City of Spruce Grove proposes new urban village
The City of Spruce Grove is hoping to build a new urban village at the southeast corner of Century Road and Highway 16. Dubbed the “Gateway Town Centre,” the area was chosen for its visibility along Highway 16 (daily traffic averages over 34,000 cars). The city already owns 33 acres, and is hoping to borrow another $9 million in order to purchase remaining parcels of land. This has many residents worried about the costs associated with such a development, and whether their taxes will go up.
The vision is to build a walkable, open-air, urban village that would offer a unique place for residents to meet, shop, and do business. There are also plans to include medium-to-high density residential units in the area. All of this translates to a goal of having 150,000 square feet of retail, 25,000 square feet of office, 125 new hotel rooms, and 76 new townhouses in the area by 2012.
City officials believe this will produce significant economic growth for the city, as well as nearly 900 new jobs in the retail and service sector.
