TAMRMS#: B06
11.1
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Community Amenities School Area Structure Plan
Notice given by: Councillor Hughes
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PROPOSED MOTION(S):
recommendation
That Administration prepare for Council’s consideration an amendment to the St. Albert West Area Structure Plan to replace the words “high school” with “school” for the Community Amenities school site.
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ADMINISTRATION’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTENT OF THE MOTION
This amendment would replace “high school” with “school” in the St. Albert West ASP, to enable future school boards to locate a school of their preference on this site.
ADMINISTRATION’S RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the ASP maintain the reference to the high school site at the community amenities site and the motion be defeated.
PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present a motion for which Councillor Hughes gave notice on March 4, 2025.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Background
A significant land development challenge facing municipalities in Alberta is the provision of land dedicated for Municipal Reserve and the associated pressures for its utilization. According to legislation, the maximum amount of Municipal Reserve dedication a municipality can request is 10% of developable lands. Municipal Reserve is used by the municipality for various purposes, including parks, open spaces, recreation/community centers, conservation of natural assets (which do not fall within the Environmental Reserve category), and schools. Due to the limited amount of land dedicated and the numerous needs, it can be difficult for municipalities to assemble enough Municipal Reserve for high school sites, for which there is a preference for a larger area. As a result, high school sites often require either land purchase or land donation to achieve a site large enough. This issue was identified within the Technical Report on the Long-Term Provision of New Schools received by Council in February 2015. The report was written in coordination and consultation with the school superintendents of the time. Centrally located neighbourhood schools were identified as the locations for K-9 and junior high schools. The following recommendations were made with respect to high schools:
• Given the greater size and site requirements for high schools, and the need for fewer such schools, provide high school sites with land acquired through City purchase/provision outside of available municipal reserve land.
• The use of cash-in-lieu funds for Municipal Reserve should be considered for acquiring land for high school sites.
• High schools should be considered a key component of city-wide or regional campuses that could incorporate other compatible partners such as post-secondary institutions, city-wide or regional recreation or cultural facilities.
• A plan for such campuses should be developed.
The idea of a shared use recreation/school campus was proposed by and supported by the superintendents of the time.
During the development of Flourish, St. Albert’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) from 2018 to 2020, it was acknowledged that St. Albert required sites for future high schools. It was also recognized that due to existing K-9 school facilities and recreation/parks needs, the high school land assembly would most likely not occur through Municipal Reserve dedication. At the same time, St. Albert Council was also looking for a new location for a future community amenities area. The last major recreation facility that opened in St. Albert was Servus Place in 2006. At that time, St. Albert had a population of approximately 57,000 people, and with Flourish contemplating growth to 100,000 people, another recreation center would be needed to support the growing population. When discussing both the recreation center and future high school needs, a decision was made to look for locations that could provide enough land to support both needs.
In 2019, the City of St. Albert evaluated three potential locations for a new community amenities site that could also provide land for a high school. The three locations included the Cherot neighborhood, northeast St. Albert, and the city-owned Badger Lands. In consultation with key stakeholders, and after evaluating these options in 2021, it was determined that the new community amenities site should be located in Cherot. The Cherot land enabled the City to benefit from a land donation, and due to the size of the donated lands, the site provided the opportunity for co-locating a high school with the future community amenities. The site was not obtained through the Municipal Reserve provisions of the MGA. This meant that valuable Municipal Reserve land could be re-allocated throughout the rest of Cherot, providing the community with neighbourhood school site(K-9), community park, and additional parks/open spaces, in addition to the high school and community amenities. This decision was integral to informing the Municipal Development Plan’s growth strategy, which, with respect to greenfield development, prioritized growth to the west. With this decision incorporated into the MDP, City Council approved the funding of approximately $25 million dollars, to extend the needed infrastructure across Ray Gibbon Drive to Cherot to support the development of the community amenities area/high school site.
In 2023, the City undertook the community amenities site concept planning process. This concept focused on planning for future recreational amenities and community space needs for the next 10 years. The new community site was designed to promote physical and mental wellness, encourage community engagement, support social opportunities, and reflect diverse community perspectives within a growing and changing city. This site design also included a location for a high school (based on the new Paul Kane school footprint). The plan incorporated planned efficiencies between complementary peak-parking use periods to limit the total amount of parking that would need to be built within the community amenities site.
In September 2024, the St. Albert West Area Structure Plan (ASP) was adopted by City Council, which specifically referenced the need for a "High School" on land designated for community amenities. This followed an identified need for a future high school site, based on discussions around a new campus-style recreation and school site. Assembling land through the standard Municipal Reserve process is challenging, as high schools require larger tracts of land. The St. Albert West ASP addressed this by dedicating a portion of the City’s lands and designing the servicing and road network to accommodate a school with a population of 1,500 students.
High schools have different needs compared to elementary or junior high schools. High schools serve students from across the city and nearby regions and are not limited to a specific neighborhood. In contrast, elementary and junior high schools are generally expected to be located within residential areas, where pedestrian access is prioritized, and the school serves as an amenity for the local neighborhood. In considering a future high school site, the decision was made to co-locate the high school with a recreation center, offering joint use of parking facilities, sports fields, and aquatic and ice arenas. The approved concept plan includes a large aquatics facility, an ice arena, gym and fitness spaces, and indoor flexible community spaces to support a variety of community gatherings and events. Complementing these facilities is a future high school site. Outdoors, the remainder of the site will feature a mix of amenities, including community nodes, a spray park, sports fields, sport courts, a bike skills park, trails, and open passive areas. The design of the community amenities site is based on the needs of the high school, and any change to the school type would require analysis to determine the implications for redesign of the concept plan.
