Southwest Edmonton

Brander Gardens

Brander Gardens is located in an area annexed to the City of Edmonton in 1960. In 1961 the area was included within a plan for phased development of a large portion of southwest Edmonton.

In 1969, Brander Gardens was included within the Riverbend-Terwillegar Heights Outline Plan. The Outline Plan detailed a development scheme for a comprehensively planned community to be, in many respects, self-contained. Riverbend-Terwillegar Heights, with a predicted ultimate population of 95,000 people was the first of Edmonton’s residential areas to be planned on such a large scale. In 1967, just prior to preparation of the overall plan, Brander Gardens, called Glamorgan at that time, was the subject of a subdivision re-plot. The remnants of this earlier subdivision are evident in the large lots in the neighbourhood’s west side adjacent to Whitemud Creek.

Almost all Brander Gardens housing was constructed during the 1970s. Most dwelling units are in multiple-unit housing structures (36 per cent row housing and 38 per cent low-rise apartments) clustered along the major traffic route, Riverbend Road, and are adjacent to the neighbourhood’s multi-purpose recreational sites and neighbourhood shopping centre. The overall purpose of the plan is to provide for efficient travel while minimizing the negative effects of traffic on residential streets. Interior residential streets have curvilinear and culde-sac patterns. A number of strategically placed pathways, including the open space of a pipeline right-of-way, promote pedestrian and bicycle travel through the neighbourhood.

Brander Gardens is particularly favoured by its location adjacent to the river valley. Residents have access to river valley park trails and to Fort Edmonton Park just to the north. The residents of Brander Gardens are served by businesses located in the Riverbend Shopping Centre. As well, proximity to the Whitemud Freeway facilitates access to other major commercial and employment areas in the city.

Brander Gardens was named in honour of George Brander who came to Edmonton in 1921 and established a peony garden in the Bonnie Doon Area. The gardens were an attraction for Albertans until the 1940s and were the source of most of the peonies in Alberta.

Demographics

Population 4,171 Median Income $87,904 # of Homes 1,882 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Hodgson

Hodgson is located within the Terwillegar Heights Servicing Concept Design Brief (SCDB) area and encompasses about 72 hectares of land. Prior to urban development in the early 2000s the land was used primarily for agricultural purposes, but there were also limited residential uses, a few woodlots and a natural wetland located within the plan area. Whitemud Creek Ravine forms the eastern boarder of the neighbourhood, providing residents with access to one of Edmonton’s significant natural areas.

The neighbourhood began to experience the bulk of its residential development in the early 2000s, and the housing mix is split between low and medium density housing forms. Access into the neighbourhood is provided by Rabbit Hill Road (north-south access) and 23rd Avenue (east-west access). A large park is located at the centre of the neighbourhood, and smaller parks and natural areas are connected with pedestrian pathways. A commercial/employment centre is located in the southwest corner of the neighbourhood. Residents have easy access to the Riverbend shopping area and also to the Terwillegar Towne centre outside their neighbourhood. The nearest regional retail centre is Southgate Shopping Centre.

The Hodgson neighbourhood was named after John Hodgson (1888-1969) who was the city comptroller and financial commissioner for the City of Edmonton for nearly 40 years.John Hodgson came to Edmonton from England in 1913, where he had worked as a chartered accountant. In Edmonton, John Hodgson worked as the chief audit clerk, city comptroller and financial commissioner.

Demographics

Population 10,474 Median Income $120,673 # of Homes 3,558 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Terwillegar Town

Terwillegar Towne is one of the 7 neighbourhoods within the Terwillegar Heights Servicing Concept Design Brief (SCDB) and is located roughly in the centre of the plan area. The neighbourhood is bounded by 23rd Avenue to the north, Rabbit Hill Road to the east, Terwillegar Boulevard to the south and Terwillegar Drive to the west.

