Removal of Municipal Reserve Designation – Former Firehall 1

This page provides background information on the proposed change and an opportunity for residents to share comments in advance of the statutory public hearing.

Background

In 2022, Firehall 1, which was located at 16 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue, was decommissioned and demolished. However, the Firehall 1 site was still on the same parcel of land as Grenadier Park. Following the removal of the structure and remediation of the property, the City subdivided both the site of the former firehall and the adjacent lift station so that each would be on a separate lot. The sanitary lift station stayed as 18 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue, while the former firehall site became 16 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue. A map of these properties is attached. Since both these lots were created from the same title as Grenadier Park, both lots retained the Municipal Reserve (MR) designation.

Municipal Reserve is a designation that is placed on a property’s land title, which identifies that it has a specific municipal use.

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires that Municipal Reserve only be used for:

1. a public park;
2. a public recreation area;
3. school board purposes; or
4. to separate areas of land that are used for different purposes.

This designation is separate from the use district, which is assigned to a property through the Land Use Bylaw. However, Municipal Reserve (MR) is usually districted as a Public Park (PRK) District, or Public, Private, and Institutional Service (PSI).

The new properties at 16 and 18 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue are not suitable for the MGA list of uses listed above. Therefore, the City is proposing to remove the Municipal Reserve designation (MR) from the former firehall site, 16 Winston Churchill Avenue, so that the City has a wider range of options for how to repurpose the land. The lot, which holds the sanitary lift station at 18 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue, is proposed to be redesignated from Municipal Reserve (MR) to Public Utility Lot (PUL), reflecting the site's intended use. Removing the Municipal Reserve designation requires a public hearing and the passing of a bylaw.

Both 16 and 18 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue are currently zoned as Public, Private, and Institutional Service (PSI) District, which allows for community or institutional uses. At this time, no change to this zoning is being proposed. If a future use is identified which requires a change in District, a separate circulation and public hearing will be issued for such an application.

Proposed Designation Changes

• 16 Sir Winston Churchill Ave. (Old firehall #1)
  • Current Title Designation: Municipal Reserve (MR)
  • Proposed Title Designation: No Designation
• 18 Sir Winston Churchill Ave. (Lift station)
  • Current Title Designation: Municipal Reserve (MR)
  • Proposed Title Designation: Public Utility lot (PUL)

Public Engagement

Please provide your comments by October 14, 2025. You may wish to consider questions such as:

• Do you have any concerns with removing the Municipal Reserve designation from 16 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue?
• Are there considerations you believe Council should take into account when deciding on this bylaw?.

Comments will be taken into consideration when staff prepares the agenda report for City Council. Please be advised that comments you submit, either orally or in writing, may be recorded and made public, subject to the provisions of the Protection of Privacy Act, SA 2024, c P-28.5.

Public Hearing

The tentative public hearing date is February 2026. Please note that Council dates have not been set for the next term of Council. The public hearing date will be advertised in the St. Albert Gazette newspaper under Citylights before the public hearing.

If you have any questions or comments, please use the comments tool below or email sruegg@stalbert.ca