On Wednesday, the City of Edmonton and NAIT confirmed the school’s 53-acre expansion to the Blatchford development on the old City Centre Airport lands.

The consolidation will see two satellite campus sites eventually move to the central Edmonton development. The purchase of two parcels of land from the city means the polytechnic’s main campus will almost double in size.

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“We believe NAIT will be a welcome addition to this sustainable community,” Mayor Don Iveson said. “Actually, they’ll be a heck of an anchor tenant.”

NAIT bought 32.8 acres on the west side and the city’s former Westwood Transit Garage to the north, with the option to purchase an additional eight acres to the southwest.

“This will be transformational for NAIT, for our students and for our city, serving our land needs well into the future,” NAIT President Glenn Feltham said.

Global News reported on the deal back in October, but it was officially announced Wednesday.

The Blatchford development will eventually be home to 30,000 residents. The first stage of residential housing is currently being sold to builders.

The entire Blatchford community is 536 acres. The goal is for the area to be a sustainable community that uses 100 per cent renewable energy, is carbon neutral, significantly reduces its ecological footprint and supports sustainable lifestyles.

Revenue from the land sale will be reinvested back into the sustainable Blatchford development, which Iveson described as Edmonton’s version of Brooklyn.

A student residence is expected to be one of the first developments on the land.

NAIT is a “really positive catalyst” for the community, Iveson said.

The agreement to acquire land on the Blatchford development site means the post-secondary polytechnic institution will have room to grow. It will also provide options for future main campus expansion.

“Construction projects and development like this lead to high-paying and good quality jobs for Albertans, while helping our colleges keep pace with growing demand and ensure that bright minds continue to flock to Edmonton for their education,” said Marlin Schmidt, Alberta’s minister of Advanced Education.

“This land deal will transform NAIT’s campus and the surrounding community for generations to come.”

— With files from Scott Johnston, Global News

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