This special edition of ‘#Yegdt Notes’ has been produced live on CityTV’s ‘Breakfast Television’, with special guests Shauna Warwich of the 104 Street Steering Committee, and Jarrett Campbell of the Oliver Community League! (Check out videos of today’s show on BT Edmonton!)

• A big step forward for the Downtown Arena Project yesterday. Council approved a new funding formula that will make up the missing $55m: support by the Capital Region Board to apply for $25m in provincial funding, a $15m cash call from Katz, and $15m more from the Community Revitalization Levy (CRL). Councillor Sohi was able  to get Council on side to replace the unpopular $45m MSI money allocated for the arena on May 8 with further money from the CRL. This was enough to get Councillor Iveson and Henderson to throw in their support. We hope this further funding from the CRL will not delay implementation of necessary downtown catalyst projects. A multi-year battle for funding downtown, our city is on the threshold of an unprecedented amount of implementation of infrastructure projects in the heart of our city.
• What’s our favourite thing about the return of summer in downtown? The City Market on 104 Street returns this weekend – Saturday, 9-3 rain or shine!

Our new streetfront Downtown Community Hall is located at 10042 103 Street, just south of Jasper Avenue

• We have moved into our new 103 Street space and are getting ourselves ready to share it with you! About 95% complete, look for an open house and grand opening party sometime in mid-June!
• The Red Bull Bus Tour arrives at Churchill Square this Friday. Edmonton’s line-up features local talents Shout Out Out Out Out and Cadence Weapon!
• Thank you to everyone that attended our Annual General Meeting last week! With over 90 people present, we discussed everything from downtown development, to receiving a presentation by ATB Financial CEO Dave Mowatt on the ‘Light the Bridge‘ project. A huge shout-out to Yellowhead Brewery for hosting our AGM for free – one of our great downtown community partners!
• Our Al Fresco Pancake Breakfast returns Saturday, June 8, 8:30-11. The launch of ‘Super Saturday’ downtown, that day is a jam-packed day of events and celebrations including the Pride Parade and City Market on 104 Street. While the ‘Al Fresco’ party takes a break for this year, a smaller ‘Centennial Block Party’ will celebrate the 100th anniversary of many of 4th Street Promenade’s heritage buildings. Look for a BBQ, salsa dancing, live performances and more in the evening from 4-8!
• Oliver Community League hosted a Community Consultation last week to discuss the Molson/Crosstown development proposal. More than just a discussion about that specific application, it was great to see 50 local residents come together on the first warm Saturday of the year and discuss what they’d like to see in their neighbourhood.
  

Just hanging out behind the cameras with Ryan Jesperson and Briget Ryan for Breakfast Television’s ‘Blogger’s Week’!

• Royal Lawn Bowling Club at the Legislature hosts an Open House on Saturday, May 25, 2013. After the success of last September’s ‘Downtown vs. Oliver’ Throwdown, we encourage you to check out this undervalued amenity downtown!
• DECL first heard of the LIVINGbridge Project, an effort to establish a temporary community garden on the unused overpass at 97 St and 105 Avenue leading into Chinatown, only weeks ago. Chelsea Boos and Carmen Douville presented their ideas to our membership at the AGM, and now are only weeks away from execution. If you’d like to support their project with funds or volunteersing, please contact us.
• Transforming and Revitalizing Downtown Summit happens for the first time in Western Canada in Edmonton, June 12 & 13, 2013. Watch for events in the week leading up to the date of the conference!
• Urban Eden Community Garden has started up for the 2013 season! Last week Thursday’s spring clean-up at the garden, organized by Garden Coordinator Dawn Woolsey, had a great turnout and many of the broken boxes were repaired so people can start planting.
• ‘Light the Bridge‘ campaign launched earlier this month, an effort to get 60,000 LED bulbs built on the High Level Bridge by private donations for the bridge’s 100th anniversary. $25 gets you a bulb, they’ll even tell you exactly which one!
• Sustainable Planning unveiled their new patio policy this spring with the hope of streamlining the application process and encourage more patios in our downtown. If this season so far is any indication, we hope it’s working – Kelly’s Pub opened their much-anticipated patio this week!

