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Without an eye-catching tower, the new Muttart Lands redevelopment near the Stadium LRT Station could easily slip under the radar.

But towers are overrated, in my books. This promises something better, something still rare in Edmonton — mid-level density that’s affordable, walkable, urban and quiet. It will fill in a vacant site, give east Jasper Avenue residents walking access to Commonwealth Recreation Centre, and create 1,000 new units right on an existing LRT line.

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Remarkable, no? Brookfield is halfway done constructing a new tree-lined street across from the LRT tracks and Rohit starts construction on the first two buildings this summer. They’re hoping to have the site complete within five years.

This is exactly what Edmonton needs. With other sites waiting endlessly for redevelopment across the city, it’s worth investigating what it took to get this one moving.

The Muttart Lands (pronounced Ma-tart) is the triangle of land at 84 Street and 106A Avenue that used to host the Muttart family lumber yard and warehouse (where the lumber was sold, not treated). It’s on the east side of the LRT tracks where Jasper Avenue and Commonwealth Stadium and recreation centre are only 400 metres apart, as the crow flies.