Welcome to Blatchford

Derek Lindskoog and Tristin Hamilton sit on a bench and watch the kids in the neighbourhood play a game of tag along Yorke Mews. On this street, parents don't need to worry about cars driving by as this pedestrian-only street is designed for walking, rolling and cycling. Welcome to Blatchford, a once-in-a-lifetime, 536-acre community in the heart of our city.

Blatchford is being developed with sustainability top of mind. Homes and buildings will use the neighbourhood’s District Energy Sharing System (DESS) which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while delivering heating, cooling and domestic hot water services. Blatchford’s vision is to one day be a carbon neutral community that significantly reduces Edmonton’s ecological footprint.

Built on the site of the former Edmonton Municipal Airport, the neighbourhood played a significant role in Edmonton’s history and reputation as the “Gateway to the North” when it opened 1927. Once Canada’s first licensed airfield, Blatchford is now a community set to take off. 

“When Blatchford first got announced, I fell in love right away with this idea of a sustainable, green, high-efficiency, ecologically sensitive community,” says Lindskoog. “I had always sort of shared that philosophy, but struggled in my day-to-day life to walk that talk.”

Lindskoog and Hamilton have called Blatchford home for nearly two years. They’ve enjoyed watching the community grow around them. 

“I've never really known my neighbours before,” she says. “The people who live here want to live here. It was a very deliberate choice coming to Blatchford and there’s a lot of shared values and environmentally conscious families.”

The couple says there are already spaces in Blatchford where neighbours can get together, specifically on Yorke Mews which has become a common gathering spot. Hamilton says activities on the Mews range from kids playing street hockey or basketball to neighbours walking their furry friends, to block parties and barbecues. Blatchford's community gardens have also been a place for neighbours to get to know each other. There's a community harvest in the fall and a plant in the spring.

Hamilton says they also like the central location of Blatchford.

“We like being so close to downtown, but not in it. It's really nice right now to have it as a backdrop in our neighbourhood.”

Some of Lindskoog and Hamilton’s favourite things about Blatchford are:

• The community architecture: Blatchford isn’t your typical cookie cutter neighbourhood. Homes in Blatchford follow architectural guidelines that ensure homes are as beautiful as they are functional.

• High-efficiency homes: Blatchford has custom green buildings codes that all home builders in the neighbourhood follow, ensuring homes are well insulated with a tighter building envelope, where less energy and water is wasted. Less energy lost can lead to potential savings for the homeowner.

• Airport tower: a landmark of the former Edmonton Municipal Airport and one of the first things people see when entering the community. The airport tower is a reminder of Blatchford’s history and a point of pride for its residents.

• Littlewood Park: Littlewood Park is a functional space where community comes together to meet each other. Where that be in the playground, community gardens, fruit orchard or warming hut. Blatchford is about connections.

Blatchford is being built with the intention for people to rely less on their vehicles with pedestrian walkways in place and more bike lanes planned as the neighbourhood develops. The community development plans also include a town centre on the south east corner which will feature lively streets with shops, restaurants, an LRT station (set to open in 2024) and gathering places to spend time. A second LRT station on the north side of the community is also under construction.

Although Blatchford is still building space for future amenities, the neighbourhood is only minutes away from other daily needs such as grocery stores, schools and shops at Kingsway Mall. Kitty-corner to the community is the Growlery Beer Co., a local brewery Blatchford residents claim as their very own local pub, says Hamilton.

Kevin Danard, co-founder and general manager of the brewery, says they opened across from Blatchford in 2019 with the intention to be part of the community.

“The whole idea of us building this was so that we could watch our community build up around us and immerse us in the community right from the beginning,” he says. “We’ve committed to this neighbourhood and we want to see it through.”

Danard says the brewery already feels like part of the community and he often sees people walking across the street to the Growlery from Blatchford. He says a lot of the brewery’s current customers are residents of Blatchford and he looks forward to the community continuing to grow and to one day opening the brewery at a new location within the neighbourhood.

Danard says he’d like the community to contribute to future beers, such as using fruits and vegetables from the community gardens or from residents to create a new beer.

“A cucumber beer, crab apples, whatever they’re growing over there,” he says. “It’s a way for us to include the community.”

Danard says he relates to a lot of Blatchford’s goals, such as sustainability and looking to the future, he’d like to open Canada’s first geoexchange brewery in the community by connecting to its DESS.

“That’s the dream,” says Danard. “If we get there one day we’ll be super happy but we’re also happy being here until it happens. It’s such an awesome, unique area that a lot of people still don’t know about. Blatchford is going to be awesome when it’s done.”

For more information visit blatchfordedmonton.ca.

Blatchford Quick Facts

• City Ward: O-day’min
• Public Transportation: LRT (light rail transit) Stations - NAIT/Blatchford Market & future Blatchford Gate
• Amenities: Littlewood Park 
• Schools and Post-secondary: amiskwaciy Academy, NAIT

Welcome Home is a series profiling Edmonton's diverse neighbourhoods. We'll explore history, stats, fave hotspots and hidden gems from residents. Learn more about Downtown and Summerside.