Northeast Edmonton

Highlands

Highlands is situated on land originally identified as River Lots 30, 32 and 34 and owned by three Hudson Bay Company employees. Until the area came into the hands of McGrath, Holgate and Company, real estate developers, it seemed an unlikely candidate for early development situated, as it was, 3 miles from the centre of Edmonton. McGrath-Holgate negotiated with the city to provide services and extend the electric streetcar line with subsidies provided by the developers. The name, Highlands, was chosen in a contest, with a fifty dollar prize to the person who provided the best name for the new subdivision.

Highlands was annexed to the city in 1912 and a streetcar line, which operated from 1912 to 1945, ran long 112 Avenue. In 1911, McGrath and Holgate built their mansions on Ada Boulevard, a roadway named after McGrath’s wife. Other large, well appointed houses were built along or near Ada Boulevard, where residents enjoy a spectacular view of the North Saskatchewan River Valley. More modest housing was located further from the valley. While development in Highlands began during the 1911 land boom, it did proceed, albeit at a slower pace, through the subsequent decades of slower growth until a final development surge during the late 1940s and 1950s used up most of the remaining residential lots.

With the exception of commercial and apartment development along 118 Avenue and in a few scattered locations, Highlands has remained an area of low density residential development. The Highlands neighbourhood also contains many significant heritage resources. The locally initiated Highlands Historical Foundation was established in 1988 to increase awareness about, and the preservation of, heritage resources within the neighbourhood.

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Homesteader

Homesteader is one of three neighbourhoods within the Hermitage plan area. In 1875, an Anglican miniser, Canon William Newton, arrived in the Edmonton settlement and built his first church, a home and a hospital in an area he called the Hermitage. The Hermitage was located about 10 kilometres from Fort Edmonton on the south side of a ravine overlooking the North Saskatchewan River to the east. Reverend Newton’s home remained there for more than 25 years. For many years after, the Hermitage remained an agricultural area. During that time, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway line formalized the area’s south boundary along the railroad right-of-way. In 1960, the area’s two cattle farms were sold to a land development firm. One year later, the Hermitage was annexed to the City of Edmonton. Land development was held up during the 1960s while government officials and developers addressed concerns about residential development too near the industrial plants in the vicinity. By 1970, these concerns were resolved and Homesteader was concluded within the Hermitage Outline Plan area.

Homesteader was the first of the three Hermitage neighbourhoods to begin residential development. The neighbourhood was subdivided in 1974 and building commenced within a year. By the end of the decade, most of the neighbourhood had been developed. Homesteader is bisected by Hermitage Road, the neighbourhood’s main collector road, running east from 50 Street. Homes in the southeast corner of the neighbourhood access 50 Street via 127 Avenue. Interior residential streets are of curvilinear and cul-de-sac design. At the centre of the neighbourhood is a multi-purpose education and recreation site. A number of strategically placed pathways promote bicycle and pedestrian travel within the neighbourhood and join Homesteader to the other two Hermitage neighbourhoods to the east. Homesteader residents have access to the river valley park system via Kennedale Ravine. The residents of Homesteader are served by the businesses located on 50th Street and in the centrally located Hermitage Shopping Centre and Hermitage Plaza.

Homesteader was named in honour of the men and women who were the pioneers of settlement and agriculture in the Edmonton area.

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Kirkness

Kirkness is located in the Clareview district. The neighbourhood is bounded by 153rd Avenue to he north, Victoria Trail to the east, 144th Avenue to the south and a public utilities corridor to the west. The corridor provides an open space buffer along the west boundary of the neighbourhood to separate the residents from the CNR/LRT right-of-way. The Edmonton LRT uses the rail line as far as the Clareview station, located just south of the neighbourhood. The LRT provides Kirkness residents with quick and easy access to central and south Edmonton.

Most of the community’s educational and recreation facilities are located in the northern part of the neighbourhood. A local park located at 146 Avenue and Kirkness Road is named after James A. Christianson (1889-1953) who was a prominent businessman who sponsored the Oil Kings hockey club and the Meteors basketball club.

Single family housing represents approximately half of the residential units within the neighbourhood; semi-detached houses represent approximately 3% of all units within the neighbourhood. Low rise apartments and row housing make up the remainder of units, and are located along a major bus route on Kirkness Road. The neighbourhood has been actively under development since the 1970s, and residential construction continued into the 2000s.

The neighbourhood is named after James Kirkness who came to Canada from Scotland in 1866. He worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company until 1881 when he retired to his homestead in River Lot 26.

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Klarvatten

The Klarvatten neighbourhood is located in north Edmonton within the Lake District. The neighbourhood is bounded by the future Anthony Henday ring road to the north (transportation and utility corridor), 82nd Street to the east, 167th Avenue to the south and 91st Street to the west.

