A new housing project in Edmonton is entering the final part of a three-phase development that hopes to bring new life to the Cromdale neighbourhood near Commonwealth Stadium.
It hasn’t always been the most desirable area to live but developers are hoping to change that.
On Tuesday, real estate developer Rohit Group unveiled its new apartment complex, Lewis Block, which was phase two of Stadium Yards — described as a seven-acre mixed-use urban village.
The development envisions hundreds of residential spaces mixed with retail near the Stadium LRT station, and Lewis Block has 229 new rental units.
“Since 1978, we’ve had an LRT running here and it never developed,” Russell Dauk, executive vice-president of Income Producing Properties for Rohit Group, told Global News. “It’s just building on supplying attainable housing for a lot of people.”
Dauk says this development is catered to people who want a lifestyle similar to downtown but don’t have to plan for a high-rise budget.
“People could have that quality of life. (They) have the transit link to downtown. They’ve got the river valley steps away. They have a stadium steps away,” Dauk said.
According to Ward Métis city councillor Ashley Salvador, this project aligns with the city’s priority of infill projects that build up density and aligns with the city’s goals of creating more transit-oriented developments.
“It was a relatively large and underutilized site in the past. Being able to capitalize on those large-scale sites, literally steps away from transit, is really exciting,” Salvador said.
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The goal of transit-oriented developments is to build more residential and retail spaces near transit hubs to make the area easily accessible on foot or by train.
Salvador believes these projects will help revitalize the area.
“Being able to build up those corridors, build up density, right next to transit centres, makes a lot of sense,” the area councillor explained.
Alyssa Croft, who already lives in the Cromdale neighbourhood, says the new builds price her out.
She fears this may raise prices to some of the apartment complexes near the neighbourhood, and may ultimately push her out of the area.
“Priceability, especially in this neighbourhood — this is a low-income area,” she explained.
“For example, the place we live in is $1,100, and I know it’s not a nice building. When you look at these ones, it’s $1,300 to $1,400, sometimes $1,600.
Jared Landry has been using the LRT for the last three years to get to Concordia University.
He says he’s noticed the social disorder drop and would be willing to live in the area.
“For a younger crowd, my age group, university students who come down to Concordia and need a place to stay, this is a hot spot for them,” he explained.
The second phase, Lewis Block, comes with a new 21-foot-long art installation in the shape of a canoe featuring a steel silhouette of Joseph Lewis.
Lewis is recognized as one of Edmonton’s earliest documented Black fur traders and a steersman with the Hudson’s Bay Company in the early 1800s.
“We’re especially proud to honour Joseph Lewis through The Steersman sculpture, celebrating a legacy of courage, resilience, and the values that continue to guide this development and the city around it,” Dauk said.
The first phase, which is already complete, includes two six-storey residential buildings with a café between them.
The third phase is currently in the planning and design stage, with construction anticipated to begin in late 2026 or early 2027, and wrap up sometime in 2029.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
