Edmonton’s Urban Planning Committee backs exploring a new proposal for Winterburn’s industrial land
City committee votes 3-2 to recommend a new statutory plan for 107 hectares of Winterburn industrial land.
Edmonton Mayor, Andrew Knack, at the City Hall media scrum on Oct. 20, 2026. Photo credit: Orlah Moore
Edmonton’s urban planning committee votes 3-2 on Oct. 20. recommending a new statutory plan be prepared for 107 hectares of undeveloped industrial land in Winterburn.
A developer is proposing to build residential homes alongside the originally planned industrial properties.
The Winterburn parcel borders industrial land, an active landfill in Parkland County and Westview Village, a manufactured-home park.
City administration recommended refusing the request because it does not align with The City Plan, District Policy or the Industrial Investment Action Plan, which aim to preserve land for industrial use.
The original proposal dates back to 2010 when the City of Edmonton adopted the modernized Winterburn Industrial Area Structure Plan.
Coun. Reed Clarke moved the motion as Mayor Andrew Knack and Coun. Aaron Paquette voted in favour.
Coun. Anne Stevenson, the committee’s chair, and Coun. Michael Janz opposed the motion.
“This has significant implications on a citywide scale. Amending the City Plan is no small thing,” said Stevenson.
Janz said he was “not prepared to support [the motion] at this time.”
Janz said economic benefits of industrial land mean any proposal to use it differently must have clear advantages.
“There needs to be such an enormously high burden of proof to do something else with that land. I just don’t feel confident right now we’ve met that threshold,” said Janz.
Mayor Andrew Knack, who voted in favour, said the developer takes on risk and cost to prepare a plan that the city should allow.
“There is still a chance that council will say no based off that level of detail,” Knack said.
Knack said Westview Village the developer’s study of the area could prove beneficial in future decisions.
No application has been officially submitted. If one is, the administration would review it and seek public feedback according to the council’s report.
The city council was scheduled to consider the committee’s recommendation on Oct. 27.
