About Belvedere

Belvedere is a residential neighbourhood in north east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is located on the west side of the Canadian National Railway right of way close to the Belvedere LRT station.

The neighbourhood is triangle shaped with the railway right of way along the south east side, 137 Avenue on the north, and 66 Street on the west. Fort Road cuts through the neighbourhood close to the south east boundary.

Belvedere is surrounded by a mixture of residential neighbourhoods and industrial and commercial subdivisions. Residential neighbourhoods are York to the north, Clareview Campus to the north east, Balwin and Delwood to the west, and Kildare to the north west. Industrial and commercial subdivisions are Clareview Business Park to the north north east, Kennedale Industrial to the east, Industrial Heights to the south east, and the Yellowhead Corridor to the south west.
 
While the Yellowhead Corridor is land set aside for the Yellowhead Trail roadway, the area on either side of 66 Street is heavily built up with commercial and industrial enterprises.
 
Londonderry Mall is located near the north west corner of the neighborhood, kitty corner across the intersection between 137 Avenue and 66 Street, in the neighbourhood of Kildare.
 
Residential construction in Belvedere began before the end of World War II. However, the bulk of residential development occurred between 1946 and 1985. It was during this time that over 90% of the neighbourhood’s approximately 2,000 residences were constructed.
 
Bounded by two major arterials and the CNR right-of-way, portions of Belvedere were originally part of the village of North Edmonton that was annexed to Edmonton in 1910. Until the annexation of the Town of Beverly in 1964, Belvedere was considered the outskirts of northeastern Edmonton. Fort Road was developed commercially from the time wagons made the trek between Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton, beginning with the opening of the Swift Company Packing Plant in 1908. However, the majority of residential development in Belvedere occurred during the 1950s and 1960s.
 
In the 1970s the City of Edmonton saw potential in the Belvedere area and with the development of the LRT system placed a transit stop in the heart of the area. The hope of planners and civic officials at that time was that the stop would act as a catalyst for further redevelopment. These initial efforts were marginalized in the 1980s when both meat packing plants were closed, taking many related commercial businesses along with them.
 
Today Belvedere contains a variety of housing types and styles. Commercial and non-residential land uses are concentrated along Fort Road, which is also home to the historic Transit Hotel. Another historical landmark in the area is the ten-story brick smokestack that used to be part of the Canadian Packers Plant built in 1936, but which now stands alone in an empty field. It is highly visible for LRT users who ride towards or away from the Belvedere station.
Canada Packers - Plant Canada Packers - Truck
In the early 2000s the City of Edmonton took on a revitalization plan for the Fort Road area in collaboration with the Fort Road Business Association and Community Association. The plan included the widening of Fort Road from 66th Street to 129th Avenue and the redevelopment of the lands south of the Belvedere LRT station into a transit-oriented mixed-use residential and commercial community.