After years of sitting untouched, work has finally started on the Exhibition Lands in central Edmonton.
Slowly, each building will be knocked down, making way for the future of the former Northlands area — which some residents say has been a long time coming.
The main stables at the horse racing track have started to come down, which is step one of a longer process which will remove all the structures no longer in use.
“It’s really exciting to start to see some progress, some real progress on the site — something tangible that residents have been looking for a really long time,” said Ashley Salvador, Ward Métis councillor.
“We have a fantastic vision for the site but to start to see actual structures being demolished, it helps provide that vision.”
The first stage of demolition has started at Edmonton’s Exhibition Lands.
City of Edmonton
Three years ago, Edmonton city council announced that the area near the former Northlands Coliseum would be redeveloped to include residential, retail and commercial spaces. Since then, there hasn’t been much movement at the site.
“I hope to see something built in my lifetime. I understand that there’s lots of process and there’s lots of ideas, as far as I know there’s nothing firm for the plans,” said Mandolin Books & Coffee Company owner Lianne Traynor. The bookstore is just down 112 Avenue from the grounds.
People living and working not far from the area say they hope to see infill in the area, but at a pace faster than other recent infill projects.
“It’s tough to be hopeful — looking at developments like Blatchford — with like city-led initiatives, but I’m generally an optimist. I generally like our council and so I am hopeful,” said Steven Teeuwsen, Lowlands Project Space director.
The Blatchford development is transforming another historic part of Edmonton — the old municipal airport lands — into a residential community with its own geothermal district energy facility. But it’s been a slow process and development is not as far along as some expected at this point.
Salvador says the city is taking a different process with the Exhibition Lands, as they’re looking at larger parcels of land which allow for more creativity and opportunity.
“With Blatchford really took a smaller-scale approach where we were going sort of small parcel by small parcel. With the Exhibition Lands, I expect to see a faster pace of development because of the approach we’re taking,” Salvador said.
The plan aims to transform the 160-acre area into housing, retail, commercial and recreational spaces, as well as two urban plazas beside two LRT stations.
The biggest step in the redevelopment of the area will be the demolition of the shuttered Coliseum, which is supposed to happen sometime in the next few years.
Even though the former hockey arena been closed since 2017, a year after the Edmonton Oilers relocated to the downtown Rogers Place arena, it’s costing the city over $1 million a year to keep the old building in quiet operation.
“My perspective is when the arena deal was first signed and established, that’s when we should’ve set aside funds to deal with the Coliseum or to at least have a plan for it,” said Salvador.
“It has been sitting in community vacant, derelict for years now without a plan.”
The city is still responsible for the costs of that demolition, unlike in Calgary where the province has agreed to pay to tear down the Saddledome.
With Northlands Coliseum out of use and the next steps with the Exhibition Land development, nearby business owners are eager for construction to be completed.
“Anything that brings people, brings life and economic viability for all the businesses that are here and perhaps new life. We’ve seen lots of new life in our little neighbourhood strip lately and it’d be great to see that continue,” said Traynor.
The first stage of demolitions is scheduled to continue through December. The demolitions of other structures on the grounds are expected to take place over the next two years.
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