Kelly’s Pub patio promises to be a great addition to the 4th Street Promenade! (Photo credit: Kelly’s Pub)

Thank you to Ryan Jesperson and Bridge Ryan for their hospitality today for BT’s ‘Blogger’s Week’. It was great to have the opportunity to chat about the exciting projects in store for our downtown!

Join us at Yellowhead Brewery, in the historic Shaw Building, for our Annual General Meeting 2013!

Tuesday, May 7
Registration 6:30 pm
Meeting 7:00 pm

We will be discussing downtown issues, going over the business of the league, as well as hearing updates from some of our committees, partners, and a special update on our new 103 street space!

Volunteer for the league by joining a committee:

• Development Committee
• Safety Committee
• Parks Committee (including ‘Scott Property’ Park Steering Committee)
• Policy Committee
• Programs Committee (volunteer for events)
• Membership & Volunteer Committees

Refreshments will be provided! One beer ticket per DECL membership, cash bar available as well.

$5 2012-2013 DECL memberships will be available at the door!

Come on down, get to know your neighbours, get to know what’s happening in your vibrant downtown community!

Download a poster (PDF) to print off for your building! Facebook event

With all the renovation work and preparations for a move, our latest ‘#Yegdt Notes’ is later than usual. Lots of information to get out and upcoming events taking place in your community in the next few weeks!

• DECL is pleased to announce our 2013 Annual General Meeting will be held Tuesday, May 7 at Yellowhead Brewery (10229 105 Street). We had such a great turnout at Yellowhead last year, we decided to hold it there again this year! Our guests this year will be some of Edmonton’s finest -  our new downtown beat cops will be on hand to discuss their role in keeping our community safe, and taking any questions you might have. Meeting registration is at 6:30 pm, meeting at 7:00 pm. $5 DECL memberships will be available at the door. Refreshments will be provided, cash bar is available.

• DECL’s Annual Community Clean-Up will be held on Sunday, May 5 as part of River Valley Clean-up Day. Meet us at Dick Mather Park (beside MacKay Avenue School) from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Wear work attire, we will supply everything else! Help us keep our community clean!
• If you can’t make it to our Community Clean-Up, 104th Street Committee is hosting their own ‘Street Cleaning Blitz‘ on Saturday, May 11 at 9 am.
• Our new space at 10042 103 Street is close to being completed! Contact Property Services has done a great job renovating the space for us. We hope to be moving in by the end of April. We can’t wait to share the new space with you – look for an open house and party sometime in May!
• April 30 will be another Community Benefits Agreement meeting for the arena project, when the Downtown Arena Advisory Board make-up is discussed. Whether you agree with the politics and funding surrounding the arena or not, we were pleased to see in a draft statement that six surrounding community leagues will be represented.
• A new patio policy was well-received by Executive Committee this week that will make it cheaper, and hopefully easier, for establishments to get a patio license. This is something we’ve been advocating the City look at for a while, including an impromptu ‘patio gathering’ last year to push the issue (described by some as a ‘protest’). We now hope the City will work with ALGC to streamline the process for licensed patios as well.
• Civic Precinct Master Plan will be presented to the Community Services Committee on today. If you are not already familiar with the plan, the City intends to strengthen and improve some of the aspects of the areas around Churchill Square and the Arts & Cultural District.
• Public meeting for input and comments on a Direct Control zoning (DC2) proposal for a 36-storey (118m), condo tower at the SE corner of 106 Street and 99 Avenue by Alan Wasnea is happening this Thursday, April 18. Strangely the meeting is not being held downtown, but we do invite any concerned residents to attend the meeting and find out more information.
• First meeting of 2013 for Our Urban Eden Community Garden is May 2, 7 – 9:30 pm at 9808 103 St (The Horizon). Garden Coordinator Dawn Woolsey tells us that all plots are already spoken for in 2013! Residents downtown love to garden!
• Of gardening, EFCL will be kicking off  a new ‘Balconies in Blooms’ program this year. DECL is very interested in being involved in this and EFCL says they will have details soon!
• ‘Transforming and Revitalizing Downtown‘ Conference will be held in Edmonton for the first time June 12-13. If you’re not attending the conference, that week will also feature free lectures by MADE in Edmonton and GreenDrinks being planned will be downtown-focused. Look for a full schedule of events as we get closer to the event. It will be a whole week of thinking about downtowns!
• There has been lots of talk about regional cooperation the last week or so and the overall costs to Edmonton, starting with Mayor Mandel’s ‘State of the City‘ address April 2.

