The former Imperial Oil refinery lands in southeast Calgary are being eyed for redevelopment, and some residents say bring it on… with adequate remediation.

LiveWire Calgary has learned that there are early-stage discussions between the City of Calgary, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and Imperial Oil to potentially once again put a residential development in the Lynnview Ridge area.

The site has a well-documented history spanning more than a century — from industrial refinery to residential neighbourhood to legal battleground to public greenspace. At the centre of it all: The discovery of lead and hydrocarbon vapour contamination that prompted the purchase and demolition of more than 140 homes and several apartment blocks.

Imperial Oil confirmed to LiveWire Calgary on Friday that they are in the early stages of marketing the land for sale to a future developer. They won’t be acting as the builder or developer for the Lynnview Ridge lands.

“The number of residential units, site design, and development timelines would be determined by the future purchaser who would follow the City of Calgary’s planning and approval processes,” read a statement from Imperial Oil.

“Imperial continues to work with the relevant agencies and governments to progress the site towards development.”

The proposed area is 29 acres of land south of the CN Railway line that splits the Old Refinery Park from the current Beaver Dam Flats park, the Pop Davies Athletic Park and some existing residential.

A slide from the Imperial Oil deck, and acquired by LWC, showed the key points of the Millican Estates Redevelopment for Community Growth.

“Imperial will begin marketing the vacant lots in the Lower West Ridge of Millican Estates in the coming months as part of a broader effort to return surplus land to productive use,” the slide reads.

“Redeveloping these sites will help address housing demand and with the intention to support the City’s long-term vision for growth and vitality of the local community.”

Imperial Oil said that “robust monitoring” activities are happening over the entire site. There will be additional work happening in the area to support regulatory reviews that advance development plans.

Cautious optimism for long-time Lynnview Ridge residents

Barry Bickford, who has lived on the ridge overlooking the area for more than 30 years, said that many of the residents in the area support some sort of redevelopment of the grounds.

“It would help rejuvenate the neighbourhood,” Bickford told LWC.

Bickford said they’ve been in constant contact with Imperial Oil over the past several months, and he said they’ve already acknowledged that any significant residential development would require further remediation of much of the area.

He said that several lots on the West Ridge side were remediated to neighbourhood standards back in 2006, and those lots could be ready for development.  If they go to the North Ridge, or into Pop Davies Park, more work will need to be done. They envision a potential Green Line parking lot for Pop Davies, given that a future LRT station will be close by.

Bickford said that many of the people who stood up to Imperial Oil in the early 2000s still live in the area. When asked if they could move past the acrimony of those years, Bickford was measured.

“I think the term you have used about letting bygones be bygones is somewhat reasonable,” he said.

“It’s been 20 almost 21 years since the final cleanup was completed. From a corporate standpoint, it’s reasonable to expect Imperial Oil or any other company for that matter, to want to put 30 acres of land to better use. So, we are simply asking that, don’t keep us in the dark like you did the last time.”

Zev Klymochko, president of the Millican Ogden Community Association said that Lynnview Ridge has a long and complicated history that predates his time with the board, but they’re optimistic a solution can be reached.

Klymochko said there are some lingering concerns, however.

“First and foremost, would be the need for Imperial Oil to remediate the land to a level where homes could be built there. From what I understand, that’s a long way off right now,” he told LWC.

He said they’d also like to have input on the type of housing that goes in the area. The population has dropped since it peaked in the early 1980s, Klymochko said, though they are seeing more families enter the area.

“What I’m saying is our neighbourhood can handle more people. We have three schools, dozens of businesses, the Green Line coming, and a Local Area Plan so there’s a lot to look forward to,” he said.

“Knowing the plan for Lynnview Ridge before some of these pieces fall into place would be helpful.”

Ward 9 Coun. Harrison Clark said that, for some, particularly those who were around during the early 2000s, word of a new development could reopen some old wounds.

He said there are still environmental and regulatory hurdles that would have to be overcome.

“I think we can’t under-acknowledge how big those are. There are major concerns about the quality of that land, and so we’re going to lean heavily into the federal and provincial environmental protection policies to make sure that those are the standard and this land can actually do what they hope it can do,” Clark told LWC.

“I think that’s fundamentally the first step is talking with the community.”

Clark said Imperial had done a considerable amount of preliminary work, with a draft site concept that includes integrations for things like a potential Park ‘N Ride for the Green Line.

“I think they’re hopeful that they’ll be able to move forward with it, and in the end, it could deliver great housing, not at the expense of the existing nature of these streets in Ogden,” he said.

“So, great opportunity, but lots and lots of work to do before we get anywhere near a shovel.”

In the end, Clark said that he trusts that the proper environmental processes are in place at the provincial and federal level, and that the city will exercise due diligence on the planning and development permit side.

Millican Ogden ARP evolves into the Carburn Local Area Plan

The area in question would have fallen under the Millican Ogden Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP), which was paused in 2018. It is now a part of the Carburn Communities Local Area Plan, which is just getting underway.

There was a draft ARP published on May 10, 2018, and it included multiple references to the refinery site. In particular, it noted potential future uses for the area.

“Though remediation and risk management measures are in place, contamination related to the former Imperial Oil refinery remains and any redevelopment in these areas will be restricted to urban transportation, urban park, research or recreational uses,” Section 6.1 Environment, Former Imperial Oil Refinery, reads.

“No residential or commercial development will be allowed on these parcels. At the request of Alberta Health Services, no playgrounds or community gardens will be considered for the site without further evaluation. The inclusion of any buildings on the former Imperial Oil refinery site would also be subject to further evaluation.”

The sites it’s referring to include Beaver Dam Flats Park, Old Refinery Park, portions of Lynnview Ridge Phase IV, Pop Davies Athletic Park, and lands to the north of Pop Davies.

The City of Calgary told LWC there are no active planning applications submitted or being reviewed.

“Currently, the site of the former Imperial Oil refinery is used for passive recreation, such as parks and pathways,” said Karen Merrick with Climate and Environment at the City.

“The City of Calgary and Imperial Oil work together to manage the lands over the long term, following a Risk Management Plan approved by AEPA that outlines how the site is monitored and maintained.”

Environmental requirements are governed by provincial regulations and managed by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.

The province acknowledged the early-stage discussions between the parties.

“EPA has requested more detailed information on the location, concentration of contamination and the proposed development Imperial Oil is considering,” read a response from Minister Grant Hunter’s office.

“At this time, it is too early to know what remedial work may be required until Imperial Oil provides further information.”