Terwillegar Towne represents a unique departure from typical suburban neighbourhood planning. This was the first community in Edmonton to be planned and built upon a neo-traditional design model, and provides an example of New Urbanism-style development within the city. Roadways were constructed so as to encourage pedestrian usage, houses were situated closer to the street to encourage interaction among residents, vehicular traffic is dispersed throughout the neighbourhood to eliminate the need for high volume collector roadways, neighbourhood parks, schools and a Towne Square provide the foci for the community, the natural environment is incorporated into the open spaces throughout the neighbourhood and the neighbourhood includes a diversity of land uses and a fine-grained approach to mixed-use development. These elements, once very dominant in traditional residential communities but lacking in more recent suburban development styles, were used as the building blocks of the neo-traditional planning paradigm developed for Terwillegar Towne. The result of this planning effort has been the development of a compact, walkable, street oriented and heterogeneous community in Edmonton’s southwest sector.

The neighbourhood began developing in the late 1990s, which continued into the 2000s. Residential units in Terwillegar Towne are found within single and semi-detached homes, row houses and apartment-style buildings. Commercial space is provided in the town centre, located along Terwillegar Boulevard on both sides of Towne Centre Boulevard. Two school sites have been provided in Terwillegar Towne, although neither has been developed yet. One site is located adjacent to the town centre east of Towne Centre Boulevard and the other is located on the western side of the boulevard in roughly the centre of the neighbourhood. The Leger Transit Centre is located on the northern edge of the neighbourhood along 23rd Avenue, which is also where the new Southwest Recreation Centre is located.

Terwillegar Towne was named in honour of Dr. Norman L. Terwillegar (1884-1948). Dr. Terwillegar was a pioneer, a surgeon, and a local property owner in the area for many years. Terwillegar practiced medicine in the Edmonton area between 1912 and 1947 and was on staff at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for over 35 years. He also served as president of the Alberta Division of the Canadian Medical Association as well as for the Edmonton Academy of Medicine.

Demographics

Population 12,861 Median Income $106,080 # of Homes 4,559 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Haddow

Haddow lies within the Terwillegar Heights servicing concept plan area. It is located in the southwestern portion of the City of Edmonton, to the south of the developed residential neighbourhoods of Henderson Estates and Falconer Heights and between Terwillegar Drive and the North Saskatchewan River. The plan for Haddow was approved by Council in 1993 and the neighbourhood began to undergo construction in the late 1990s. Prior to urban development the land was in agricultural use.

Major access to the neighbourhood is provided from Terwillegar Drive and Riverbend Road. The interior circulation network consists of a looping collector road along which a series of cul-de-sacs and inner streets are oriented. A park site is located in the centre of the neighbourhood, and the Solicitor General Staff College property is located in the northwestern corner of the neighbourhood, adjacent to the North Saskatchewan River.

Haddow is predominantly a low density residential neighbourhood and single detached units are the most common housing form. Medium density multi-family housing sites are located in the south and eastern portions of the neighbourhood, adjacent to the collector road. The neighbourhood’s stormwater management system compliments Haddow’s open space plan, and a series of strategically located pathways provide connections for pedestrians throughout the neighbourhood.

The Haddow neighbourhood is named after Albert Walker “Bert” Haddow, who was Edmonton’s city engineer for forty years. Hailing from Ontario, Haddow moved to Edmonton in 1910 to work for the city engineering department and became the head city engineer in 1919. Haddow oversaw the construction of bridges, roadways and underpasses over his tenure, but is most famous for supervising the construction of the city centre airport. Haddow was also instrumental in developing the Riverside golf course and was a strong proponent of transforming former landfill sites into recreation areas.

Demographics

Population 12,861 Median Income $106,080 # of Homes 4,559 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Strathcona

Development in Strathcona began with the arrival of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway line in 1891. Early development centred on the area of Whyte (82) Avenue, now called Old Strathcona. Subsequent commercial development extended along Whyte Avenue where, from 1908 to 1949, a streetcar line joined Strathcona and downtown Edmonton (via 99 Street). The neighbourhood became part of Edmonton when the City of Strathcona amalgamated with Edmonton in 1912.

While Strathcona is noted for its stock of well maintained renovated older homes, walk-up and high-rise apartments supply the majority of dwelling units. The apartments are located near major traffic routes which provide access to major commercial, educational and employment centres in the Downtown and at the University of Alberta. Outdoor recreation areas are close-at-hand for Strathcona residents with the North Saskatchewan River Valley to the north and Mill Creek Ravine to the east. Beginning in the 1980s, public and private initiatives rejuvenated the Old Strathcona area as an entertainment and commercial hub with an “old town” ambience.

Strathcona was named for Lord Strathcona, Hudson Bay Company Governor (1889-1914) and the man chosen to drive the “last spike” of the CPR transcontinental railway.

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Garneau

One of the oldest inner-city neighbourhoods, Garneau was considered to be developed when, as part of the City Strathcona, it became part of Edmonton in 1912. Since that time, the continuing expansion of the adjacent University of Alberta and the development of the Whyte (82) Avenue commercial area, have assisted to change the residential makeup of Garneau.

University student housing and fraternity houses are located in northwest Garneau. The neighbourhood contains a significant number of commercial businesses located along 109 Street, Whyte Avenue and 112 Street. Most goods and services are available in the neighbourhood or in nearby Old Strathcona. Residents of Garneau have good access to most areas of Edmonton including the Downtown via the High Level and Walterdale Bridges and the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

Garneau is named for Laurent Garneau, active in local affairs and politics, and an early settler in this area of Métis descent. Laurent Garneau took part in the Red River Colony in Manitoba, and in 1869 took part in the Red River uprising under Louis Riel, which led to the formation of Manitoba in 1870.

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Belgravia

A mature, quiet, low density neighbourhood, Belgravia at one time was the southwest terminus for the Edmonton Radial railway. The neighbourhood began to be developed in 1912 when Robert Tegler, who built the Tegler Building (demolished in 1982), put the area on the real estate market.

The area’s quiet nature is linked to its semi-isolated setting as it is bounded on two sides by the river valley and ravine system. The McKernan neighbourhood lies to the east. Bungalows, semi-bungalows and two-storeys in a range of sizes face well treed streets. While the majority of development occurred prior to 1960 and is single-family residential, a variety of housing exists in Belgravia, with higher density housing types located towards the edges of the neighbourhood. In the early 2000s the former Workers Compensation Board (WCB) site, located at the south end of the neighbourhood overlooking Fox Drive, was sold and redeveloped as single-family housing. This redevelopment, while more dense than subdivision patterns from previous construction eras, provides a sympathetic infill design within this mature community.

The city’s LRT line was extended along the eastern edge of the neighbourhood in late 2008, with a new stop established on 76th Avenue to connect the existing transit system with the U of A south campus and then further south to the Century Park redevelopment at the site of the former Heritage Mall. While already well served by bus connections, the new LRT station significantly enhances transit accessibility for Belgravia’s residents.

Many of Belgravia’s populace are long time residents and enjoy easy access to the North Saskatchewan River Valley, the University of Alberta hospital, the U of A north and south campuses, and the popular Whyte Avenue commercial area. There is also a small commercial area within the neighbourhood located along 76th Avenue.

Belgravia is named after a fashionable residential section of 19th century London.

Demographics

Population 3,808 Median Income $119,112 # of Homes 1,562 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Royal Gardens

Royal Gardens is a mature suburban neighbourhood located in the Petrolia subdivision of south-central Edmonton. The neighbourhood is predominantly residential and was developed for the most part during the 1960s with single family structures. Multi-family complexes border 40 Avenue and 122 Street; both thoroughfares have good transit connections. Four schools are located in Royal Gardens. The high schools are situated on the same site as a large recreational area, which includes Confederation Pool, and serve students from surrounding neighbourhoods. Commercial development within the neighbourhood is limited, but residents can easily access a variety of businesses in either Greenfield, the neighbourhood to the south, or at nearby Southgate Mall.

This neighbourhood may have been named after Joseph Royal (1837-1902) who was the lieutenant governor of the Northwest Territories between 1888 and 1893. Royal Gardens has been the name for this area since 1912, but the name was officially adopted in 1962.

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Lendrum

This neighbourhood was named in honour of Robert Lendrum, one of Edmonton’s early land surveyors. The Lendrum Slough was located nearby, but has long since disappeared and been replaced with well-proportioned lots arranged in a modified grid street pattern. Lendrum Place is predominately residential in character and most of the properties are developed with single family dwellings. Apartment dwellings are located adjacent to bus routes. The schools and community league site are central to the neighbourhood. A commercial plaza with a variety of businesses is located along 111 Street; one of the three major roads that bound the neighbourhood. Additional shopping facilities are located at nearby Southgate Shopping Centre. The University of Alberta research farm (approximately 160 acres) is located to the west and northwest of the community.

Lendrum Place residents enjoy easy access to most parts of Edmonton thanks to a central location and connections with a well developed roadway network. The South LRT (light rail transit) extension running along Lendrum’s East boundary will be in operation by April, 2010, providing residents with improved public transportation options.

Demographics

Population 5,318 Median Income $64,419 # of Homes 2,277 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Duggan

Part of the land that makes up the Duggan neighbourhood was once owned by J. J. Duggan, a pioneer and mayor of Edmonton’s early rival, the City of Strathcona. Duggan’s subdivision reflects the popular neighbourhood design elements of the 1960s.

Higher density residential land uses are located along major roadways and near the central school and park sites. Singledetached houses are grouped around the centre of the neighbourhood and arranged along curvilinear streets. The neighbourhood’s commercial element is also centrally located. Single-detached houses easily dominate as the major structure type, and apartments supply just under 30% of all residential units, while semi-detached homes and row housing accounts for over 10%.

Large scale development of the area began in the 1960s and peaked during the 1970s but a small amount of development, and later redevelopment, persisted from 1980 onwards. Duggan has good traffic circulation on three sides and the road network allows residents good access to a variety of destinations of Edmonton’s south side, especially with its easy connections to Whitemud Drive on its northern border and Calgary Trail on its eastern border.

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Blue Quill

Blue Quill is part of an area that was annexed by Edmonton in 1971. Prior to urban development, the Kaskitayo area was in agricultural use and home to eighteen farmsteads, ten of which were still operating at the time the Kaskitayo Outline plan was being prepared (in 1973). Blue Quill’s development began shortly after annexation, and while the bulk of the housing construction took place between 1971 and 1980 it continued slowly through the early 2000s.

A suburban neighbourhood, Blue Quill contains a mix of single and semi-detached residences, row housing complexes and apartments. A commercial centre is located in the northern part of the community along Saddleback Road, and school and park sites are located towards the interior of the neighbourhood. Blackmud Creek Ravine is located just southwest of the neighbourhood and is one of the most significant natural features within the vicinity.

Keeping with the naming theme of honouring Aboriginal leaders within Kaskitayo, Blue Quill is named in honour of Cree Chief Blue Quill of the Saddle Lake Indian Reserve which was established in 1889. In the late 1890s, Chief Blue Quill traded in Edmonton.

Demographics

Population 4,326 Median Income $95,697 # of Homes 1,713 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Twin Brooks

The Twin Brooks area was annexed to the City of Edmonton in 1980. Twin Brooks is a triangular shaped neighbourhood nestled between the Blackmud and Whitemud Creek Ravines and it is located directly north of the Anthony Henday ring road. Access to these two ravines provides residents with excellent natural outdoor amenity space and represents a defining feature of the neighbourhood.

Residential construction within Twin Brooks began in the late 1980s and continued on into the 2000s. The bulk of residential construction, however, occurred throughout the 1990s. The vast majority of homes in the neighbourhood are low density in character. 85% of all units are single detached homes, 5% of units are semi-detached homes and the remaining 10% of units are found within row houses and low rise apartment buildings.

There are two main entrance points into the neighbourhood via 119th and 111th Streets. Internal roadways are designed as loops and cul-de-sacs oriented along the main collector road, Twin Brooks Drive, which creates small residential enclaves within the neighbourhood and reduces through-traffic.

A joint school and park site is located in the centre of the neighbourhood. The public elementary school was developed in Twin Brooks, but the lands set aside for the development of a Catholic elementary school were deemed surplus by the school board. The building envelope for the surplus school site, located in the northwest corner of the joint school site, was rezoned to accommodate future residential redevelopment. The centre of the neighbourhood also features a stormwater management lake and small park, around which single detached homes were built. A gas line right-of-way that runs in an east-west direction across the southern part of the neighbourhood has been landscaped to provide a linear corridor for residents.