• Kelly Ramsay Project is moving ahead. Although we’re excited for this project and that the Kelly Ramsey facade will be retained, the loss of the 103 year old Moser Ryder Block (formerly Swedish Jewelers) makes us a bit sad.
• 100th Anniversary of Edmonton Public Library continues. 22,000 free memberships have been given out so far! Is the purpose of the public library changing?
• Mexx is now open in Edmonton City Centre.

• The Cavern is now open and is already getting lots of attention from foodies! Not only featuring some of the finest cheese selection in Edmonton, this cozy little space has great charcuterie and features a good wine and beer list.

• Oliver Community League held their Annual General Meeting on April 10. Congratulations to President Jarrett Campbell and the new 2013-14 board!
• It looks like 104 Street Grill (formerly Ric’s Grill) is now closed. New owners plan to open up a burger joint called ‘The Burg‘. Sounds promising!
• What would small ‘downtown intervention’ projects look like to you? We’re working with individuals that are looking to make ‘small improvements’ to our downtown this summer. Stay tuned!
• Brent Toderian comments that, “Amenities make density enjoyable”. How about some funding for our proposed Warehouse Campus Area community park?
• Downtown renewal was well underway before this post appeared on Todd Babiak’s blog, but the sentiment is one shared by many – can we continue to ‘Make Something Edmonton‘ downtown?

If you have non-profit events happening in the downtown, or things you think our members should know about, please contact us!

Another jam-packed ‘notes’ for you today! Our downtown and city is ever evolving, hopefully we are able to capture much of the issues and buzz!

• Renovations to DECL’s new space on 103 Street are finally underway! We will be moving in sometime in April and hope to have an open house shortly after for members and residents to come check it out!
• City Council approved a report March 5 that recommends going ahead with asking the province for a Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) (with slightly smaller boundaries) for the downtown arena project. Revenues are projected at $612m on the low side and $1.1B on the high side over 20 years.

Proposed CRL Boundaries

• Will the Rossdale Power Plant be saved from demolition? Will McKay Avenue School have its roof repaired? We really, really hope so. Look for comments from DECL in the next week or so on both issues.
• Annexation? Urban sprawl? Apparently this was in the works for almost a year, the direct result of regional planning talks. Edmonton will take the west side of QEII and the airport (EIA), in turn County of Leduc gets to keep the Nisku tax base. This is more about taxation than urban sprawl. A complex issue that requires some historical and political context.
• ‘9Triple8 Jasper‘ (formerly ATB Place) at Jasper Avenue and 99 Street is leasing and will be Gold LEED certified. The building features a renovated podium and three new retail bays. We’re excited for this potential increase in street-level activity at that intersection.
• Development Committee Chair Ian O’donnell reports that the Kelly-Ramsay 29-storey office/hotel tower may be happening sooner rather than later. The one-storey building at 101 St & Rice Howard Way is now empty and signs on the building say demolition is ‘imminent’.
• Martyshuk Housing’s ‘Dwayne’s Home’ opened on March 1 in the former ‘Go Backpacker’s Hostel’ space.
• Ontario Prime Pubs chain ‘Fionn MacCool’s‘ will be taking over the Elephant & Castle space in Edmonton City Centre.
• ‘The Cavern‘ cheese shop on 4th Street Promenade will be opening Spring 2013, “a retail cheese store and casual café/bar.”
• Downtown is again well represented in this year’s ‘Edmonton’s Best Restaurants 2013‘ issue of Avenue Magazine. Congrats to Corso 32 for being selected overall ‘Best Restaurant’, and other category winners downtown Wildflower, Drift Food Truck, and Tres Carnales (plus all the honorable mentions!)
• Continuing with the downtown food theme, Tracy let us know about a cool little video Travel Alberta posted last fall featuring some of Edmonton’s downtown restaurants.

