GONDOLA WILL MAKE CITY CORE MORE LIVABLE
Project team welcomes ongoing public scrutiny, writes Jeffrey Hansen-carlson.
Urban gondolas are changing how people move and commute in cities. Gondolas have a rich history — they have been in operation for over a hundred years worldwide, and modern urban ropeway technology has been operating for over a decade.
These urban gondolas provide a versatile mass transit solution; they're reliable, fast, quiet, safe and environmentally sustainable modes of transportation. It is a technology to be taken seriously.
With urban gondolas effectively operating in cities throughout Europe, Asia and South America, Prairie Sky Gondola is proud to be developing one here in Edmonton. In 2018, the urban gondola idea was born from The Edmonton Project, a grassroots initiative by the business community to uncover an excellent city-building opportunity. The vision of the Edmonton gondola project is to stitch Rossdale into the hubs of downtown and Old Strathcona in a very tangible way. From these humble beginnings, the team has continued to engage with the community and the city to define a project that will help define our city for decades to come.
On Feb. 22, 2021, we met with Edmonton city council, where we agreed to follow six principles as a condition for the project to move forward. These principles are embedded in the development concept and our company's philosophy. They include:
No public funding requested, and all financial risk borne by proponents
Open books to the city for validation on a confidential and proprietary basis
■ A robust engagement plan for community and Indigenous stakeholders
■ Mutually beneficial integration with public transit
■ Minimized ecological footprint Provide surety, including monetary security, with respect to service continuity or demobilization
It's no secret that the river valley is a beloved Edmonton treasure. The banks of the North Saskatchewan River hold generations of history and culture; we understand the need to preserve and protect these areas.
Therefore, we have a robust engagement plan for the community and Indigenous stakeholders; we have 20 key individuals from a broad cross-section of the community on the public engagement committee and are establishing an Indigenous engagement circle. We look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with the community.
As Edmontonians who love and use the river valley, we are committed to minimizing our ecological footprint. We want to help people enjoy its beauty safely and sustainably. The principal value proposition of a ropeway in an urban setting is that it's way less invasive than other forms of infrastructure.
There will be no clear-cutting under the ropeway, and trees will only be trimmed around the towers for safety, maintenance and security purposes. Prairie Sky welcomes questions and concerns regarding the environmental impact of our project and our relationship with the river valley — these inquiries will be precisely answered repeatedly throughout the upcoming regulatory process.
Mutually beneficial integration with public transit means seamless pedestrian connectivity. Its purpose is to ensure that a user's experience between the bus, train and gondola is smooth and flawless. The integration with public transit has nothing to do with finances; it does not provide us with any subsidy. It is there to help enrich the experience of those who utilize transit and those who are visiting our city.
We want to reiterate that the Edmonton gondola project is privately funded; it will come at no cost to Edmontonians. We have proposed a decommissioning bond, which effectively eliminates all financial risk for the City of Edmonton. In the unlikely circumstance that something occurs and prevents the project from continuing to operate, the bond will cover the costs associated with the demobilization and reclamation of the stations and towers. In addition to this bond, we are also paying full market rent and will proudly pay property tax.
We encourage you to continue asking questions, and we will happily continue answering them to uphold transparency.
Edmonton is a city of innovation; we believe that with a direct connection to downtown, the excitement in Old Strathcona and the potential in Rossdale, the Edmonton gondola will significantly contribute to making Edmonton's core more livable, vibrant and interesting.
We are Edmontonians, too.