Urban Design Guidelines are used to provide conceptual designs for road side and median development including trails, lighting, benches, landscaping, etc. Strathcona County has prepared the Wye Road Urban Design Guidelines to focus on revitalizing Wye Road between Highway 216 and Highway 21.

The redevelopment of Wye Road based on the Wye Road Functional Planning Study (by Al-Terra Engineering) has prompted the need for an assessment of current and future pedestrian use of Wye Road. These design guidelines complement the engineering design work undertaken over the past few years, in order to identify the needs of pedestrians along a busy arterial roadway.

The Wye Road Urban Design Guidelines project was geared towards addressing three main issues:

• Wye Road is a significant entrance to Strathcona County, yet offers an unpleasing aesthetic that does not reflect the community's character.
• There are a variety of impediments to pedestrian access, including noise attenuation fencing, lack of ROW adjacent to roadway, transmissions pipelines adjacent to roadway and overall imbalance of vehicular use and pedestrian use along Wye Road.
• Wye Road has evolved into a commuter corridor, with few amenities to encourage users to stay or allow for pedestrian access (landscaping, lighting, benches, people spaces, signage, etc.).

Document by section

Table of Contents

Introduction and Project Area

Precedents

General Guidelines - Aesthetic Quality

General Guidelines - Pedestrian Environment

General Guidelines - Placemaking and Community

General Guidelines - Signage and Wayfinding

Zone 1 - Ordze Road Area

Zone 2 - Historic Museum Area

Zone 3 - Hawthorne Street Area

Zone 4 - Nottingham Way Area

Zone 5 - Gateway Design

Furnishing Options - Lighting

Furnishing Options - Seating Accessories

Furnishing Options - Streetscape Accessories

Furnishing Options - Landmark Accessories & Wayfinding Amenities

Furnishing Options - Hardscape Transitions

Furnishing Options - Softscape Transitions

Summary and Next Steps

Highlights of the design guidelines include the development of three key strategic goals and a series of recommended initiatives to implement.

Strategic goals

• create a unique character for Wye Road
• balance vehicular and pedestrian traffic
• raise the standard of streetscape design

Proposed key initiatives

• contemporary Western theme
• emphasis on people spaces
• increase landscape planting
• enhance pedestrian access
• use of entrance feature at gateways (Highway 216 and Highway 21)
• design in accordance with Transportation Association of Canada standards
• design and construct in coordination with the Wye Road Functional Planning Study
• design in coordination with Developers of adjacent private lands

Development of the pedestrian focused designs will rely in part upon the phasing of the engineering design and construction, and adjacent development on private land. These design guidelines are conceptual in nature and require a more detailed level of design and feasibility analysis. Funding for specific projects will have to be balanced with other municipal funding needs.

Additional information: