Affordable housing project in north Edmonton OK’d by city council despite concerns

The Dunluce neighbourhood will soon be home to more affordable housing but will lose a city-owned green space.

More affordable housing is coming to a north Edmonton neighbourhood despite efforts by the area’s councillor to keep the city-owned land as green space.

A section of Dunluce’s Herb Link Park was set aside decades ago as a surplus school site. At one time, it was slated to become housing under the city’s First Place program, which helped people buy their first home.

That program is ending, but city staff believe the Dunluce site is still suitable for below-market housing.

Coun. Erin Rutherford says it should stay as park space because it’s well-used and that her ward already has more affordable housing than other parts of the city, including a housing project already being built on another section of the park.

“At some point, we have to say how much, how far, how fast and at what cost, and is it equitable, both in terms of process and in terms of distribution?” Rutherford said during Wednesday’s city council meeting.

Three other surplus school sites are being freed up from the First Place program. One in the La Perle neighbourhood was designated to stay as park space, but council ordered city staff to assess whether an affordable housing project would be valuable there.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson