St. Albert rejects infill bylaw changes, citing resident backlash on skinny homes

St. Albert city council voted Tuesday to reject bylaw changes that would have made it easier to build skinny homes and apartments in older neighbourhoods — a decision rooted in what councillors described as unusually high resident opposition.

The city had been weighing changes to reduce minimum lot-width requirements in low-density residential areas and to allow apartment buildings around St. Albert Trail, a corridor that could eventually host rapid-transit stations. City planners had recommended the move to increase housing variety and help St. Albert compete with surrounding jurisdictions, and warned the city could lose remaining federal housing funding if council didn't approve.

Under current rules, only 8% of low-density residential lots could be subdivided to include skinny homes. The proposed changes would have lifted that to 42%. Over the past decade, St. Albert has subdivided one low-density lot per year to allow two narrower dwellings; planners estimated the changes would bump that to five cases annually initially.

But residents flooded council with concerns. Senior planner Craig Walker told council during Tuesday's hearing that St. Albert's minimum lot widths were actually more generous than those in Morinville, Beaumont, Stony Plain, and Strathcona County — "from Morinville to Beaumont and from Stony Plain to Strathcona County, the minimum lot widths are all less than what we're recommending," Walker said. The comparison fell flat.

Councillor Sheena Hughes summed up the vote: "This is not what people want in St. Albert." Resident Bryce Schmode said hundreds signed his petition opposing the changes, citing fears of losing privacy and parking. Others questioned whether skinny homes would actually lower housing costs. Brendan Skilton-Douglas, a real estate professional and developer, argued the changes were "responsible," creating "smaller, appropriate houses, not bigger buildings" — but the market signal was clearer than the planner's logic. Rob LeLacheur, chair of the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, urged council that "clear, predictable development rules can help support investment," yet support from the business community couldn't overcome resident fear of Edmonton-style infill density.

The rejection mirrors broader suburban anxiety across the region: Edmonton's 2024 zoning overhaul, which has since sparked record housing starts, has become a cautionary tale for neighbours watching their own neighbourhoods transform.