in Section 1 of this Bylaw, it is understood and agreed that such title or titles for the former portion of road may be issued excepting Mines and Minerals, the City however, reserving the right to the said Mines and Minerals if in fact the City is the owner thereof.
READ a first time thisday of , A.D. 2002;
READ a second time thisday of, A.D. 2002;
READ a third time thisday of, A.D. 2002;
SIGNED and PASSED thisday of, A.D. 2002.
THE CITY OF EDMONTON
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MAYOR
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CITY CLERK
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SCHEDULE “A”
BYLAW*
FILE:LC/020010
CAMERON RAVINESS/
WEDGEWOOD HEIGHTS
DESCRIPTION:PROPOSED CLOSURE of a portion of 184 Street and a portion of the 184 Street Government Road Allowance south of Wedgewood Crescent; CAMERON RAVINES
LOCATION:184 Street south of Wedgewood Crescent and north of EL Smith Road
APPLICANT:Stantec Consulting Ltd.
10160 – 112 Street
Edmonton AB T5K 2I6
OWNER:831614 Alberta
11219 - 100 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5K 1J1
ACCEPTANCE OF
APPLICATION:April 30, 2002
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PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT’S
RECOMMENDATION:That Bylaw13128 to close a portion of 184 Street and a portion of the 184 Street Government Road Allowance be APPROVED.
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BYLAW*13128
FILE:LC/020010
CAMERON RAVINESS/
WEDGEWOOD HEIGHTS
DISCUSSION
1.The Application
This application will close a portion of the 184 Street Government Road Allowance and a portion of 184 Street that traverses the Wedgewood Ravine, eliminating direct vehicular access between the Wedgewood Heights and the undeveloped Cameron Ravines neighbourhoods. The closed road right of way will remain in the City of Edmonton’s inventory, and an emergency access easement will be registered on the existing 9m carriageway, such that access for emergency vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles will be maintained through the ravine. An access easement will also be provided to the .42 hectare privately owned property located at the bottom of the Ravine (NE-8-52-25-4).
2.Site and Surrounding Area
The existing 184 Street is developed to rural standard. It involves a moderate descent and ascent from Wedgewood Ravine with some curvature in the road to accommodate the grade and natural features. The closure bylaw will close the developed road as well as a portion of the undeveloped Government Road Allowance that is situated east of the developed road. The portion of road to be closed currently provides access from Lessard Drive to country residences located south of Wedgewood Ravine. It is also used by employees of the EL Smith Water Treatment Plant located south of Wedgewood Ravine.
If 184 Street through Wedgewood Ravine is closed, the current users have an alternative route to Lessard Drive. The alternative route for residents located on 184 Street and 23Avenue is westbound on 23 Avenue and northbound on 199 Street to 45 Avenue or 62Avenue. The anticipated construction of Anthony Henday Drive from 45Avenue to 184 Street and across the River will eventually provide this area with good access to all parts of the city. However, construction of Anthony Henday is provincially funded and the connection to 184 Street is not anticipated to be complete until 2006.
ANALYSIS
- Compliance with Approved Neighbourhood Area Structure Plans and Requirement for Access Easements
The Cameron Heights Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan, approved by Council in June, 2001, requires that 184 Street be closed through Wedgewood Ravine prior to the approval and registration of any subdivisions in the Cameron Ravines neighbourhood. The NASP indicates that the road right-of-way will be available for emergency access and for
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CAMERON RAVINESS/
WEDGEWOOD HEIGHTS
pedestrians and bicycles. This requirement was included in the NASP because the existing roadway is not built to an adequate standard to provide access for the additional development in Cameron Ravines. Upgrading the roadway would be costly due to its location through the ravine and the desire to maintain the ravine in a natural state would preclude upgrading the road to accommodate more traffic.
There is a privately owned property at the bottom of the Wedgewood Ravine. This property is currently undeveloped. The property is zoned A (Metropolitan Recreation). It is within the North Saskatchewan River Valley Bylaw and is currently bisected by a number of water and gas lines. These combined factors limit the developability of the site. However, there is still a need to provide access to this privately held parcel. It is the opinion of the Administration that this obligation can be adequately met with an access easement. In the future, the City may wish to negotiate for purchase of this parcel as it is contained within the North Saskatchewan River Valley Bylaw boundary, and is a part of the Wedgewood Ravine natural system.
- Transportation and Utilities
There will be a requirement to maintain easements for Sanitary Sewer, EPCOR Power, EPCOR Water, and Telus within the closed right of way. There is also a requirement to provide service access to these lines.
The Emergency Response Department has indicated that emergency access must be maintained through the ravine as a secondary access to the Cameron Ravines Neighbourhood. This emergency access easement will be maintained by the Transportation and Streets Department. The road will be ploughed after heavy snowfall and maintained in a condition to allow passage of emergency vehicles.
