Another downtown parking lot may be short-lived, set to be replaced by an innovative new building, known as The Shift, whose own parking component is also designed to be temporary. The latest proposal by Edgar Development, The Shift is to be located on the southeast corner of 106 St NW and 102 Ave NW. The Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership-designed project includes 700 residential units across two towers of approximately 38 and 35 stories each.

The Shift by Edgar Development, image courtesy Edgar Development

Distinctive double-height cantilevered glass boxes "shift" out prominently about two-thirds of the way up each of the towers, each of which will house amenity spaces for the approximately 1000+ residents that will soon call this development home.

The "shifting" boxes will contain amenity spaces, image courtesy Edgar Development

What truly sets this development apart, however, is found much closer to the ground, the building's podium to include a mix of retail and residential townhouse units. While unusual for downtown Edmonton, these townhouses will face the new Warehouse District park that the City is currently planning for the opposite side of 106 St NW.

Retail and townhouses in the podium, image courtesy Edgar Development

The podium also includes above-ground parking behind the retail and townhouse units, however in another first for Edmonton (and unusual for developments in general), the above-ground parking space is designed specifically to be converted to additional residential units in the future, likely shortly after the anticipated 2028 opening of the Valley Line West LRT.

The Valley Line West LRT will stop just outside The Shift, image courtesy Edgar Development

The project is currently in the rezoning stage, seeking a Direct Control (DC2) zone. It recently sailed through a review by the Edmonton Design Committee, which affirmed unconditional support for the urban design aspects of the proposed rezoning. A public open house is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, November 21, ahead of a yet-to-be-determined Public Hearing date at City Council.

The Shift, image courtesy Edgar Development

Once complete, The Shift will be a welcome addition to the core, its forward-thinking approach to parking and transit developments hopefully a cue for the future.

SkyriseEdmonton will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.