Award

M A R C H 2 0 2 3 | 63 Holyrood Gardens Redevelopment P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y R EG EN C Y D E V ELO P M EN T S; R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y D ER + A SS O C I AT E S A RC H I T EC T U R E HOLYROOD GARDENS REDEVELOPMENT by ROBIN BRUNET I n any city, the extension of mass transit into a neighbourhood offers the opportunity for redevelopment to some degree, and such was the case in Edmonton with Holyrood Gardens, which was reimagined by Regency Developments from a series of 1940s townhouses into 1,200 residences adjacent to the new Holyrood stop on the Valley Line LRT. With Tower One known as the Beacon Tower complete and the bal- ance of buildings keenly anticipated at this rebranded location to become known as East Junction, the revamped site will consist of eight buildings ranging from four to 26 storeys. Tours and lease-up has commenced at Beacon Tower, which contains 275 liv- ing units, and is joined by a complex series of smaller residential units and ground level retail/commercial that adds considerable animation to the site. Holyrood is the first major project to move forward on the new LRT line heading from downtown to southeast Edmonton, but as Raj Dhunna, COO of Regency Developments, points out, it took seven years and considerable effort to bring the project to life. He says, "We purchased the two- parcel property in 2016, and as an in-fill developer we recognized that this site was close enough to down- town but rare in terms of its sheer size: about 15 acres altogether." Dhunna adds, "But even though city administration was supportive of the project, we received substan- tial pushback from local residents and several city councillors regarding den- sity, traffic, etc. and this led to a series of alterations to the project, which was originally intended to have 1,800 liv- ing units." The City of Edmonton's support of the project stemmed from the fact that $1.8 billion had already been spent creating the Valley Line Southeast LRT, and residential construction along the corridor would increase rid- ership. In downsizing the living units to 1,200, Regency set aside almost half of the property for green space and connecting sidewalks, and in 2019 the project finally received approval. While Jim Der, owner of DER + Associates Architecture, worked hard to accommodate the downsizing, he points out that "if we hadn't been bound by height restrictions and neigh- bourhood demands, we could have had more residents without any reduction of green space on the property." Nonetheless, Der developed an arrangement of buildings of varying heights and forms, with the tower ori- ented beside busy 93 Avenue and away from the single storey detached homes of the existing neighbourhood. "This is a very linear site, so we were careful to maximize visual appeal and avoid building a wall of residences," he says. "Tiering down, terracing, and other techniques allowed us to optimize views for residents, and we added decorative features such as wings on the tower to enhance the aesthetics. Also, the suites of some of the smaller buildings have direct access either to the street or the landscaped areas of the property, thus imparting the feel- ing for the residents that these are detached homes." Ironically for a development that was intended to boost mass transit ridership, the City required Holyrood to have underground parkades, and it wasn't until construction was well underway that it rescinded the requirement. "As it stands, all of the four buildings completed under the first phase of the project have direct access to the parkades but there is no internal vehicular traffic on site," Der says. "Instead, we created walk- ing paths among landscape features as well as rest areas." He adds that he is particularly encouraged by the fact that "the distances between the buildings have well exceeded code compliant minimum separations." Dhunna notes that his company "had a big input in the unit design and layouts, as we have a strong sense of what people want and expect with liv- ing conditions." With Regency engaging Pagnotta Industries as their general contrac- tor, ground broke on the project at the beginning of 2020, just prior to the lockdowns; however, the close relationships Regency had forged with materials suppliers meant that construction contin - ued with minimal interruptions. As of late January 2023, Beacon Tower was anticipating its first wave of residents in March, and Dhunna took time to reflect on the develop- ment. "It was two and a half years of trips back and forth to city coun- cil and lots of motions to defer, and I almost walked away from the project – but I'm glad I didn't," he says. "Our redevelopment is beautiful, and we're looking forward to continuing the future phases of this large-scale TOD redevelopment that will be a game- changer in the City of Edmonton." A LOCATION 8310 & 8311 – 93 Avenue NW, Edmonton, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER Regency Developments ARCHITECT DER + Associates Architecture GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Pagnotta Industries STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering MECHANICAL CONSULTANT PMW Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT A.B. Electrical Engineering CIVIL CONSULTANT Aplin Martin TOTAL COST $270 million

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