The Transportation and Streets Department will require that the closed portion of the road right-of-way must be consolidated with adjacent lands, and that all standard conditions of closure must be adhered to. Physical closure of the road must be adequate to prevent private vehicles from accessing the roadway. A fence with a gate and lock, keyed for access by the appropriate interests, is recommended at both ends of the closure. Bollards are not adequate to close the road. A gap must be provided in the fence to allow for pedestrians and cyclists to access the roadway.
EPCOR Water has objected to the road closure bylaw on the basis that this route currently provides easy access for employees at the EL Smith Water Treatment Plant. Currently there are approximately 30 full time employees and 20 contract employees working at the EL Smith Plant. EPCOR has further indicated a need to maintain emergency access through the ravine in the event of an emergency at the EL Smith Water Treatment Plant.
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2.Disposition
The closed right-of-way will be retained in the City’s inventory. The right-of-way is within the Wedgewood Ravine and is contained within the North Saskatchewan River Valley Bylaw. The closed road will be consolidated with adjacent ravine properties and transferred into the Community Services Department inventory. An emergency access easement will be registered on the road carriageway. Easements will be provided for sanitary, power, telephone and water services. An access easement will also be provided for the property at the bottom of the ravine and for utility agencies requiring access for servicing.
3.Surrounding Property Owners’ Concerns
The Planning and Development Department received seven phone calls and one letter related to the potential closure of 184 Street. One of the callers, living in Wedgewood Heights requested that the road be closed as soon as possible. Four of the callers live in the small country residential subdivision of River Heights located south of the closure area, and two of the callers lives on 17th Avenue south of the closure area. These six remaining callers objected to the closure. They were concerned about longer travel times, possible loss of DATS transportation, lack of alternative access in the event of an accident or poor road conditions on 23 Avenue, and potential for reduced accessibility for emergency vehicles.
EPCOR indicated in their response that the EL Smith employees had similar concerns with longer travel times and lack of alternative access. The residents from River Heights and the EL Smith employees expressed a strong desire to keep 184 Street open until completion of the Anthony Henday access.
A letter supporting the closure was received from a resident of Wedgewood Heights. The writer was concerned that the road would not be closed prior to development and construction in Cameron Heights, resulting in heavier traffic past their neighbourhood.
The owner of the property at the bottom of the ravine has indicated that he is not satisfied with an access easement to the property. The owner is willing to negotiate with the City for the purchase of the property, but until such time as there is a negotiated agreement for the disposition of their property, he will oppose the road closure.
The Administration acknowledges that closure of 184 Street will increase travel times to Lessard Drive for residents of River Heights and for EL Smith Employees, until such time as the Anthony Henday access is complete. Residents on 23 Avenue and 184 Street would have to travel about 3.2 km farther if 184 Street is closed. Because of the slow operating speed on 184 Street as compared to 199 Street, the additional travel time for these residents is estimated to be about two and a half minutes.EL Smith employees
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would travel about 6.4 km farther if 184 Street is closed, adding approximately 5 minutes of travel time.
When the Cameron Heights NASP was approved, it was anticipated that access to Cameron Heights from Anthony Henday Drive would be completed by 2004, at the latest. Construction of Anthony Henday has been delayed until 2006. The Cameron Heights NASP indicated that development could not occur until the access through the Wedgewood Ravine was closed, however, the NASP did not require construction of Anthony Henday prior to development. It was anticipated in the NASP that there would be a short period of time whereby access to the area would be solely from 23 Avenue and 199Street. Unfortunately construction of Anthony Hendey has been delayed by two years. It is the opinion of the Transportation and Streets Department that 23 Avenue can provide adequate access for the EL Smith employees, as well as the limited amount of country residential development in the area, and the initial phases of development in the Cameron Heights neighbourhood. The Transportation and Streets Department will evaluate the need to require upgrading of 23 Avenue as part of the subdivision approval process. The City will also enter into discussions with private owner regarding the purchase of their property at the base of Wedgewood Ravine.
JUSTIFICATION
The Planning and Development Department recommends that Bylaw13128 be APPROVED as the existing road is not built to adequate standard to provide access to the Cameron Ravines neighbourhood, and upgrading of the roadway to accommodate more traffic would disrupt the natural environment of Wedgewood Ravine. The proposed closure complies with polices of the Cameron Heights NASP, and will allow development of this area to proceed.
ATTACHMENT
2aMaps
Written by: Paula Ainsley
Approved by: Robert Caldwell
Planning and Development Department
June 3, 2002
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13128_Att2a.pdf
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13128_page2.pdf
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