Central Edmonton ‘Pit’ high-profile example of stalled construction eyesore

A large construction site in Wîhkwêntôwin was supposed to be home to a 22-story residential tower, but so far it's just a large pit.

A large construction site in central Edmonton was supposed to be home to a condo tower last year.

The site in Wîhkwêntôwin, however, has since become an unfortunate eyesore of a landmark.

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Neighbourhood resident John Alford says it’ll be good to see the project move forward. Some day.

“You have Paul Kane Park, all these great parks, and then you have The Pit,” Alford told CTV News Edmonton on Monday, close to the abandoned site on the northeast corner of 121 Street and 102 Avenue.

The three-storey-deep hole in the ground is meant to be home to the Jameson Tower, a 22-storey residential building.

Open Sky Developments broke ground on the project in 2021, but construction stalled, leaving the gaping hole in the heart of the city’s most densely populated neighbourhood.

The Vancouver-based property developer told CTV News Edmonton it still intends to build the tower but is waiting for the right circumstances to continue. The firm said the site was for sale “at one point” but “isn’t anymore.”

The pit in Wîhkwêntôwin isn’t the only such stalled construction project in Edmonton, and city councillor Michael Janz says they’re a major civic concern.

He said if sites such as the one intended for the Jameson tower are left unattended, they can be dangerous and can affect neighbourhoods negatively.

“It’s unacceptable. If they aren’t serious about building, they shouldn’t be undertaking demolition,” Janz, who represents Ward papastew, told CTV News Edmonton.

He said the city’s problem property initiative, which addresses highly problematic occupied and unoccupied properties responsible for frequent and serious complaints and safety concerns, “has been remarkably successful” and is being expanded to include commercial properties.

“You wouldn’t be allowed to do this to your own home, (so) why would we let some developer do it to a neighboring property?” Janz said.

“It’s unacceptable, and they need to feel the full weight of taxation and the law to incentivize them to either clean up their site, grass their site, fence their site, make it look nice, or pay penalties.”

CTV News Edmonton spoke to surveyors at the Jameson site Monday, but they could not confirm if their presence means construction will resume soon.