Recap -Q&A session at WPCL Hall
Your Windsor Park Restrictive Covenant questions answered by a panel of experts
6/10/20264 min read
We had a great turnout to our Q&A session on June 9 at the community hall. Many thanks to Joe Miller, David Lynch, and Patti Proctor for sharing their views and expertise!
Here is a brief summary:
Why should someone put an RC on their property if their neighbour chooses not to?
Some people choose to put an RC on their property to stop large developers like Westrich from buying up a row of properties and putting something really big on it. It’s one thing to live next to an 8plex. It’s another thing entirely to see a block of properties rezoned and turned into a massive apartment building. Even one RC on a block can stop this from happening.
Other people choose to put an RC on their property because they don’t want to see it torn down. They love their house, their yard, and their trees. They’re willing to live with some unwanted development because their home is important to them and they want to stay there for the foreseeable future.
What are the development possibilities for a property with an RC on it?
As is outlined in the Windsor Park RC, any registered property may have a primary and secondary dwelling. If the property is divided into 2 or 3 lots (75+ ft wide lots can be divided into 3), each lot may have two dwellings. These two dwellings could be a home with a basement suite, a home with a garage or garden suite, or even a duplex. So lots with RCs can be developed, and they can contribute to densification.
Can having an RC increase property value?
Prior to 2024, having a RC on your property was considered to be detrimental to your property value.
However, since the changes made to city bylaws in January of 2024 that perception has now been reversed.
27 neighborhoods in Edmonton have, or are in the process of, establishing RCs to protect their communities. As multi-unit buildings take the place of single-family homes, fewer single-family homes will remain. The city predicts the population of Edmonton will double in the future. This means more demand for single-family homes, and less supply. The result is that the value of a single-family home will very likely increase. As realtor Patti Proctor said at the meeting, “there’s only so much dirt!”.
Developers are only interested in the best price they can get for the land. They don’t care about the neighbourhood itself because they don’t live here! We have heard examples of developers putting pressure on people to sell, sometimes by suggesting the value of the home is going to decrease, even when this isn’t true.
Home buyers, on the other hand, are interested in the community, schools, parks, accessibility to employment and services. They are sometimes willing to pay even more than developers, as has been demonstrated by Patty Proctor's recent experience.
Is Windsor Park still a desirable neighbourhood for people looking to buy a single family home?Windsor Park continues to be a desirable community to live in. Our central location next to the University, hospitals, parks and the river valley makes us one of the prime neighborhoods in Edmonton.
People moving here from cities like Vancouver and Toronto are used to mixed-use development and are not put off by multiplexes when they can own a property with trees, a back yard and walking distance to schools and work.
Is it too late to use an RC to slow unwanted, large scale, development in Windsor Park?
It is NOT too late to use an RC to slow unwanted development in Windsor Park. Yes, we wish we'd done this a couple of years ago, but we were not prepared for what has occurred. We do feel an urgency now to have our RC submitted to Land Titles by the end of June 2026.
It’s important to know the legal process of registering our RC will not allow more properties to be added to this particular RC after it is filed with Land Titles. However, any two or more properties can initiate a new RC, copying ours if they'd like to do so, and registering it themselves. Our planning group is willing to help you get started!
Can people sign on to the RC at a later date, after it has been submitted to land titles?
The legal process of registering our RC will not allow more properties to be added after that date. At the same time, any two or more properties could initiate a new RC, copying ours if they'd like to do so, and registering it themselves. Our planning group is willing to help you get started!
If my neighbour and I both have an RC, and my neighbour chooses to develop their property in alignment with what the RC allows, will they be able to exceed the restrictions of the current RS zoning in place in Windsor Park?
No. The RC is purposefully aligned with current zoning bylaws.
Even if your neighbour were to split their lot and build two dwellings on each, they would still have to develop according to existing rules about setbacks, lot coverage, etc.
If I am the title holder for half a duplex, can I sign an RC even if the other title holder of the duplex does not?
We’re not sure of the answer to this one and are checking with our lawyer. Stay tuned!
Are people who sign an RC legally obligated to challenge inappropriate development in their neighbourhood?
This wasn’t raised at the meeting, but we hear it a lot.
The short answer is no.
The longer answer is to be effective, an RC requires the cooperation, consensus and commitment of a group of neighbors who are willing to challenge inappropriate development on any of the properties belonging to the RC.
However, no one is legally obligated to challenge anything, and what we’ve seen in other neighbourhoods is like-minded people coming together to uphold the terms of a restrictive covenant they believe in.
Thanks everyone for attending the meeting on Tuesday. As always if you have more questions don't hestiate to reach out to us: info@savewindsorpark.com.
The next signing is this Saturday!! Make sure to get your payment in to the lawyer by Friday.