Galleria pedway gets funding help from landowners

The proposed Galleria Arts District in downtown Edmontonmay not be dead after all.

One month after city councillors told proponents to find partners to fund a $30 million pedway deemed critical to the project, a report prepared for Wednesdays council meeting says theyve done just that.

Adjacent landowners set to benefit from the pedway have given strong support and are willing to chip in 75 per cent of the cost, the report says.

The proposed framework would limit the citys contribution to $7.5 million or the remaining 25 per cent of the cost.

The pedway would link the Galleria to the new location of the Royal Alberta Museum.

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The Edmonton Downtown Academic and Cultural Foundation says it needs money now to get the pedway started so it can be added when that section of the museum is under construction.

However, the framework is subject to the approval of city council.

Last month Coun. Scott McKeen expressed reluctance to go ahead unless the federal and provincial governments contributed funding to the overall $1 billion project, which would include four performing arts theatres, a public space with restaurants and stores and an office tower.

The foundation wants the Galleria open by July 1, 2017 to coincide with the 150thanniversary of Confederation.