At the November 9th Spruce Grove City Council meeting the first reading of the Gateway Town Center was brought forward by City Manager Doug Lagore. You can read the whole proposal for yourself at this link.

Below are the strengths and opportunities stated in the proposal document:

• Major Highway Interchange location.
• Excellent westbound visibility along Hwy 16.
• Average Annual Daily Traffic in excess of 34,000.
• Large contiguous, flat development with excellent linear Hwy 16 frontage of approximately 750m/2,500 ft.
• Only 10 – 15 minute drive from West Edmonton region.
• Established and easily accessible location within local area.
• Adjacent to new and future residential neighbourhoods.
• Future twinning of Century Road will increase accessibility to subject site.
• Adjacent to Jubilee Park Recreational and Environmental Amenity creating a strong activity node and pedestrian and cycling connectivity.

• Capitalize on high destination traffic.
• Capitalize on future commuter traffic volume.
• Capitalize on less traffic congestion compared to Hwy 16A.
• Large contiguous, flat development with excellent linear Hwy 16 frontage of approximately 750m/2,500 ft.
• Comprehensive site capable of clustering Civic, Cultural, Community and Commerce amenities in one cohesive site.
• More affordable multi‐family residential living with reduced commuting times.
• Tap into the significant employment base in excess of 7,000 within the Acheson and Spruce Grove Industrial Parks.
• Compatibility with sustainability principles through connectivity with Jubilee Park.

The document looks good on paper and elaborates on all the possible good things but does not address any of the possible down sides of any project of this size.

First things that come to mind are that it seems to be fragmenting our business district. Is there not enough vacant land between Spruce Grove and Stony to develop a unified shopping district? What affect will it have on adjacent residential properties around the golf course? Is this good timing considering the state of the economy? What will the impact be on existing businesses?

I am sure that there are more questions that need to be addressed before any of us could get behind such a large project. Below is one image the City has offered of the concept but you can find more in the document on the Cities website.

Let us know what your thoughts are on our forum.