Encampment in downtown Red Deer. (The Currency of Contribution, Episode 3)

By Alessia Proietti

Red Deer city council

Railyards neighbourhood sees increase in encampments; downtown development strategies to come

Nov 14, 2023 | 10:39 PM

A formal neighbourhood development strategy will be created for Red Deer’s Railyards neighbourhood, following a city council discussion of the area’s major issues which include increasing urban encampments.

At their regular meeting on Monday, council heard a report by administration identifying the challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions to improve mobility, connection, and safety for everyone in the neighbourhood.

A particular challenge shown in the report was the transition from encampments in parks to urban streets, particularly in the public trail between Cannery Row, nearby businesses, and the CPR Bridge.

The City currently has a zero-tolerance policy to encampments, having established one of the first proactive approaches for their clean-up in the province, giving individuals up to 72 hours for their removal. With a budget of $516,974 per year, 597 encampments were cleaned by Parks staff in 2022 and to date in 2023, 730 have been removed, with a projected 800 or more by the end of the year. The City says this is 341.9 per cent increase since the program started in 2018, when only 234 encampments were removed.

Councillor Victor Doerksen said council needs to start brainstorming more concrete ideas to get the ball rolling on solutions. One example he suggested included the creation of a dedicated encampment spot for individuals to go to rather than continuously jumping to new locations in the downtown. He also suggested creating a “one block at a time” approach towards downtown redevelopment.

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Councillor Vesna Higham also voiced ideas for cost reduction such as taking peace officers away from traffic duty that target tax paying citizens and having them focus on supporting business security and needs.

Administration says they have not been informed of a situation where there were no available spaces at the emergency shelter, currently at Cannery Row (5239 53 Ave.) in the Railyards area, which can support over 230 individuals. They say the average shelter usage from October 7 to November 5, 2023, in Red Deer was 230 people.

They add many individuals choose to not use shelter for reasons such as lack of privacy, repeatedly stolen possessions, inability to take pets, and wanting to be with their significant partners.

The City also gave an update on the status of their funding application for the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. Requesting $15 million that would go towards various initiatives, they said that while they anticipated a response this October, they have not heard back from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

OTHER ISSUES

In 2022, council approved $513,600 in mitigation strategies over two years for the Railyards neighbourhood.

In a survey this year, residents shared concerns about increasing drug activity seeping into the community beyond the shelter and nearby Overdose Prevention Site (OPS). The City says individuals were allowed to inhale drugs on the property as a safety measure. However, since Alberta Heath Services took over the OPS in 2023, they were no longer allowed to do so on the property, which thus spilled into downtown streets.

The City also confirmed they recently received an application to have the site rezoned municipally rather than its current provincial exception status.

Railyards residents in the survey also expressed that while appreciative of the Clean Team for picking up litter and needle debris, the issue continuously returns. The City says the Parks & Public Works teams, who are also responsible for cleaning up areas near the shelter, like the neighbouring trail and CPR bridge, have attended the sites 45 times as of October 2023, and estimate that each visit took approximately half an hour.

Councillor Laurence Lee said the question of why these individuals continue to repeat negative behaviours must be explored, adding that they need to be helped in finding a sense of purpose and connection with others in the community.

Some mitigation strategy successes include the graffiti and vandalism grant for businesses, effectiveness with the Community Liaison, and increased security and reporting.

READ: Red Deer says temporary shelter mitigation strategies showing effectiveness in Railyards

PREVIOUS PLANS

Council reviewed the 2008 Greater Downtown Action Plan (GDAP) and the 2022 Downtown Activation Playbook.

The GDAP outlined aspirational visions for the City, including a ‘Renaissance of the Riverfront’ with an urban river walk and hotel, turning alleys into lanes for retail outlets, and the development of ‘Great Streets’. Ideas suggested converting old city buildings into public markets, the creation of a ‘Spirit of the River Plaza’, a pedestrian bridge to Bower Ponds, use of green technology, and much more.

“Spirit of the River Plaza’ in 2008 Greater Downtown Action Plan. (Red Deer city council November 14 meeting agenda p. 186)

City Manager Tara Lodewyk told councillors that the City needs to show initiative to the public they are willing to invest to complete goals outlined in these plans, like they did earlier this year with Capstone.

READ: Three lots in Capstone can now be bought below market value for multi-family developments

“When the municipality steps up and invests in the public realm, when it looks like we care and we’re putting dollars and cents in and we’re taking action, it’s easier for others to step up and want to take action as well,” she said.

“One of the major shifts with this report [Railyards development strategy] is we need to go ahead and do some work in Railyards, despite some of the temporary things and other bigger issues that we’re trying to resolve.”

The suggestions also included increasing sidewalks for walkability, supported by businesses in the area, which Lodewyk said would help create order and a tidiness to the area.

Council concluded by directing administration to develop a strategy for the greater downtown area, including Railyards which currently does not have an Area Structure or Redevelopment Plan, and to make recommendations for council’s consideration as part of the 2024 and 2025 budgeting process.

“A wholistic approach is required to balance the social and economic development needs of the greater downtown,” said Mike Olesen, General Manager of Growth and Finance. “What we learned today was the scope and appetite for how we influence this area going forward and how we can work to enhance the social, cultural, economic, and environmental well-being of the greater downtown and our city as a whole.”

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