Construction of a new major downtown Edmonton park is gaining momentum after the city issued notices of intention to expropriate lands last week.

As many as 18 lots will be bought by the city on both sides of 107 Street as part of its downtown redevelopment plan in the Warehouse Campus neighbourhood.

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Four companies currently own the land, which is about 1.25 hectares and is considered the “largest contiguous area of currently vacant land” in the new neighbourhood.

The new park, to be located just north of Jasper Avenue behind Audreys Books and the Boston Pizza, is currently a gravel parking wasteland. But it is hoped that the new city green space will attract more residential development to the area and increase foot traffic.

“The project is one of the key catalyst projects identified in the plan,” city spokeswoman Jodi Tauber said.

“The land will be used to provide open-space amenities and services to increase attractiveness and quality of life for future residents as the downtown population grows.”

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The warehouse district park was originally approved by city council in 2010 and will be funded through a downtown community revitalization levy tied to construction of Rogers Place.

The city voted in early 2017 to approve the expropriation process.

Under the Expropriation Act, land owners have 21 days from the time the notification is served to lodge an official objection.

If an owner files a formal objection, an inquiry officer is appointed by the province to investigate if the deal is “fair, sound and reasonably necessary in order to achieve the city’s objectives.”

If an agreement cannot be reached between the city and the landowners, the Land Compensation Board will determine “the amount of compensation payable to an owner.”

The process can take up to six months to complete.