The City of Leduc has finished a major study that says it cannot grow large enough within its current borders and will need to add about 2,209 hectares of land from Leduc County to handle the next 50 years of growth. The Growth Management Study, finished in June 2026, kicks off formal talks with the county and comes as the city looks to triple its population to roughly 138,000 people by 2077.
Right now, Leduc has about 1,375 hectares of land available for development inside the city limits, but a total of 3,584 hectares is needed. The gap of 2,209 hectares means the city has to look beyond its boundaries. The proposed annexation area is smaller and more focused than the first idea thrown out in early 2025, which covered at least 38 quarter-sections per the city’s initial notice — Leduc County characterized the original proposal as roughly 50 quarter-sections, or around 3,237 hectares, south and southeast of the city.
Leduc is one of the fastest-growing spots in Alberta. According to 2025 provincial estimates, its population reached 39,966, rising 3.01 per cent year-over-year and 17.1 per cent over five years. The new study sketches out a city of 138,000 people and 74,000 jobs by 2077, meaning the need for more room to build houses, businesses, and services is urgent.
While city officials say no final choice has been made, public input is open right now through an online survey until July 15, 2026. That feedback, along with the growth study, will help shape talks between Leduc and Leduc County. The county has pushed back on a full land grab, instead asking for a staged process that would hand over land only as population triggers are hit, in order to protect farms and cut disruption for residents.
Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko has been clear in her worries, pointing out that past annexations forced people off their land, ate up farmland, and stirred up dust between farm, factory, and home sites. On the city side, the focus is on planning ahead to avoid soaring housing costs and a squeezed land supply.
Leduc first filed its official notice of intent to annex in February 2025. A formal application to the Land and Property Rights Tribunal is expected in 2027, and the province will have the final say.
