Imagine a world with a new infrastructure using technology developed out of Alberta. May 10, 2010

Avenir is closer today than ever in being the leader of this new clean technology world.

Avenir is pursuing 5 sectors of technology development

I am asked all of the time what are my favourite technology opportunities. Over the next 5 days I will be blogging what I see as the Avenir future. For today’s blog let’s look at renewable energy.

There are numerous conversations regarding renewable energy with the favourites always being solar, wind and biofuels. Well there is another opportunity and Alberta has a tremendous advantage. According to an extensive study (the Future of Geothermal Energy) by MIT, the ability of geological formations similar to Alberta’s Sedimentary basin will be able to produce significant energy via enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).

The concept is based on drilling two wells approximately 3km to 5 km deep and then fracing (fracturing the rock) between the wells which creates permeability. Water is pumped down one well through the frac rock and then up the other well. The heat is captured in the water and is used for steam power generation. Avenir is a perfect location with its adjacent industrial lands to facilitate the assessment and utilization of such a concept for energy production in communities.

The fact is, if this technology is successful Alberta will have another tremendous energy advantage in that it will be able to produce and export renewable energy to the east and Midwest regions of North America. MIT projects this type of energy would have a cost of 5 to 6 cents per KWH.

Another renewable energy opportunity we would like to evaluate at Avenir is the use of sanitary sewer systems as heat transfer systems using the natural heat from the waste water in the sewer. The concept involves the placement of a very thin liner in the sewer that is also a heat exchanger. This liner not only is a heat exchanger but it likely will also assist in the restoration of many existing sewer systems. Sewer infrastructure restoration is a major public expenditure issue much of the western world is facing over the next decade.

These are two unique clean technology ideas that can be evaluated and developed at Avenir. They are also two concepts that may have significant economic benefits for Alberta.

Tomorrow we will talk about water.

Vote Saves the Future of Carrot Creek and Rampart Avenir Project April 27, 2010

Rampart Avenir is extremely pleased that St. Albert realized the environmental value of Carrot Creek and their agreement to encourage private sector development especially regarding local development of open spaces.

This decision will enable Rampart Avenir™ to take the next steps in the project development that contributes to an increased quality of life, local prosperity and a future that embraces our natural resources.

The discussion at the Council meeting certainly was unanimous about building a St. Albert for the future that meets the CRB requirements as well as the vision of the City.

Each Councilor reiterated in their own words, the fundamental point that what is needed is a plan to develop the community based on what a community of the future needs – transportation, housing, open spaces, seniors access, walk ways, LRT and so on. It was about creating and implementing a state-of-the-art community planning and engineering model for future growth that is both environmentally and economically sustainable. The obvious difficulty all communities are having is how to accomplish the goals of designing and implementing communities that will satisfy the changing demands from regulators and the market.

And that is the fundamental basis for the Rampart’s Avenir™ community development project. It has a strategy to facilitate the identification of the best design concepts and technology to serve the future community. It is a viable economic and strategic solution for St. Albert, Alberta development plans and contributes to their vision of being a “Botanical Garden City”.

Avenir has commissioned a number of studies, performed by the City’s own consultants, which clearly demonstrate that the Avenir plans offer superior benefits to St. Albert. The project is ready to proceed; all development and funding partners are in place. All the required and necessary studies have been completed.

Rampart’s Avenir™ is a 1.8 Billion dollar advanced clean technology community development to be located in the City of St. Albert that brings to the community clear and viable opportunities for economic growth, increased quality of life and prosperity for the Capital Region.

G.J. de Klerk, CEO Rampart Group

The Future of Community Living Celebrates Earth Day Everyday April 22, 2010

Imagine living in a community where in winter you can skate to work on a trail-system of frozen clean, recycled water that meanders through your community while in summer walking or riding a bike to one of Alberta’s unique wetland provincial park through a fully preserved natural eco-corridor.

Or, living in a home that is heated or cooled not by solar or geothermal although those are viable options but with an advanced district energy system where the heat is generated from the natural heat in the communities waste water conveyance utility. The technology responds by heating your home in winter and then works in reverse to cool your home in the summer.

All of these are existing technologies and part of the vision of Gerry de Klerk, principal and CEO of Rampart Avenir Communities Ltd. – to develop the first community in North America that demonstrates and market validates cutting-edge advanced technologies, state-of-the-art community planning and engineering.

Rampart Avenir™ will be the first full-scale application community that demonstrates the use of clean technology in a residential, industrial, institutional and commercial context in five sectors:

1. Local energy production
2. Water recovery and reuse
3. Local food production
4. Advanced building materials and conservation products
5. Vehicle energy infrastructure

“The Rampart Avenir Community project is about utilizing clean technologies that are sustainable – environmentally and economically,” says Gerry J. de Klerk, CEO of Rampart Avenir™. It is our responsibility to ensure all of our future developments must contribute to an increased quality of life, local prosperity and a future that embraces our natural resources.”
“That is why the Rampart Avenir Community project is so exciting; it is addressing these issues and encourages both investments and technology adoption by reducing the risk through market and regulator validation assurance. The investors and the technology experts want to become involved in the project,” adds de Klerk.
The Rampart’s Avenir™ community development project has been proposed as a viable economic and strategic solution for St. Albert, Alberta development plans and contributes to their vision of being a “Botanical Garden City”.