Prior to urban use, the land on which Klarvatten developed was used for agricultural production. The neighbourhood structure plan (NSP) for Klarvatten was approved by City Council in the late 1970s. The neighbourhood began to first experience residential construction in the late 1980s, but over 50% of residential construction took place in the 2000s. The most common residential structure in the neighbourhood is the single-detached house, and the remaining residential dwelling units are found in semi-detached homes and row houses. Some medium density housing in low rise apartments is planned for the northern part of the neighbourhood, but was not yet constructed as of 2009.

One of the major features of the neighbourhood is a large stormwater lake and wetland located in the east-central part of Klarvatten. The stormwater lake provides residents with access to an attractive outdoor amenity and provides some recreation space within the community.

The neighbourhood also features several parks, many of which are connected via pedestrian pathways. A school site is provided in the middle of the neighbourhood, along Klarvatten’s western border, but as yet no school has been built. Two elementary schools are located in the adjacent Lago Lindo neighbourhood, with which the neighbourhood is connected via Klarvatten Road. A neighbourhood level commercial space is located at the corner of 91st Street and 167th Avenue, and major commercial amenities are available to residents along 167th Avenue, just west of Klarvatten.

In keeping with the naming convention for all neighbourhoods within the Lake District, Klarvatten is Swedish for “clear water.”

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Eaux Claires

The Eaux Claires neighbourhood is bounded by 167th Avenue to the north, 97th Street to the west, 153rd Avenue to the south and 82nd Street to the east, adjacent to the Belle Rive neighbourhood. Residential construction began in earnest in the late 1990s to early 2000s and was still underway as of 2008. A power substation was built along 97th Street at 162 Avenue to provide much needed power to the growing north sector of the city.

In June of 1980 Homestead Holdings Limited engaged Mackenzie Spencer Associates to prepare a Neighbourhood Structure Plan proposal for the Eaux Claires Neighbourhood, and a plan for the area was adopted by Council in 1983. The neighbourhood design objectives outlined in the plan include: creating a safe, quiet, residential neighbourhood; establishing a clear, safe, hierarchical road system which enables easy access to the neighbourhood but minimizes traffic on interior roads; and providing residents with access to a variety of housing types and local amenities, including non-residential land uses.

Housing types include a mixture of single and semi-detached homes and walk-up apartments. A number of pedestrian pathways and linkages were included throughout the neighbourhood to provide residents with walkable access through Eaux Claires. The neighbourhood also includes a central park/school site in addition to other small parks and stormwater management ponds located strategically throughout the area. Commercial services are available to residents along 97th Street.

Located in the Lake District, Eaux Claires takes its name from a body of water, and the neighbourhood name means “clear waters” in French.

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Belle Rive

On October 23, 1969, the Mayor and Council of the City of Edmonton gave its consent for the annexation of nine and a half sections of land in north Edmonton. These annexation lands comprised both the developing Castle Downs area and the proposed Edmonton North Area, (Castle Downs Stage II) and were brought within City jurisdiction effective January 1, 1971.

The neighbourhood is bounded by 153rd Avenue on the south, 82nd Street on the east, 167th Avenue on the north and approximately 91st Street on the west. A power transmission line right-of-way traverses the north portion of the neighbourhood. An artificial lake is located in the southwestern portion of the neighbourhood. The design concept for the neighbourhood was established to create a balanced, cohesive environment.

The roadway network for Belle Rive was designed to minimize the number of crossings, and includes six entrance points to the neighbourhood. The design provides a functional hierarchical roadway network to distribute traffic within the neighbourhood while discouraging non-residents of the neighbourhood from using the roads.

The name of the neighbourhood, Belle Rive, is taken from the French “beautiful shore.” All of the neighbourhoods within the Lake District are named after descriptions of lakes.

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Matt Berry

Matt Berry is located in north Edmonton within the Pilot Sound Area Structure Plan (ASP) and defines the southwestern corner of the Pilot Sound ASP. Prior to urban development, the land the neighbourhood was built on was used for agricultural cultivation of grain and cereal crops. The neighbourhood is bounded by 167th Avenue to the north, 59th Street to the east, 66th Street to the west, and 153rd Avenue to the south. Land use in Matt Berry is almost entirely residential and was planned to accommodate primarily single-family houses. The neighbourhood began to experience some development in the 1980s but the bulk of construction took place in the 1990s and continued into the 2000s. The neighbourhood is substantively complete, but as of 2009 some multifamily residential parcels had yet to be constructed.

A pipeline right-of-way runs east-west along the northern portion of the neighborhood and the surface has been transformed into a linear park to provide pedestrian and cyclist connections for residents within the neighbourhood. A secondary pipeline right-of-way, located in the southeast corner of the neighbourhood, has been treated in the same way and functions as a key linking feature within the pedestrian pathway network for Matt Berry. A large 9.6 hectare school/park site is located on the eastern boundary of the neighbourhood, and smaller parks are located strategically within the neighbourhood to provide residents with public amenity space. The vehicular circulation network in Matt Berry is based on a hierarchical road system which locates arterial roads on the boundaries of the neighbourhood, one main collector road that runs through the neighbourhood, and a series of local streets around which housing is oriented, many of which terminate in cul-de-sacs.

