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O-day'min Park, Edmonton's newest downtown green space, is now open.
It opened on Friday and is part of the Warehouse Park Project, which aims to turn gravel parking lots into a community park in the core of downtown Edmonton, and to spur development opportunities.
The project spans 1.81 hectares between 106th Street and 108th Street, and from Jasper Avenue to 102nd Avenue.
The project is considered a catalyst venture identified in the Capital City Downtown Plan, and is funded by the Capital City Downtown Community Revitalization Levy.
The price tag for the project is $48.6 million.
O-day'min is the Anishinaabe word for strawberry, or heart-berry, and is also the name of the downtown ward the park is located in.
The space has been named O-day'min Park for the community it will bring together in the heart of Edmonton.
As construction wraps up, O-day'min Park has garnered interest for nearby private development.
A 363-unit apartment tower by Maclab Development Group next to the park has been completed and applications to develop additional land by the site are being looked at.
"We built this project in anticipation of the opening of the new urban Warehouse Park," Bill Blais, president and CEO of Maclab Development Group, said in an interview with CBC News.
"It was the idea that the investment in infrastructure will create a more livable downtown where people want to live."
There are currently six projects in various stages of planning, and by November 2026, a total of 1,604 residential units are expected to be complete or under construction near the park.
Ian O'Donnell, development manager at Westrich Pacific, spoke to CBC News about his company's plans in the area.
"We have a building under construction just across from the park," he said."We have two more in the works for a total of around 600 units.
"And we really want to contribute to the community. We want to invest in downtown."
O'Donnell said a healthy downtown has a good diversity of housing options with a variety of heights and densities, which is something the company wants to contribute to in the area.
Henry Edgar, president of the Autograph Group, said the area was in desperate need of development, and his company is planning a seven-storey concrete apartment building in the area with a mix of student and market housing.
"We've got a ton of students downtown, and a lot of great post-secondary schools with NorQuest [College] and MacEwan [University], and so I think what's happening is we're seeing a real improvement in infrastructure downtown -- specifically in the education district," Edgar said.
"The park and the landscaping and upgrades to utilities and to sidewalks and landscaping all make a really big difference for us in terms of viability and attractiveness of the area."
Other amenities, like the construction of the Valley Line West LRT, will help companies like Autograph lay down the foundations for change, Edgar said.
Mayor Andrew Knack told media at the park's opening on Friday that investing in a park was something that was questioned when the idea was first proposed and approved eight years ago.
"You're going to spend millions of dollars on a park. Is that really worth it? Literally, what we heard today, about 1,600 units of new residential development are happening because of this park."