W.W. Arcade Hardware store at Jasper Avenue & 97 Street (now Hardware Grill)
Photo courtesy of Vintage Edmonton

•  A reminder that Oliver Community League’s next edition of ‘Board Game Night‘ is this Friday, March 8 at 7:30 pm at Oliver Hall.
• Todd Babiak’s ‘Make Something Edmonton‘ campaign is starting to catch on and now includes an initiative to improve Edmonton’s image.  The first brainstorming meeting is on March 21 where participants will be asked for ideas on making  ‘a richer, stranger, stronger Edmonton: the city we already live in and love, only more so?”
• Another amazing Latitude 53 ‘Parka Patio Party’ occurred on February 23. Lots of photos of the event have been posted to their Facebook page.
• We’re excited that Spacing Magazine is launching Spacing Edmonton soon! “Urbanism uncovered in Edmonton. Part of the Spacing Canadian blog network.”
• Lastly, some interesting reading from the Australian Heart Foundation finds that making streets more walking and cycling friendly may actually be good for business.

If you see anything missing that you think should be on these notes, send us an email at my_decl@telus.net.

Light sculpture by DECL Board Member Laurissa Kalinowsky

• Alley of Light’s ‘IllumiNITE‘ light sculpture competition took place this past long weekend on the 4th Street Promenade, in the pocket park just east of Beaverhills House Park. More than 12 creative and illuminating sculptures were on display for steady crowds during a milder-than-usual couple of days. There were other visual displays, bannock making over strategically-placed fire pits, hot chocolate courtesy of Sobey’s Urban Fresh, and a small pop-up craft store in the Armstrong Building. Kudos to Edmonton on the Edge, the Alley of Light crew, and everyone else that helped out to put on this great event for its second consecutive year!
• If you missed ‘IllumiNITE‘, you still have your chance to see some of the sculptures and be part of the second annual ‘Parka Patio Party‘ at Latitude 53 Gallery this Saturday. Limited amount of tickets are still available for sale. Last year’s inaugural event was a cold but hearty Edmonton winter experience, and this is your last chance to hang on Latitude’s rooftop patio before they move locations!
• Permits were applied for this week for John Day’s 30-storey Kelly Ramsey hotel/office project on Rice Howard Way. Initial renderings are promising and the design retains the facade of the burned out Kelly Ramsey Block. Rumoured start date is fall 2013.
• Approved 29-storey ‘Raintree’ condo project by Alan Wasnea at 106 Street and 97 Avenue also seems to be moving ahead. Permits were applied for this week for a Residential Sales Centre. If built, this will be the tallest building next to the Legislature and promises to offer some nice views of downtown and the river valley.
• A reminder – The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society, Oliver Community League, and DECL host a Bike Lane discussion this Wednesday, February 27, 7-9 pm at Oliver Hall (10326 118 St).
• Also next week is an Open House on the proposed Civic Precinct Master Plan at City Hall on Tuesday, February 26, 11 am-5 pm.
• The next edition of Oliver Community League’s ‘Board Game Night‘ is Friday, March 8 at 7:30 pm at Oliver Hall (10326 118 St). Hosting the event on a Friday will allow attendees to join in post-board games drinks at a local establishment.
• As mentioned last week, renovations to our new 103 Street space start this month. Final preparations are being made and we should see construction on site in the coming week if all things go according to plan!

