Our Core Strategy encourages us to do “Downtown Differently” by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of our core area and proposing municipal actions and incentives to accelerate redevelopment. Our Core Strategy sets exciting and ambitious objectives that will result in between 1,000 and 7,000 new jobs and residents and up to $154M in new assessment value in the next 10 years as shown in these conceptual images:

Our Core Strategy include:

• Background Report on Downtown Policies
• Supporting Studies on Parking and Servicing Use and Capacity
• Downtown Area Revitalization Plan (ARP)
• Redevelopment Incentive Resolutions

The Downtown ARP represents the statutory portion of Our Core Strategy that must be adopted by bylaw. Its vision is to make Downtown Airdrie the place that people love, backed up by redevelopment incentives that encourage private investment, placemaking and activity throughout the downtown.

Newest update: Council has approved the Area Redevelopment Plan (Bylaw No. B-01/2022), within Our Core Strategy: A Revitalization Plan for Downtown Airdrie.

Read the Downtown Area Revitalization Plan (pdf)

Downtown redevelopment will create a place to gather and activate the downtown with exciting events and businesses. Downtown redevelopment will improve land economics by reducing urban sprawl and allowing the City to collect revenue from land that is currently vacant.

The City has taken a proactive approach in making downtown Airdrie an enticing place to invest by proposing a series of incentives to accelerate downtown redevelopment.
These incentives include examples like, subsidies for parking structures and funding for events, and will build vibrancy in the heart of downtown and make it economical to develop in the core.

The following Downtown Resolutions and Bylaws were presented to Council on Feb. 22, 2022:

• Resolution 01-2022 (Parkades) (pdf)
• Resolution 02-2022 (Insurance and Furniture) (pdf)
• Resolution 03-2022 (Business Support Fund) (pdf)
• Resolution 04-2022 (Mixed Use and Housing Refund Policy) (pdf)
• Resolution 05-2022 (ESA Grant) (pdf)
• Resolution 06-2022 (Main Street Supports) (pdf)
• Resolution 07-2022 (Expedited Review Process) (pdf)

Bylaws

• Bylaw B03-2022 (Prevent Berms/Fences along Nose Creek) (pdf)
• Bylaw B06-2022 (Waive Downtown Parking Variances) (pdf)

To create a plan that resonated with residents and businesses, we asked people what they wanted to see. During extensive public consultation between 2016 – 2019, some important themes were heard over and over. These were translated into the 10 principles of the downtown plan:

1. Heart of the City
2. Everyone’s Success
3. Reimagine Main Street
4. Think Big
5. The Place to Be
6. An Investment in our Future
7. Lead by Example
8. The Right Rules and Processes
9. Connected and Mobile
10. Putting People First

With Council’s vision, our community’s ideas and administration’s municipal planning expertise, we created Our Core Strategy: Airdrie’s downtown revitalization plan.

In our efforts to be not only transparent, but to also demonstrate the progress and evolution of the Downtown Plan, we have provided several versions of the plan for your reference. Beginning with the most recent:

• Downtown Plan - February 2022 (pdf)
• Downtown Plan - June 2021 (pdf)
• Downtown Plan - February 2021 (pdf)

In February 2019, Administration launched the development of the new Downtown Plan and undertook a variety of engagement opportunities with the public and stakeholders, including:

• Open House for Plan Launch (February 2019)
• Design Charrettes (March 2019)
• Open House for Design Charrette Presentation/Summary (April 2019)
• Individual Landowner Meetings (March 2019 - Ongoing)
• Key Stakeholders/Agency meeting (March 2019 - Ongoing)
• In-Person Forum with Downtown Property Owners (April 2019 and October 2019)
• Workshops with Development Incentive Group (December 2019 and February 2020)
• Presentation to BILD Commercial Committee (January 2020 and January 2021)