Current Situation
Recently, the province announced school funding for a St Albert Public Schools (SAPS) K-9 public school in Cherot. Considering the school sites available at the time, SAPS request for funding was based on the amenities site, the ASP designation notwithstanding. The request for a K-9 was based on SAPS identified priorities in accordance with their growth and capital plan. SAPS maintains their preference for the amenities site based on their analysis and planning. Around the same time of the provincial announcement, Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools presented to Council regarding their top capital priorities (elementary school in Riverside, High School at the community amenities site), though no funding has been announced for these needs. A recent school site allocation meeting did not result in consensus on the use of the amenities site for a K-9.
Discussion
The community amenities site was specifically designed with the needs of a high school in mind. Because the land is located behind the commercial site, it is not directly connected to the residential development in Cherot, unlike what would be expected for a non-high school site. The main difference between a high school site and a non-high school site regarding infrastructure needs is parking and green space. The concept plan currently shares the parking lot between the community amenities and the high school. The community amenities site will need the same amount of land dedicated to parking, whether a high school or non-high school site is located here. As such, changes from a high school site will likely require changes to the community amenities layout to ensure that an overall deficit in parking does not occur and alignment with typical school site placement. This could result in the loss of an indoor or outdoor amenity.
Another important consideration is that Cherot already has a neighbourhood school site identified for any non-high school located within the residential area ~1 km south (line of site) or ~1.5km south (driven distance) of the community amenities site. This school site is easily and safely accessible by young children from the community. This school site is currently within ~150m of active residential development, and it is anticipated that the site will be serviced and accessible by the end of 2025. This site has the appropriate amount of land for any non-high school site and their associated activities (school land, parking, bus pickup/drop-off, playgrounds, and associated park use). It is important to note that this site provides more school/park space for recreation and playgrounds for the younger children, versus the community amenities high school site, which was intended to take more advantage of nearby community amenities, while utilizing the sports fields in the northeast portion of the community amenities site (see Attachment 1).
Please note that the Cherot school sites have not been formally allocated to any school division as of the date of this report. Administration would caution making any changes to the St. Albert West ASP without formal discussions with all school boards. The City currently has several serviced sites ready for any school to build upon within its inventory (see Attachment 2).
The community amenities site has all weather access and servicing to the property line (off Range Road 260). It is anticipated that a service road and utility servicing will need to be extended into/through the community amenities site to make the school site fully functional, as RR260 will ultimately serve as a 4-lane connector road at full build out. While the design may differ, this need is not specific to any grade configuration.
The south Cherot school site subdivision is currently being processed by Administration, with a decision expected in June 2025. Finished grading of the site occurred in 2024. The developer anticipates servicing and roads to be completed on two sides of this site in September 2025, which would make the site ready for development. This has been communicated to the city in writing.
Through the St. Albert West ASP and Neighbourhood Plan, Administration is proposing to reserve lands within the Badger Lands for an additional potential high school site. The Badger Lands site has public access and servicing available to the property line. The Neighbourhood Plan that includes the Badger Lands site is anticipated to be completed ~Q3/Q4 2025. Site planning similar to what occurred for the Community Amenities Site has not yet occurred, but will be needed to efficiently allocate land to current and future community needs (e.g. High School, park, public operations, policing facility, etc.).
IMPACTS OF MOTION
Financial:
Amending the St. Albert West ASP will trigger changes to the associated Neighbourhood Plan and servicing reports. If a high school was not located on the community amenities site, it would also require a re-design of the concept plan. It is anticipated that these changes would be approximately $25,000 for the Neighbourhood Plan and servicing reports, in addition to staff resources. Should they prove necessary, it is expected that changes to the site concept would have additional costs. Depending on the magnitude, these costs could be covered through existing charters.
Compliance & Legal:
Allocation of school sites occurs through the School Site Allocation agreement. The City of St. Albert has three different school boards that may express interest in school sites. While one school board may not be interested in the Community Amenities location for a high school, other school boards may have expressed interest. It also should be noted that the Community Amenities school site is not Municipal Reserve land and is wholly owned by the City of St. Albert. This means that the Municipal Reserve land provisions of the Municipal Government Act do not apply to these lands.
Dedication of school sites and their future use is done in consultation with the school boards located within St. Albert, as per the existing School Site Allocation agreement and thus all school boards should be consulted about a possible ASP change.
Program or Service:
Undertaking an amendment to the St. Albert West ASP would have to be incorporated as part of the Planning and Development and Recreation and Parks Department’s project work, with impacts to prioritization and attendant staff focus not yet fully defined.
Organizational:
To move ahead with these projects, without impacting existing projects would require a deliberate look at relative prioritization and attendant resourcing decisions.
Risks
Changing from a high school site would very likely require site re-concepting to accommodate parking needs and typical school site integration, which may result in an impact to indoor or outdoor amenities and could delay timelines for advancing design work on the project.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALTERNATIVES
N/A
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Report Date: May 20, 2025
Author: Kristina Peter
Department: Planning and Development Department & Recreation and Parks Department
Department Director: Kristina Peter and Daniele Podlubny
Managing Director: Adryan Slaght & Dinu Alex
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher