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Update on Housing Accelerator Fund: Transit Corridor & Neighbourhood Intensification Strategies
Presented by: Craig Walker, Senior Planner, Planning & Development
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SUMMARY
The City of St. Albert has been conditionally approved to receive up to $11.8 million in funding through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). This report’s purpose is to share an update on two inter-related initiatives: the Transit Corridor Intensification Strategy (“Initiative #1”), and the Neighbourhood Intensification Strategy (“Initiative #3”).
Following a more detailed presentation at Standing Committee of the Whole (SCOW) on July 7, 2026, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Subsequently, this topic is anticipated to come before Council on September 15, 2026 - at which time a decision regarding proposed Land Use Bylaw (LUB) amendments will be considered.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
• On December 9, 2025, SCOW received the following report as information:
AR-25-455: “Introduction & Updates re. HAF.”
(A copy of this report and associated presentation can be found in Attachment #1).
• On May 6, 2025, Council passed the following motion:
AR-25-203:
That PLAN-013 HAF Initiatives be approved in the amount of $11,813,100, to be funded from the CMHC’s HAF program.
• As detailed in Attachment #2, Municipal Development Plan (MDP) policy direction supports enabling more housing diversity, aging in place, compatible intensification, and neighbourhood revitalization as the City incrementally grows to a population of 100,000 over future decades.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of the HAF is to remove barriers and encourage local initiatives which build more homes faster, focusing on increasing the ability to develop “missing middle” housing products over time (e.g. secondary suites, duplexes, townhomes). The fund aims to boost housing supply, while supporting affordable, inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient communities. This grant program is unique in that no matching financial contributions are required from the City.
Accordingly, seven HAF initiatives are deemed to be a corporate priority between 2025 and 2029. To date, the City has received two of the CMHC’s four funding installments, totaling $5.9 million combined. The two remaining installments (an additional $5.9 million combined) depend upon the City meeting the following conditions:
1) Fulfilling project milestones and deadlines outlined in the HAF Action Plan;
2) Achieving predicted housing targets above the City’s typical three-year average - primarily in “missing middle” housing forms. (Specifically, realizing 1,550 new housing units over a three year period, rather than the typical 1,248).
3) Enabling up to four housing units on “typical” lots districted as Low Density Residential (LDR) through updated LUB regulations.
The remainder of this report provides an update on the Transit Corridor and Neighbourhood Intensification Strategies.
PROGRESS UPDATE ON INITIATIVES #1 & #3:
The goals of these inter-related initiatives are:
• For Initiative #1: To guide how the City plans to redevelop land for housing and mixed-use spaces within 800 metres of future transit nodes along St. Albert Trail; and
• For Initiative #3: To make it easier for small-scale growth to happen within St. Albert’s existing neighbourhoods over time, while remaining compatible with the surrounding area.
While HAF may be the catalyst behind these initiatives, they are not new ideas - and advance existing policy direction found within multiple sections of the MDP as shown in Attachment #2, including Sections 6 (“Robust Economy”), 7 (“Housing Options”), 8 (“Mobility Choices”), 12 (“Great Places”), 13 (“Sustainable Growth”), and 14 (“Land Use and Development”). The MDP was developed through significant community engagement, including pop-up events throughout St. Albert, meetings with community stakeholders and advisory committees, open houses, online questionnaires, and more.
While the MDP provides high level direction, these HAF initiatives detail the “how”. To do so, in addition to numerous technical studies nearing completion at the time of preparing this report, feedback from various engagement efforts have been incorporated into this project’s emerging considerations. As outlined more fully within the “Stakeholder Communications or Engagement” section (further below), this included feedback into overarching ‘Guiding Principles’, and various in-person and online opportunities that are shaping the direction of future recommendations.
As a result, although a much broader “menu” of potential development opportunities could have been feasible to pursue to increase the diversity, supply, and affordability of housing across St. Albert over future decades, Administration is in the process of narrowing its recommendations to reflect input received from the public, technical considerations raised by inter-departmental staff, and Council feedback from equivalent prior conversations.
At Standing Committee of the Whole (SCOW) on July 7, 2026, a more detailed presentation will outline emerging considerations for potential amendments to the LUB. In paraphrase, these could pertain to:
1) Adjusting existing ‘Low Density Residential’ (LDR) district regulations to enable more opportunities for appropriate missing middle infill housing forms and density, as per the requirements of the HAF requirements. Options explored included incrementally facilitating additional single-detached, semi-detached, and/or -plex housing, secondary suite opportunities, subdivision regulations, and corner lot development.
2) Adjusting the existing ‘Trail Corridor Commercial’ (TCC) district to make it easier to develop apartments and townhouse complexes, while having consideration for impacts on adjacent properties;
3) Introducing a brand new ‘Mixed Use Transit Oriented Development’ (MU-TOD) district that could enable a more diverse array of complementary residential and non-residential uses - subject to future redistricting applications necessitating Council decisions. (Appropriate existing comparables could include the ‘Shops at Boudreau’ development, and Amacon’s ‘Grandin Parc Village’).
For more information and conceptual illustrations on these emerging considerations, please refer to Attachment #3. More details and elaboration on such matters will be provided during the July 7, 2026 SCOW presentation, including an overview of associated draft regulations regarding height, setbacks, step-backs, driveways, and more - which build upon equivalent regulations already in place in St. Albert aiming to preserve character and minimize impacts on adjacent properties.
Next Steps
Administration will continue advancing work, including a more detailed presentation and opportunities for dialogue at the July 7, 2026 SCOW presentation. Thereafter, to satisfy CMHC deadlines, refined LUB amendments will be brought forward for Council’s consideration on September 15, 2026.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
Specific community engagement highlights for the Transit Corridor and Neighbourhood Intensification Strategies have included:
● May 2025: General HAF webpage added to City’s website, outlining each of the seven initiatives at a high level. Visit www.stalbert.ca/haf <https://www.stalbert.ca/haf>.
● June / July / November 2025; and January / March / June 2026: Emails sent to six Indigenous partners to share information and provide opportunities to get involved.
● October 2025 and June 2026: Virtual workshops held with targeted representatives from the development industry and business community - including but not limited to BILD Metro Edmonton and the St. Albert & District Chamber of Commerce - to outline project goals, solicit subject matter expertise, and reveal emerging LUB considerations. These workshops were advantageous in helping Administration to affirm a course of action and strategically narrow the project scope. For a high-level summary of this input, please see Attachment #5.
● March 2026: Advertisements placed in the St. Albert Gazette and via the City’s Facebook and Instagram accounts to promote an online questionnaire, entitled “Expanding Housing Options”. To further supplement, staff directly invited various Indigenous partners and representatives from the development/building industry via emails, and pertinent updates were made to the City’s HAF webpage. As detailed further within the ‘What We Learned’ report contained in Attachment #4), although only 585 responses were received (0.8% of the City’s population), noteworthy excerpts include:
Ø “Participants expressed a strong desire to protect the qualities that define St. Albert, while recognizing that change is needed to respond to evolving housing needs, demographics, and infrastructure pressures.”
Ø “At a high-level, the survey results show that while there is alignment on many priorities, there is a clear split in opinion when it comes to how growth should occur. Affordability stands out as a key concern, with 51% of respondents agreeing that a range of housing options and price points is needed to support people’s ability to buy or rent. However, there is hesitation about the types of development often used to achieve this.”
Ø “Overall, the survey results suggest residents are indicating support for thoughtful, well planned, integrated growth that builds on what already works well, while taking a cautious approach to changes that could significantly alter the existing housing form of established neighbourhoods.”
Like the development industry and business community feedback, this questionnaire was advantageous in helping Administration to affirm a course of action and strategically narrow the project scope.
● June 2026: A ‘drop-in’ style public open house was held in St. Albert Place, which was promoted via advertisements in the St. Albert Gazette newspaper, and the City’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. To supplement, staff directly invited various Indigenous partners and representatives from the development/building industry, and pertinent updates were made to the City’s HAF and Cultivate the Conversation webpages. Around 15 individuals from the general public attended throughout the evening, expressing similar ‘cautious’ opinions to those outlined within the aforementioned Expanding Housing Options survey. For a high-level summary of the open house input, please see Attachment #5. Due to the close timing between that June 18 open house and the July 7 SCOW meeting, more detailed feedback will be provided within an updated ‘What We Learned Report’ as part of the next Council report in September.
● September 15, 2026: As mentioned, a public hearing is anticipated on this date, which will be advertised in accordance with Municipal Government Act requirements.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
● Strategic Priority One: Robust Economy & Responsible Growth: “Support business attraction, retention and expansion and targeted residential and sector growth to support a sustainable tax base.”
● Strategic Priority Three: Community Well Being: “Accommodate the diverse needs of our residents and foster an inclusive and safe community where everyone has an opportunity to fully participate and feel welcomed, while preserving the natural resources that enrich our city.”
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
This aligns with Service Level Inventory Items:
● D.1.2: Issuance of Land Use and Development Permits and Licenses; and
● D.4.1: Current Planning Application Processing, which includes processing and coordination of the approval of statutory plans and amendments, subdivision and condominium applications.
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Report Date: July 7, 2026
Author: Craig Walker, Senior Planner
Department: Planning & Development
Department Director: Kristina Peter
Managing Director: Adryan Slaght
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher