Meet Edmontonian Deanna Crozier and her family. They’ve lived in what is now called the Century Park area of south Edmonton since the early 1990s, in a townhouse development on Saddleback Road near 23rd Avenue. Like most suburban families in “outlying” areas as it was then, they drove everywhere – to work, to school, for shopping, for entertainment. In 1990, the LRT consisted only of the underground downtown stations and the northeast line past Commonwealth Stadium, the Coliseum, and on to Belvedere and Clareview. Out of sight and largely out of mind for south-side dwellers.
Eventually the LRT did make it across the river to the University of Alberta. Then, plans were announced to demolish the old and largely empty Heritage Mall on 111th Street and replace it with a new, urban development to be called Century Park. This new development would feature low- and high-rise residential apartments and condominiums, but also shopping, services and public parks and plazas.
Deanna says she and her family watched with interest and curiosity as the LRT finally reached Century Park, not far to the north and east of their home. They weren’t really sure what kind of impact it would have on them, if any, other than dealing with an LRT line and crossing points along 111th Street.
“As it turns out, it was the answer to all of our dreams that we didn’t even know we had,” says Deanna. “I would not have dreamed we would be so positive about the LRT, but you don’t really appreciate how convenient it is, and, I know this sounds a little over the top, how life changing it is once it is there.”
Deanna’s husband is a theatre technician and working on major productions requires him to be at venues like the Jubilee Auditorium, the Citadel and Winspear Theatres, the Milner Theatre at the Library and Rexall Place to name a few. He quickly found that the new LRT line can get him to all of those venues with no problems – spring, summer, fall and winter.
“He used to drive everywhere,” says Deanna. “Now his car basically doesn’t move. He takes the LRT everywhere.” He doesn’t have to fight traffic, pay for parking, or worry about plugging in and the other issues that driving to work used to pose for him.
Likewise, Deanna’s daughter is in university and works part time at the Jubilee Auditorium. The LRT is convenient and easy to catch for both places, but she also uses it regularly to meet friends at Southgate Mall or downtown, and travel to other appointments.
Deanna herself works at a location on the south side that isn’t on or near an LRT line, so she still drives to and from work. “But I never drive to meetings downtown anymore, I always take the LRT,” she says. “And we use it for everything else. For example, before the LRT was here if we went out for dinner or a movie, we mostly drove somewhere on the south side. Now we’re much more likely to hop on the LRT and go downtown.”
Deanna says her family doesn’t even use the Century Park Park N’ Ride much. In the summer, they will walk or take their bicycles to the station, while in winter or bad weather, they take a short walk to 23rd Avenue where they can catch a ride on one of many passing buses that connect to Century Park.
“It is really a different way of living. I just wouldn’t have dreamt that this would happen in our neighbourhood and how truly great it would be,” says Deanna.
It’s not surprising then that Deanna is a huge supporter of LRT expansion in general, and also of more Transit Oriented Development around new stations. She also is very supportive of the draft TOD Guidelines that the City have developed and have been gathering public feedback on for the past couple of months. Deanna and her family have now experienced TOD first hand, and she knows how great it can be.
As LRT expands in Edmonton, I look forward to hearing many more stories like Deanna’s!