Avenir has commissioned a number of studies, performed by the City’s own consultants, which clearly demonstrate that the Avenir plans offer superior benefits to St. Albert. The project is ready to proceed; all development and funding partners are in place. All the required and necessary studies have been completed.

Rampart Avenir with its partner Melcor Developments and a world class project team consisting of the National Research Council and its National Institute for Nanotechnology, the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto will provide expertise into the selection of technology to be demonstrated in the Avenir Community.

Investment into these technologies will allow them to evolve through a market and regulator acceptance leading to commercialization. All investment portfolios will be managed by Enertech Capital, one of North America’s leading clean technology venture fund managers.

Rampart Avenir Communities Poster April 21, 2010

Rampart’s Avenir™ is a viable economic and strategic solution for St. Albert’s vision of being a “Botanical Garden City”

Avenir has commissioned a number of studies, performed by the City’s own consultants, which clearly demonstrate that the Avenir plans offer superior benefits to the City

Read the article in the Gazette

cropped-avenir-clip.jpg

Weak wetlands policy

An interesting article on wetlands policy in the Edmonton Journal. This is the battle the is unfolding in St. Albert.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Green+groups+attack+province+weak+wetland+policy/2932853/story.html

Check out Metro newspaper April 19, 2010

Rampart Avenir has a full page overview of the project. ST. Albert will vote next Monday

Three key issues facing St. Albert’s development plans April 12, 2010

1. St. Albert is trying to comply with Smart Growth plans regarding higher density housing.
St Albert needs to develop their lands to meet the Capital Region Boards (CRB) requirements. Under the conventional or the traditional densities used in St Albert there were 20.7 dwelling units (du) per net residential Ha. The City planning wanted to increase the density to 72.9 du per Ha under their Smart Growth program. Councillors, developers and some residents of St. Albert opposed this high density.

In response, the City’s Administration developed a hybrid smart growth strategy with a reduced density to 54.8 du/HA, but this doesn’t quite satisfy the CRB requirements for St Albert.

The best solution is to have has much land as possible so that the higher densities can be averaged. The less residential land available for higher densities means that the land that is available for this development will require very high densities. Developers will need to create large areas with lots of open space.
The Avenir location has large opens spaces adjacent to Carrot Creek and has development plans to preserve this natural Carrot Creek eco-corridor.
But by removing these lands from residential zoning and making them industrial as proposed by City Administration there will be a need to place higher densities on other lands in the annexation area that do not have a natural green/park corridors.

This is what is making the development industry angry…. the location of the proposed industrial park is just going to make residential development even worse and destroy a environmental eco-corridor.

2. St. Albert city administration recommend that much of the western side of the newly annexed lands be a super-sized industrial park right adjacent to Carrot Creek a major eco-corridor.
This simply is unacceptable to a number of groups including the City’s own appointed environmental committee. By adding more industrial land use, it only creates other problems. The land owners are very upset because when they reviewed the City’s own studies the City recommended that no industrial lands were necessary in the new annexed lands based on the City’s existing industrial land inventories and market demand.

In addition, an independent consulting firm who is used by the City on a regular basis to undertake economic studies confirmed this conclusion that no industrial lands were needed in the newly annexed land base. The consulting firm prepared a report based on that data and concluded that it would take 66 to 125 years for the market to adsorb the amount of land proposed by City Planning.
The more annexed lands used for industrial development means higher residential densities for the remaining land to satisfy the CRB density requirements.

3. Industrial lands are being proposed to abut up against Carrot Creek.
City administration have indicated in their plans for the 283 Ha super-sized industrial park, that all lands on Carrot Creek must have a road that runs along the environmental reserve boundary and that the industrial lots be on the other side of that road. This was to create a further buffer to protect Carrot Creek. In addition they also have required that there be “greater design guidelines” for another 50 m set back on the front of each industrial property facing Carrot Creek. This is disastrous and will have huge negative impacts for the local economy, environment and public access.
Economic Impact Problem

From the economic aspect – Who is going to pay for the expensive road that only serves industrial land users on one side of the road? And who is going to pay for the “greater design guidelines”? These extra protection costs are simply going to make marketing the land for industrial even more preposterous.
Environmental and Public Access Problem

From an environmental and public access stand point the problems are even worse. Having a road with industrial cartage and hauling trucks up and down the eco corridor will create at a minimum noise and visual pollution to the migratory patterns in this corridor. In addition, such truck traffic will lead to the higher probability of spills on the road and certainly this truck traffic will not be conducive to the public’s use of the proposed trail system along the Carrot Creek corridor.

