Lee Ridge is one of the 27 neighbourhoods that make up Mill Woods. The Mill Woods land bank was assembled in 1970 by the Government of Alberta because of concern over the rising costs of serviced residential land in the Edmonton area. Mill Woods was named for Mill Creek, which crossed it, and the groves of Parkland forest trees that stood there.
By 1971, a development plan had been prepared by the City of Edmonton. The City began to purchase the land, subdivide it, and sell residential and commercial building lots. Residential development in Lee Ridge began in 1972 and was largely complete by the end of the decade.
The housing mix in Lee Ridge reflects the “compact development” philosophy of early development in Mill Woods. Residential development is approximately 35 percent single-family homes and 56 percent higher-density homes (semi-detached, low-rise apartment, and row housing). The remaining 9 percent is a group of individual subdivided lots, located in the southwest corner of the neighbourhood, that have been designated permanent housing structures for mobile homes. High-density housing and commercial sites are located along collector and arterial roadways.
The objective of the neighbourhood design is to provide for an efficient flow of traffic to and from the neighbourhood while minimizing the disruptive and hazardous effects of traffic within the neighbourhood. Lee Ridge is bounded by arterial and collector roadways, and another collector road and bus route, Millbourne Road East, bisects it. A number of strategically placed pathways promote pedestrian and bicycle travel within the neighbourhood.
The focus of the neighbourhood is a multi-purpose school and recreational site. Lee Ridge, together with three adjoining neighbourhoods, is part of the Millbourne community, which has a large shopping facility at its centre.
Residents have access to neighbourhood-level commercial amenities and the larger Millbourne Shopping Centre. As well, residents are served by the health services, commercial, recreational, and educational facilities of the nearby Mill Woods Town Centre.
Lee Ridge was named in honour of Robert Lee, who was mayor of Edmonton in 1909–1910.
