Proposed Gondola

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Concept sketch of Whyte Ave Station (image provided by Prairie Sky Gondola)

Concept sketch of Ortona Station (image provided by Prairie Sky Gondola)

A private company, Prairie Sky Gondola, has proposed an urban gondola in Edmonton between Downtown and Whyte Avenue.

The proposal is based on the gondola being built, paid for, operated and maintained by Prairie Sky Gondola. It includes 5 stations, located at Old Strathcona* and Gateway Blvd*, End of Steel Park, Rossdale Power Plant, Ortona, and downtown.

See Proposed Gondola Alignment/Stations.

*The 2 stations south of the river have shifted since the last Council touchpoint on the gondola proposal in February 2022.

Current Status

Land agreements will be advanced to Executive Committee in Q3 2022. There are two primary land agreements:

A long term lease for the gondola stations
A license and access agreement for the other gondola infrastructure (such as the rope lines and towers) that will be located on road and titled City lands

These agreements, which will be based on market value, would provide Prairie Sky with access to the City’s land for the purposes of constructing and operating a gondola, and would be conditional on Prairie Sky completing a number of different requirements, including obtaining all regulatory approvals. If the conditions reflected in the land agreements are not fulfilled then the land agreements would be terminated and the gondola would not proceed.

A decision by Council on the land agreements is a stepping stone in the advancement of the proposed gondola. Given the conditional nature of the agreements, they would be followed by future Council decisions on the proposed gondola related to the land development application, which consists of rezonings, statutory plan amendments, and consideration of the North Saskatchewan River Valley Area Redevelopment Plan (River Valley Bylaw).

The City's Role

The City is the regulator

Prairie Sky will be responsible for initiating regulatory applications, which will advance according to the City’s typical regulatory processes. These are expected to include: rezoning, approval for development according to the River Valley Bylaw, completion of a Transportation Impact Assessment, and geotechnical studies.

Permits, Development and Construction

Rezoning

The City is the landowner

The City is the owner of the majority of the land impacted by the proposed stations and towers, and has jurisdiction over the land, roadways and rights of way beneath the proposed gondola ropeline.

In order for the gondola to be constructed, the City must provide access to the land through land and access agreements.

The land agreements will be negotiated between the City and Prairie Sky Gondola for approval by Council, and are expected to be based on market value.

Agreement Framework

This document will guide development of the land agreements, and defines key considerations for the proposal as it advances through the next steps.

The land agreements will return to Council for approval once negotiated, and will be conditional on completion of the regulatory processes.

^{February 22, 2021 Council Meeting Minutes: CR 8033: Gondola Working Relationship Framework}

Guiding Principles

February 3, 2020, Council passed the motion that Administration continue to work with Prairie Sky Gondola to determine the feasibility of a gondola in the River Valley, with the work to be guided by the following governing principles:

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
Providing surety, including monetary security, with respect to service continuity or demobilization

The work must also be guided by:

An examination of the implications of using air rights of an emergency response plan for first responders

^{February 3, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes}

Next Steps

Negotiation of land agreements and development of a comprehensive risk assessment based on the mitigations included in the Land Agreements, for Council approval
Fulfilment of regulatory requirements by Prairie Sky, including the River Valley Bylaw and Rezoning for approval by Council, and all federal and provincial requirements
Fulfilment of each of the Council-defined principles, including:
- Development and approval of Prairie Sky’s emergency response plan
- Completion of Public and Indigenous Engagement by Prairie Sky
- Completion of a Transportation Impact Assessment by Prairie Sky to support identification of actions required to achieve “mutually beneficial integration with transit”

Council Touchpoints

February 22, 2021
CR 8033: Gondola Working Relationship Framework
February 3, 2020
CR 7152: Gondola Feasibility - Preliminary Economic and Technical Assessment
April 16, 2019
Gondola Feasibility/Constructability Study Cost
June 5, 2018
ETSAB: Urban Gondolas in Public Transit - Is this a Viable Option for Edmonton?

For more information on the City's plans in the Rossdale Area, please see:

For additional information on the proposal, the vision for the proposed gondola, and information regarding public engagement, visit the Prairie Sky Gondola website.