St Albert “Hybrid Smart Growth Plan” lacks in smart growth foresight

Recently, St Albert Council addressed the City’s administration regarding hybrid smart growth and the reduction in foot print for development. In general the recommendations are riddled with critical problems regarding the City’s general outlook at development for the land.
These problems are stalling all proposed community development plans for the area to the point they may never happen and the land will be lost to rezoning for industrial designation which was been identified in City studies as unnecessary. The City’s proposal does not make environmental or economic sense.
The key issue is: Where in the annexed lands, which the City obtained from Sturgeon County in 2007, do you put higher density housing and industrial land development? And, how much is needed?
The more land that is used for industrial development results in higher densities in the remaining lands to satisfy the Province’s new criteria for growth areas in the Capital region.
The Rampart’s Avenir™, community development proposal provides a unique solution to St. Albert’s development issues that meet the Capital Region Boards (CRB) requirements, takes into consideration density issues, preserves an endangered eco-corridor, provides residential, commercial and industrial development plans while providing the City an opportunity to be seen world-wide as a leader in community and economic development that is unique to North America and lowers taxes
The Rampart’s Avenir™ community development project is a real-time learning and investment platform community focused on the use of advance technology and material science to demonstrate the application of clean technology in a cross section of residential, industrial, commercial and institutional applications.
And it provides a market based approach to demonstrating, investing and evaluating the science of clean technology.
The Rampart’s Avenir™ community development project is ready to proceed; all development and funding partners are in place. All the required and necessary studies have been completed.

There are three key issues which will be posted separately.

SAVE CARROT CREEK – Carrot Creek Succumbed to Industrial Land Development April 10, 2010

St Albert’s plans for industrial land development alongside Carrot Creek will be an environmental, economic and public access disaster and destroy the benefits of a unique regional eco-corridor.

Based on the reports prepared by the City’s independent consultants, the economic and environmental reality for St. Albert to reach the density levels prescribed by the Capital Region Board, they need smart growth.  For the City to protect Carrot Creek and lower taxes and maintain their public trail system, they need residential development not industrial on Carrot Creek.

The reports

The City Economic Development Department undertook a study (Aecon, 2009) on where industrial land should be located. This study was not a “needs” study as it was indicated to AECON that there had to be in the order of 300 Ha of industrial land.  In addition they had to use the lands that the City had designated previously as “Future Study Areas”.

One of the Future Study Area locations that was assessed is referred to in the study as the Central Study Area (CSA). The CSA encompasses the lands adjacent to Carrot Creek and is the proposed location of the Avenir project This AECON report referenced the Natural Areas Review Study (Stantec, 2008) and then made the following statement:

“Carrot Creek itself performs various hydrological functions, such as flood attenuation, groundwater recharge, and organic matter exchange; and contains several microhabitats for several wildlife and plant species. The riparian zone that surrounds the creek is an important habitat for wildlife and plant species. The riparian zone also helps reduce soil erosion along the creek and helps filter out pollutants that could potentially contaminate creek water and local groundwater. Carrot Creek is also part of a provincially significant watershed, being linked downstream with the Big Lake wetland. For the preceding reasons, the function and role of the Carrot Creek corridor require careful attention when designating and planning land uses for the Central Future Study Area. As stated earlier, the policy response in both the IDP and the MDP has been to establish a 50 metre environmental buffer from the Creek.”

The AECON study goes on to comment on the area…

“The proximity to Carrot Creek has two implications: One, residential land use is a viable, strong alternative use. Two, the function and role of the Carrot Creek corridor requires careful attention when planning and designing the land uses for the Central Future Study Area (the Carrot Creek lands), especially with regard to the 50 metre environmental buffer along the creek and with regard to storm water management.”

The startling aspect of all of this is that the City knows from its own reports the environmental sensitivities of Carrot Creek and the lack of need for industrial lands in this area. Yet the City Administration deems it viable to place industrial land fronting onto a new road which will require developers of these industrial lots to provide another environmental design buffer (which the City has not yet defined) to protect Carrot Creek from the damages of industrial land use in this area.

Industrial users won’t want to pay more money to have a front lot facing a sensitive eco corridor and then also have the privilege of being constantly scrutinized for their operations by the public and the City? It is an environmental and economic disaster waiting to happen.

The better solution is to place residential lands in this area and build protective stormwater management systems for the public to enjoy and to protect the eco-corridor. Industrial land users and their bankers consider this eco corridor a liability where residential uses cherish the opportunity of experiencing the eco corridor.

Industrial lands are well suited to the east along Ray Gibbon Drive where the land owners understand this makes sense and the market would be more amenable. But again reason has to come into play here as well in that the need and strategy to market such industrial lands has to be considered in defining how much of these lands are industrial, commercial or residential.

The AECON study recognized the high infrastructure costs for this area and made the obvious observation in their report

“The costs of servicing the Central FSA will be considerable in terms of water, sewer, storm water management and roadways. Further analysis would show whether the land can be brought on stream at a price point that is competitive with the regional industrial land supply”.