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95th and 156th fully open
 
Well I just passed by the new west end Rec Center site and now even more than before I say ETS HAS to extend the Valley Line to this area next to the Rec Center. I can't believe the short sightedness of our city planners. Not only is there the Rec Center but at least 6 of the medium density residential buildings right across the street from the Rec Center with room for maybe two or 3 more to be built plus at least 2 more of these buildings a couple blocks away already built and also a block or so away a grocery store and a couple smaller power centers. This area just needs a train to get there and it is an automatic TOD. Instead the valley line ends about 6 to 7 blocks away with a small park n ride lot a bus terminal, and only low density housing nearby. One more stop from Lewis Estates station to the Rec Center will potentially add a ton of LRT riders living in all those residential buildings.
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I think the trouble with planning any kind of LRT is the lag between development and transit. When the LRT was extended to 23 Avenue, there wasn’t significant development south of AHD. I think it’s sometimes difficult to think 5-10 years ahead, but it’s safe to assume residential expansion will be near major nodes of employment, recreation and shopping.
 
Edmcowboy11 said:
Well I just passed by the new west end Rec Center site and now even more than before I say ETS HAS to extend the Valley Line to this area next to the Rec Center. I can't believe the short sightedness of our city planners. Not only is there the Rec Center but at least 6 of the medium density residential buildings right across the street from the Rec Center with room for maybe two or 3 more to be built plus at least 2 more of these buildings a couple blocks away already built and also a block or so away a grocery store and a couple smaller power centers. This area just needs a train to get there and it is an automatic TOD. Instead the valley line ends about 6 to 7 blocks away with a small park n ride lot a bus terminal, and only low density housing nearby. One more stop from Lewis Estates station to the Rec Center will potentially add a ton of LRT riders living in all those residential buildings.
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Pretty sure that the NEW Rec Center was approved AFTER the West Line was set.....so it would have been foolhardy to presume that a magical rec center would appear out of nowhere - yet somehow plan for it? They can do an expansion one day....we've got bigger fish to fry for LRT expansion than this...let's move on
 
The_Cat said:
I think the trouble with planning any kind of LRT is the lag between development and transit. When the LRT was extended to 23 Avenue, there wasn’t significant development south of AHD. I think it’s sometimes difficult to think 5-10 years ahead, but it’s safe to assume residential expansion will be near major nodes of employment, recreation and shopping.
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Isn't part of the idea of city planning that you don't just plop down transit and "hope" that's where development happens, but instead you create zoning and incentives to cluster development around mass transit. Lots of other cities have it figured out.

We're still stuck in the era of shoe-horning transit into existing car-dependent areas and trying to tie everything together. Vs building transit first and tying the major employment/education/health/retail hubs to the transit.
 
MacLac said:
Pretty sure that the NEW Rec Center was approved AFTER the West Line was set.....so it would have been foolhardy to presume that a magical rec center would appear out of nowhere - yet somehow plan for it? They can do an expansion one day....we've got bigger fish to fry for LRT expansion than this...let's move on
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in 2004 they released this master-plan identifying the approximate west end rec facility (pg 12-15): https://www.edmonton.ca/public-file...DF/RecFacilityMasterPlanAugust2004FullDoc.pdf

2010 the Valley Line was approved.

2014 the final lewis farms rec centre planning was finished.

So idk....seems like there was a window to coordinate some of it.
 
At least there are road allowances (e.g., 111 Street) to allow for LRT. Most of the past LRT construction has been in older residential neighborhoods, with the relocation and installation of utilities.
 
thommyjo said:
Isn't part of the idea of city planning that you don't just plop down transit and "hope" that's where development happens, but instead you create zoning and incentives to cluster development around mass transit. Lots of other cities have it figured out.

We're still stuck in the era of shoe-horning transit into existing car-dependent areas and trying to tie everything together. Vs building transit first and tying the major employment/education/health/retail hubs to the transit.
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The City planned Heritage Valley Towne Centre with LRT in mind. There are thousands of apartment units already constructed, and easily another thousand under construction right now within walking distance. You can't blame the City that the Province killed the south hospital. However now that the project is dead Heritage Valley will have a massive doughnut of nothing that a future LRT line will have to go past to get to Town Centre and beyond to Desrochers.
 
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