City seeking feedback on Warehouse District

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 18, 2022.

The City of Lethbridge hosted an open house Thursday at the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association Multicultural Centre hoping to hear back from the community on the Area Redevelopment plan for the Warehouse District.

The district, which is largely a commercial and light industrial neighbourhood, is located around the borders of Stafford Drive on the west, Highway 3 on the north, Mayor Magrath Drive on the east, and 3rd Avenue to the south.

Looking to provide an overarching vision and coordinate a plan for development, the City has begun preparation of an Area Redevelopment Plan for the district. The City says doing so will establish a broader district-level vision based on extensive engagement and thorough understanding of the area’s past and current context.

“There has been a lot of development interest in that area in the last several years,” said Perry Stein, project planning lead. “It’s a good moment for us to pay more attention to that area in the inner city, and think about what the community’s vision is for the future of the area, helping us with understanding policies, programs, or investments that can help achieve that vision.”

Along with the redevelopment plan, the city is also looking to see how it can enhance the area as well.

“The Third Ave Beautification project is a functional planning study that will help develop the corridor from Stafford to Mayor Magrath Drive,” said Crystal Scheit, senior transportation project administrator for Infrastructure Services. “We started engagement back in 2020, but it was very challenging for us and businesses to engage with the pandemic and the pressure that it was putting on those businesses. We are starting to re-engage and bring some of what we had heard from prior engagement and tie that in with the Warehouse ARP.”

Looking to collect as much feedback as possible to help with these projects, the City has been working with outreach and community contacts.

“We have been engaging with meetings with stakeholders, surveys, and walking tours,” said Stein. “We are sharing early visioning information, like big ideas, and what are the big moves that this neighbourhood wants to see for itself. We are also looking to get feedback on urban design ideas, public realm changes and transportation changes over time. Testing those with the community to see what they like.”

Those looking to add input or check out more details can view the projects at getinvolvedlethbridge.ca and selecting the All Projects tab and viewing the Warehouse District Area Redevelopment Plan and the 3 Avenue South Beautification Planning.

“We are looking to see if this hits the mark for what people had envisioned and what they are thinking, while still meeting those needs that the businesses are looking for,” said Scheit.

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