Twin Brooks was named to reflect its geographic location between two creeks.

Demographics

Population 12,816 Median Income $106,080 # of Homes 4,559 © Stats Canada Census Data

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MacEwan

The MacEwan neighbourhood is located in southwest Edmonton and forms the northern boundary of the Heritage Valley Servicing Concept Design Brief (SCDB). MacEwan is one of 14 neighbourhoods planned for the Heritage Valley SCDB. The MacEwan Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan (NASP) was approved by City Council in 2001 and construction of the new neighbourhood began very shortly thereafter. MacEwan is bounded by the Anthony Henday ring road to the north, by the 127th Street Transportation and Utilities Corridor to the west, by Ellerslie Road (9th Avenue) to the south, and 111th Street to the east.

The MacEwan neighbourhood was planned for, and incorporates, low, medium and high density residential options as well as commercial, institutional and recreational land uses. Higher residential densities and a strategic mixture of land uses within the neighbourhood were incorporated to make more efficient use of space and resources by design and to develop MacEwan in a more environmentally conscious fashion. Higher density housing was located next to commercial development in the southeast and along the 111th Street transit corridor, as well as strategically placed adjacent to open spaces within the community. Lower density housing units are located within the interior of the neighbourhood and are oriented along curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs. Pedestrian circulation is provided for through a series of pathways connect throughout the neighbourhood and link the parks and natural areas together.

The Victory Christian Centre occupies a significant portion of land in the south central part of MacEwan; the Centre consists of church and school facilities and was in place prior to the residential development of the neighbourhood. Prior to urban development the remainder of the land in the area was in agricultural use with the exception of one natural area, the Virginia woodlot, which was maintained as part of the ultimate neighbourhood design.

MacEwan takes its name from John Walter Grant MacEwan (1902-2000) who was a local historian, author and politician. Grant MacEwan served as an alderman and Mayor of Calgary, as a member of the Legislative Assembly, and was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. From 1966 to 1974 Grant MacEwan served as the lieutenant-governor of Alberta, and received several honorary degrees over the course of his distinguished career. He also received the Order of Canada in 1975 and the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1982.

Demographics

Population 10,798 Median Income $94,441 # of Homes 4,524 © Stats Canada Census Data

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Rutherford

The Rutherford neighbourhood is located within the Heritage Valley Servicing Concept Design Brief (SCDB) area in Southwest Edmonton. The neighbourhood is bounded by Ellerslie Road (9th Avenue) to the north, 111th Street to the east, 25th Avenue to the south and 119th / 127th Streets to the west. Rutherford’s neighbourhood plan was designed to accommodate a mixture of low and medium density housing units with space for recreational activities, institutional and commercial land uses. Creating an extensive pedestrian network throughout the neighbourhood was an important design principle, and the utility corridor that diagonally runs the length of the neighbourhood provides an important pedestrian spine which connects the various walkways to activity nodes throughout the community.

As of 2006 the neighbourhood was still under development and only a quarter of the planned residential units had been built. Multi-family housing is strategically located to take advantage of natural amenities, commercial and institutional accessibility and efficient transit service. The main school and park site is located in the south central portion of the neighbourhood and a variety of smaller parks, including the Virginia Park Woodland, are dispersed to provide focal points throughout Rutherford and increase pedestrian connectivity. Prior to urban development Rutherford was a predominantly agricultural area with some country residential land use located along the western perimeter. When the Heritage Valley SCDB is fully developed Rutherford will be surrounded on all sides by residential neighbourhoods.

Rutherford takes its name from Alexander Cameron Rutherford (1857-1941) who was the first premier of Alberta when a majority Liberal government was elected in 1905. Rutherford obtained a Law degree from McGill University and came to the Edmonton area with his family in 1895. Rutherford was instrumental in the construction of the University of Alberta and became a member of the university’s senate in 1907 and acted as chancellor between 1927 and 1941. Rutherford’s home on the north end of the university campus is an historic site and is currently used as a tea house and museum.

Demographics

Population 10,798 Median Income $94,441 # of Homes 4,524 © Stats Canada Census Data

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