• Council approved the ‘extradosed’ LRT bridge design this week for the Valley LRT Line.
• We failed to mention last week that Transcend Coffee Jasper Avenue is closing February 28 unfortunately. The owner cited the location “did not achieve a sustainable level of profitability.” Previously ‘Axis Cafe’, it was this location’s kitchen that gave rise to their South American street food offerings, now discontinued. We’re sad to see it go and wish this local coffee company all the best in the future.
• LGBT-friendly Flash Nightclub is also closing at the end of the month. It is rumoured to be replaced by a new nightclub entitled ‘E Bar’.
• Speaking of bars, there was an interesting article last week on the ‘club-to-pub’ phenomenon, including a mention of all the new places that have opened up recently downtown including Central Social Hall and The Bower (formerly Halo Nigthclub).
• The City Market Downtown continues every Saturday, 10 am-3 pm at City Hall. DECL will be back at the market selling memberships and taking your questions starting soon. Stay tuned for exact dates!

After missing last Wednesday’s ‘#Yegdt Notes’ on a busy week news and DECL-wise, we’re back and jam packed with updates!

• We are planning a joint tobogganing event with Oliver Community League for the afternoon of Saturday, February 23. Keep this date in mind, details will be coming shortly!
• The second annual ‘Alley of Light’ IllumiNITE light sculpture competition is Family Day weekend, February 16 and 17, in partnership with DECL.
• Biggest news of last week was Council’s decision to move ahead with a Master Agreement on the downtown arena project funding. Of course not everyone is happy with how much the City needs to fork over ($219m), but it means severely delayed downtown projects will now get funded as part of the proposed Community Revitalization Levy (CRL). Sound complicated? The way forward beyond the politics includes a lot of potential spin-off benefits for downtown more than it is complicated – downtown continues to only get 1% funding on projects for every 10% we pay in taxes.

Council decided to go with ‘Option A’, with the ‘winter garden’

• Quality urban design and street interaction will continue to be our focus (‘Devil’s in the Details‘ EJ article) for the new Arena Entertainment District, as well as development of the upcoming Community Benefits Agreement between the City, Katz Group, and area stakeholders that includes the formation of an Advisory Committee.
• Not insignificant by any means was a same-day announcement of $90m worth of funding for 5 major river valley projects. This includes money for the proposed funicular on 104 Street, from Jasper Avenue to Rossdale, we mentioned earlier.
• After almost unanimously negative reaction to proposed changes to the entry requirements for Victoria Composite High School (which would have restricted entry of students from surrounding communities), the EPSB’s Chair backed down on their plans.
• While facing some initial setbacks, we welcome Martyshuk Housing to downtown. Martyshuk’s ‘Dwayne’s Home’ will be providing 276 beds as an affordable, supportive housing option for those facing the risk of homelessness. It will be opening February 1 in the old ‘Go Backpacker’s Hostel’ at 10219-100 Avenue.
• Berm construction started this week on the Walterdale Bridge replacement. An Information Session on the final details for the bridge project is scheduled for February 7.
• After last year’s frosty success, the second annual Parka Patio Party at Latitude 53 is set for February 23. This is probably your last opportunity to visit the now-infamous roof-top patio while Latitude 53 is still in their old space!
• Walkable Edmonton celebrates Winter Walk Day downtown on Feb 6
• One sociologist remarked this week on the Statistic Canada’s results regarding stress, “Alberta urban sprawl factor in high stress levels“
• Mack Male had a great post on why our High Level Bridge deserves to be lit up for its 100th Anniversary.
• A lovely piece on the joys of jogging in Edmonton’s river valley – Deadmonton: There Is No Such Thing

View of North LRT’s MacEwan Station under construction January 25, 2013

This week’s notes are a bit shorter, not as many things to announce as just after everyone returned from holidays.