As with all neighbourhoods in the Pilot Sound area, Matt Berry was named in honour of a Canadian aviation pioneer. Massey “Matt” Berry (1889-1970) was a veteran of both world wars, an award winning bush pilot, and is credited with having helped open up parts of northern Canada. He was named to Canada’s aviation hall of fame in 1973.

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Hollick-Kenyon

Hollick-Kenyon is located in the Pilot Sound Area Structure Plan (ASP) in northeast Edmonton. The first neighbourhood approved in the Pilot Sound area was Matt Berry, approved as a Neighbourhood Structure Plan in 1988. The adjacent Hollick-Kenyon neighbourhood represented an easterward extension of residential development within Pilot Sound when it was approved in the early 1990s. Hollick Kenyon is bounded on the north by 167th Avenue, on the west by 59A Street collector roadway, on the south by the 153rd Avenue arterial roadway and on the east by the new alignment of the 50th Street arterial roadway.

Residential construction in the neighbourhood began in the early 1990s and is still actively underway as of the end of the 2000s. The dominant housing form is currently the single detached dwelling, but remaining medium density residential parcels will shift the housing mix to a greater proportion of multi-family units once the neighbourhood has been entirely built-out. Hollick Kenyon was planned to include a range of housing types to ensure a supply of affordable housing options and to generate a sufficient population base to ensure the efficient and economic utilization of basic local services. A school/park site is located in the middle of the neighbourhood, but no school has been built in Hollick-Kenyon yet. A large stormwater lake located in the south western quadrant of the neighbourhood provides residents with access to open space. A series of strategically placed pathways provide pedestrian connections between residential and parks areas. A pipeline corridor which runs east-west across the northern part of the neighbourhood provides additional linear park space for residents.

Like all neighbourhoods within the Pilot Sound area, Hollick-Kenyon is named after a famous aviator, Herbert “Bertie” Hollick-Kenyon (1897-1975), who piloted flights over the Antarctic as part of the first mapping of that territory. Hollick-Kenyon was born in England and joined the Royal Flying Corps after serving in WWI. After decades of exploration and search and rescue missions, Hollick-Kenyon joined Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1942, whom he worked for until his retirement in 1962. In 1973 Hollick-Kenyon was named to Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

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Britnell

Prior to undergoing residential development in the early 2000s, Brintnell was undeveloped and the majority of the area was in agricultural use. But the parameters for the development of Brintnell were already set in place in 1981 when the Pilot Sound Area Structure Plan was approved.

Brintnell today is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods to the south and west, and Gorman Industrial is located to the east across Manning Drive. The vast majority of housing units (94 per cent) are single-family residences in Brintnell; 97 per cent are owner-occupied. Brintnell’s circulation design features arterial roadways along the exterior of the neighbourhood, with a loops and cul-de-sacs design on the interior. A powerline right-of-way that runs through the neighbourhood provides a green corridor and pedestrian pathway for residents. Residents also have easy access to Manning Drive via 160th Avenue. The northern portions of the neighbourhood were still under development in 2009.

All neighbourhoods in the Pilot Sound area are named for pilots and Britnell was chosen to honour Wilfred Leigh Brintnell (1895-1971) who was well known for his pioneering trips across uncharted areas. Born in Ontario, Brintnell joined the Royal Flying Corps during WWI and in 1927 joined Western Canada Airways flying the first multi-engine flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver. He formed Mackenzie Air Service in Edmonton in 1932, and was president of Aircraft Repair Inc based out of Edmonton during WWII. In 1946 Brintnell was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his outstanding service during the war, and was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 1975.

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Miller

The Miller neighbourhood is located within the Casselman-Heights District Outline Plan area is located between the Casselman neighbourhood to the west and the Ebbers neighbourhood to the east. Manning Drive runs the length of the neighbourhood’s eastern boundary and 50th Street runs the length of its western boundary, providing residents with excellent access to other parts of the city. The nearby Clareview Light Rail Transit (LRT) station also provides residents with good transit access.

Prior to urban development Miller was under agricultural land use designation with a small portion of the area actively cultivated. Two pipeline rights-of way cross the neighbourhood in the north, and their surfaces have been integrated with the pedestrian transportation network of the community. The school and park site located in the west-central area of the neighbourhood provides a large open space for residents. Additionally, a one hectare naturalized wetland park provides natural amenity space and a community focal point.

The neighbourhood began developing in the late 1990s and experienced the majority of its development during the early 2000s. The design objective for the Miller neighbourhood was to create a residential community that provides a variety of housing opportunities and to cluster non-residential land uses in the southern portion of the neighbourhood. Dwelling units within the neighbourhood consist of single detached, semi-detached, linked row housing, stacked row housing, and low rise apartments.

This neighbourhood was named after Abe William Miller (1897-1964), a Hungarian-born lawyer, politician and community volunteer. After immigrating to Canada in 1899 with his parents, Miller moved to Edmonton in 1914 and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1925. Miller practiced law for forty years, served as a member of City Council for six years and served two years as a member of the Alberta Legislature.

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