No alternate access for 66-unit development, city analysis finds
Residents spoke up. Council listened and paused the rezoning and Official Community Plan amendment to research ways to address the residents’ concerns.
But the traffic assessment report hitting Monday’s Regular Council meeting agenda reveals a disconnect in attempting to address concerns about a single-access safety bottleneck on 81 Avenue with a hypothetical secondary access point through privately owned land. Land whose owner may or may not be interested in making it available.
Since October 2025, Northern Legendary Construction has been waiting for a rezoning application to be approved so that the owner of a parcel of land south of The Station development in the city’s east end can develop a 66-unit manufactured home park.
During an Open House in May 2026, and at a Public Hearing on July 13, residents of The Station expressed concerns about the proposed development. Their concerns ranged from a lack of communication from the developer to the impact on property values and crime rates in the neighbourhood. They consistently raised concerns over traffic congestion and the fact that the proposed 66-unit park relies on a single access point – concerns that were echoed across petitions, letters and public comments before Council.
After hearing what he described as “very legitimate” concerns from the residents, Councillor Trevor Bolin requested that staff prepare a report identifying improvements required at the 85 Avenue and 86 Street intersection, upgrades to the traffic study and evaluate the potential for neighbouring parcels to provide access to Alaska Road North.
As they were waiting to receive this report at the July 27 council meeting, Council voted to defer Third Reading of the Zoning Amendment Bylaw and matching OCP Amendment Bylaw.
Now the report has arrived, and although it does address the traffic signals at 85 Avenue and 86 Street, as well as future traffic flow along 85 Avenue, neighbourhood concerns about the single-access point into the proposed development remain unresolved.
According to the report, based on the analysis conducted by Urban Systems Ltd., on traffic volumes counted in June 2026, no upgrades to the intersection are needed with the current traffic conditions.
However, when city staff reviewed the feasibility of providing an alternative access route to the proposed development, they “determined that is not a feasible option due to a number of factors.”
Council requested that Staff evaluate the option of providing access to the area through a neighbouring parcel connecting to Alaska Road North. Figure 1 identifies a parcel that could potentially be considered for this purpose. After reviewing this option, Staff do not recommend pursuing this approach for the following reasons:
The City has identified a long-term transportation network for this area in the Official Community Plan (see Schedule F). This plan includes future connections to both Alaska Road North and Highway 97 through the Station development area. Establishing an additional access to Alaska Road North would be inconsistent with, and could complicate, the long-term transportation vision for the area. A connection to the south was not required for the North Point development.
The parcel is currently privately owned by a third party. It is unknown whether the current landowner would be willing to provide the necessary access or sell the land required for an access connection.
If access were established through to the subject parcel to Alaska Road North, it could function as a shortcut route for vehicles travelling to and from Highway 97 from the entire development, rather than serving only traffic destined for the parcel itself. This could result in increased traffic volumes crossing private property that was not designed or intended to accommodate through traffic.
City staff have run the numbers and checked the maps. It’s now up to Council to weigh the trade-offs. With the Third Reading currently in limbo, Monday’s meeting will reveal whether Council considers a single access point acceptable for a 66-unit MHP, or if resident concerns will send planners back to the drawing board.
The Regular Council meeting begins at 3 p.m. on August 10, 2026. Members of the public are permitted to ask questions about items on the agenda during the Questions from the Media and Public portion the meeting.