• EEDC’s CEO Brad Ferguson was quoted being quite bullish on downtown population growth, expecting to double its population in 7-10 years. While that is great news for downtown, we haven’t seen any forecasts quite that optimistic. If it was true, think of it like this: a 23 story condo with 150 units and with an average of 1.5 residents per unit is 225 people per building. At 13,000 new residents, that is almost 58 new condo towers!
• Several board members of DECL and Oliver CL, and representatives from the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society, meet tonight to briefly discuss moving forward with planning and advocating for new, dedicated bike lanes in our communities. These will be in line with what is already approved for the Downtown LRT Connector and other plans. Connecting our communities through bike lanes make this mode of transportation all the more relevant. Follow #yegbike on twitter as planning progresses!
• Our friends at the Oliver Community League are hosting their second board games night next week. We encourage everyone to it check out, it was loads of fun at December’s inaugural event!
• Live Local Alberta’s Fork Fest Winter 2013 starts this Saturday. Check out the participating downtown restaurants, including Blue Plate Diner, Sabor Divino, and Lazia.
• Reminder – Deadline for submissions to IllumiNITE light sculpture competition is this Friday, January 18.
• There are many events coming up celebrating our new WinterCity Strategy and winter in Edmonton. DECL and Oliver are working on a joint tobogganing afternoon, and Latitude 53 will unveil the return of last year’s successful winter patio party sometime in March. Stay warm and stay tuned!
• The City of Edmonton has released a new waste collection schedule. Downtown’s designated day is Wednesday, and will be the same day year ’round.
• Nomad Mobile tweeted a photo of their new raw space in the McLeod Building. We’re excited to see this take shape!
• Speaking of Rice Howard Way – The Journal did a piece on the new ‘Cathedral of Beer‘, aka Craft Beer Market, opening on RHW, and a nice feature on Undergroud Tap‘s selection as well. All these new businesses will help provide residents and tourists at the hotels with some more options in that area of downtown.
• I picked up a flyer for a possible new art gallery in the Earnest Brown Block on Jasper Avenue, east of 97 Street, at an art market at the Deep Freeze Festival this past weekend. Could this building finally be renovated soon and new influx of businesses help revitalize that section of Jasper?

After a short break for the holidays, we’re getting back into the swing of things!

• Thank you to everyone that came out to our Annual Christmas Mixer on December 13. It was great to celebrate the holidays with neighbours and friends!
• Also in early December was the first winter patio party, in celebration of the recently adopted WinterCity Strategy. Organized by ‘NextGen & Friends’, about 150 brave souls spent time dancing and sipping warm drinks to keep warm. Blankets provided by DECL were appreciated by the chilly crowd. Winter can’t be long enough – lots of events are planned for 2013!
• Hope you all enjoyed the fireworks at Churchill Square at NYE -  there was quite a turnout (via @mastermaq)
• You have probably heard all about it already – we were so proud to announce at our new space on December 18 that we secured a federal grant for renovations. Construction could start in the next few weeks if all goes according to plan.
• Deadline for submissions for the 2nd annual Alley of Light IllumiNITE Outdoor Exhibition of Light Art is January 18. The event takes place on the long weekend of February 18 – 20. Full details of events that weekend will be released in the coming weeks.
• Dub Architect’s Bellamy Hill condo public meeting is Monday, January 21. Updated renderings showing a slightly lower tower were released as part of their DC2 application.
• A $22m Request For Proposals (RFP) went out before the holidays to build a funicular on 104 Street, connecting Jasper Avenue to the river valley. We gave a few thoughts to CBC (but most of the interview was cut unfortunately).
• Wondering what to do around downtown and Edmonton this winter? Check out the Edmonton Journal’s Winter Map.
• I heart #yegdt! Vote for ‘Edmonton’s Best Neighbourhoods 2013‘ in the 2nd annual Avenue Magazine survey.
• Nomad Mobile confirmed they will be opening up in the McLeod Building with mixologist partners The Volstead Act.
• Mexx is opening this spring in Edmonton City Centre.
• Is there a JOEY Restaurant coming to downtown?
• Not downtown, but totally worth going to: Deep Freeze Festival is this weekend on Alberta Avenue.