TAMRMS#: B06
10.1
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Steps to Reopen the Corner of St. Anne Street and St. Albert Trail
Notice given by: Councillor Korotash
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PROPOSED MOTION(S):
recommendation
That Administration begin the necessary steps to reopen the road and sidewalk at the corner of St. Anne Street and St. Albert Trail. In addition, that Administration investigate the possibility of installing temporary fencing with fence scrim around the public facing sides of 32 St. Anne Street until such time as the property is developed or remediated.
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ADMINISTRATION’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTENT OF THE MOTION
Administration understands that if approved, this motion directs applicable departments that would be involved to address the public infrastructure design and construction for St. Anne Street roadway and sidewalk to be reconstructed in the area adjacent to 32 St. Anne Street. Necessary agreements and development conditions would also be confirmed, updated, and enforced to be aligned to reopen the area for vehicle and pedestrian movement.
ADMINISTRATION’S RECOMMENDATION
Administration does not recommend the City initiate steps to reconstruct the roadway and sidewalk at this time and instead recommends that Administration continue to administer the conditions associated with the development site and take efforts to manage and maintain the safety barriers of the site with potential to mitigate the aesthetic view of the area. Administration recommends Alternative 1.
PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present a motion for which Councillor Korotash gave notice on September 30, 2026.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
NA
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Development Background
In July 2020, the 32 St. Anne Street site was approved for a new mixed-use development consisting of residential and commercial usesThe redevelopment work on the site included the demolition of the existing on-site building, followed by excavation to install piles and complete the necessary site preparation for the planned underground parking structure. As part of this work, it was necessary to remove existing public infrastructure such as the sidewalk and streetlights, and to close portions of the roadway and establish safe barriers to protect road users from the construction site and substantial grade difference (the excavated hole) that exists immediately at the property line.
To address the accommodation of the loss of sidewalk and portions of road closure, a temporary pedestrian crossing was installed that allowed pedestrians to cross St. Anne Street. This temporary crossing is located just west of the construction site and connects the St. Anne Street / St. Albert Trail intersection on the north side of St. Anne Street. In addition, the eastbound right turn was maintained to allow drivers to turn right from east to south; however, storage area of the right turn was removed to protect and accommodate the construction. Operationally, although the construction of traffic accommodation has removed sidewalk infrastructure and influenced the roadway, it has not resulted in the termination of pedestrian or vehicle movements.
Throughout 32 St. Anne’s timeline, the developer had active development and building permits. However, due to the lack of progress on the site in 2026, the building permit has expired (in accordance with the Safety Codes Permit Bylaw). A new building permit application will be required and must be approved before building construction can restart. While the site's development permit remains active until May 2027, it also is subject to expire if the site’s development does not continue in accordance with the development permits terms and conditions.
Current Conditions and Risks
The existing condition of the private development site leaves substantial risk to the City to advance any construction of sidewalk or in considering opening the roadway. Key issues involve:
1. The immediate area of St. Anne Street in direct vicinity (adjacent) to the 32 St. Anne Street excavation has been undermined and is not in a state of readiness to be built over. Work would be required on-site (on private property) to allow the area to be designed and built to support new infrastructure such as the sidewalk and to empower any consideration of vehicle loads on the St. Anne Street road structure. It is emphasized that road users are not at risk in using the remainder of the road network that is open for public use north of the barricaded area.
2. The proximity of the open excavation, which is at the property line separating public road right of way, to the private land development leaves no spacing for delivery of public infrastructure without impact or influence from the private development area. With the existing state, not only are there limitations to deliver the sidewalk, but there would be space required to maintain a barrier between any infrastructure and the excavation. This space does not exist for all to be delivered.
a. Authorization would be required from the private developer, to which there would be risk for them to allow this to occur because they would be held responsible to replace any damaged or impacted infrastructure; to which they are already conditioned to deliver the replacement of sidewalk and streetlights as part of their permit.
3. The development permit requires the Developer to restore the infrastructure that was removed as part of the private development project. Accordingly, a condition of approval stipulated that the Developer must design and construct a new sidewalk and public realm improvements to re-establish a safe, connected, and accessible pedestrian environment, linking the existing infrastructure to the new development.
4. Advancing work without coordinated design and effort of the private development generates a risk of substantial lost costs should the private development construction be initiated and require the same state as what exists to support that site’s construction today, and also may not be designed or delivered with proper grading and tie-ins.
As noted, pedestrian accommodation has been maintained, albeit through a detour to the north side of St. Anne Street, and the eastbound right turn lane is maintained, although the storage (bay area) has been reduced. The accommodation of sidewalk and opening of the roadway does not generate extensive new or returned benefit in comparison to the high risks and constraints associated with such work.
Future Planned Infrastructure
Administration has planned work in the area near the 32 St. Anne Street development site in 2028, with a project that coordinates necessary RMR (repair, maintenance, replace) work and growth / improvements to the St. Albert Trail at St. Anne Street intersection. This project is captured within Capital Charter Transportation Network Improvement: ENGS-054. The project intends to deliver redesigned right turn bays and slight adjustments to pedestrian accommodation (growth related improvements), while addressing the condition of concrete and road surface (RMR). The improvements of intersection redesign largely align to the southeast and northwest corners of the intersection, as the southwest improvements would be conditions associated with the private development site to return the area to a state of alignment and proper tie-in from the new infrastructure of the development to the public realm.
The intersection improvement project is currently at the preliminary design stage (60% design), with final design anticipated in 2027 and construction anticipated in 2028, subject to budget approval. Sidewalk improvements adjacent to the private development at 32 St. Anne Street are excluded from the City's project scope, as they are required to be completed by the developer under the conditions of the development permit. The developer's work on the southwest corner of the intersection will complement the City's ENGS-054 improvements on the northwest and southeast corners, resulting in the full build-out of the intersection improvements. The separation of project scopes and construction limits minimizes risks associated with infrastructure tie-ins and coordination between the public and private works.
Summary and Recommended Actions
1. The engineering concern is simply that the sidewalk is unsafe to reopen because of ground stability concerns.
2. An alternative pedestrian crossing maintains access and connectivity in the area.
3. As part of the private project, the developer is required to reconstruct the sidewalk; until more is known about the plan for this development, reconstructing/reopening the sidewalk may be premature. If reopening/reconstruction is progressed now, it may result in duplication of work/inefficiencies.
4. Should Council approve the Notice of Motion there are steps Administration could take to reopen the sidewalk. There are risks and potential significant costs associated with this option which are unknown at this stage.
Due to the concerns outlined above, and given the current condition of the area, Administration cannot recommend reopening the road and sidewalk at the corner of St. Anne Street and St. Albert Trail at this time.
To address aesthetics of the area, the installation of fencing is a potential option; however, it would need to be located on City property. As this site is adjacent to a commercial property, fence design and height would be subject to approval by the Development Officer. Administration could investigate temporary fencing options that are more substantial and durable than the fencing currently installed by the developer.
Any proposed fencing would need to balance effective screening of the construction site with improvements to the public realm, while maintaining public safety, preserving necessary sightlines, and supporting activity within the downtown area. The installation of such fencing would require funding from the municipal capital budget, for which no funding has been allocated.
IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
Administration has not performed any scope of work associated with engineering or design to deliver the sidewalk or roadway infrastructure and there are no currently approved funds to do so.
To obtain costs, this would be a required first step, and costs would need to account for risks associated with the project, such as the undermining of the roadway and adjacent excavation near proposed infrastructure. It is anticipated that costs would exceed the standard expectation of costs to deliver such work in a coordinated effort with the planned development and could require removal if / when the site begins development again.
Compliance & Legal:
The City must have authority - statutory, contractual, or otherwise - to perform any work on private property associated with the sidewalk and road reopening.
Program or Service:
Typically, the City does not perform offsite improvements for work aligned to development permits or agreements, as the conditions of the permitting place the onus of design and construction to the private development. This better aligns design and construction of infrastructure from the public realm to private for functionality and operations.
Organizational:
Resources have to be allocated to scope the work, estimate the cost, manage permits and approvals, coordination with the private landowner (s), and manage procurement and construction in order to deliver the intent of the motion.
Risks
A variety of risks exist in association with delivering on the intent of this motion:
1. The current state of the public roadway adjacent to the private development site induces public safety risk due to the undermining of the roadway to deliver on the intent of motion. Further coordinated review and design with the adjacent development site would be required to build infrastructure to reduce or eliminate said risk.
2. Infrastructure constructed would be at risk of imminent removal when development activity advances on the site. This may be due to required work boundaries for the private site or due to alternative design requirements to tie-in infrastructure from the public road right of way to the private site.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Initiative aligned with Strategic Plan:
Downtown Action Plan
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALTERNATIVES
If Council does not wish to support the proposed motion, Administration presents the following alternatives for Council’s consideration.
ALTERNATIVE 1: That administration investigate the possibility of installing temporary fencing with fence screen around the public facing sides of 32 St. Anne Street until such time as the property is developed or remediated and that the estimated cost of $15,000 be funded from the stabilization reserve.
Financial:
Based upon an estimated distance of 120 meters of perimeter of the 32 St. Anne work site, the cost is approximately $15,000. The value will need to be better defined by confirming details of material and installation method, subject to site condition assessment by the supplier. If approved, $15,000 would be funded from the stabilization reserve.
Compliance & Legal:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
Typically, the City does not perform additional fencing for work aligned to development permits or agreements, as the conditions of the permitting place the onus of design and installation of construction fencing to the private development.
Organizational:
Resources have to be allocated to scope the work, confirm the cost, manage permits and approvals, manage procurement and installation in order to deliver the intent of the motion.
Risks
Fence installed would be at risk of imminent removal when development activity advances on the site. This may be due to required work boundaries for the private site.
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Report Date: November 3, 2026
Author(s): Dean Schick, Johnathan Reid, Colin Krywiak
Department: Engineering Services, Planning and Development
Department Director: Dawny George, Kristina Peter
Managing Director: Adryan Slaght
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher