Since 1881, generations of the Jackson family have lived on and operated a farm outside Edmonton, just north of Highway 16 at Range Road 231.
Now, the family says the business and their livelihood are in jeopardy because of a county announcement to build a new arena for the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
In February, the council approved an agreement with the hockey team that would see the Crusaders build a $86-million four-sheet arena next to the Jackson Homesteaders property.
The county is gifting the team the 17-acre site for the building. The county would also pay $990,000 annually for the operation and maintenance of the facility.
Plans are for a 2,500-seat facility and the Jacksons say the traffic alone will drive them out of business.
“There’s no way we could continue doing what we do with this farm here beside the arena,” Laura Jackson told Global News on Tuesday.
The site for the proposed arena connects to the south side of the Jackson property, just steps from their home and driveway.
Arena patrons would drive right in front of the Jackson farm to get to and from the building.
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Jackson believes that will make it impossible for them to operate their large crop-carrying semis and tractors, some of which stretch 18 feet tall and 130 feet long.
“It’s dangerous for the livestock. It’s dangerous for our employees. Some of these machines are difficult to stop. They’re difficult to maneuver,” Jackson said.
The property set aside for the arena used to be owned by the Jacksons. In 2013, the family says the county threatened to expropriate it, saying it was needed for a stormwater pond and road upgrades.
Two years later, the two sides came to an agreement and the section of land was sold to the county.
However, in the decade that has followed, the county has not developed the land and no stormwater pond or any upgrades have been built.
The Jacksons say they were not contacted by the county about the new plans for the site.
“When the arena announcement came out, we were totally shocked. It took me a couple days to let it sink in that this arena was going to go in and it was going to be the end of our farm,” said Jackson.
She says she reached out to councillors to invite them to view the property and see first-hand the impact the building would have.
While they would not visit the property, they have gone to Crusaders games and met with the team’s executive, she said.
“They seem to be very excited about this arena. And I don’t feel like they’ve given it enough thought as to the impacts of where this arena is going to go,” Jackson shared.
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. so people can express their thoughts on the proposal.
Jackson believes nearly two dozen people will speak in opposition to the rezoning change that would effectively green-light the project.
“I hope they do listen. It’s all we can hope for.”
The county would not do an interview with Global News prior to the hearing.
If the rezoning is approved, the county and Crusaders hope to have the arena open for September 2026.
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