CITY COUNCIL APPROVES CITYWIDE REZONING (WITH AMENDMENTS)
After a 15-day Public Hearing, City Council has voted to approve citywide rezoning to allow for the construction of a variety low-density homes across Calgary.
In response to feedback from Calgarians, amendments have been introduced to address concerns regarding community engagement during the development permit phase, modified parking requirements, and adjustments to secondary suite allowances for row houses.
Rezoning for housing is just one of 98 strategic measures the City is undertaking to combat our growing housing crisis. It’s an incremental but necessary step toward increasing housing supply and choice throughout Calgary.
From the City of Calgary Newsroom:
City Council approved citywide rezoning and made changes in response to feedback from Calgarians. This decision is a response to Calgary’s housing crisis by enabling an increased housing supply and housing choices. The actions taken by Council today will significantly speed up the time to deliver homes to Calgarians, remove barriers and uncertainty, and reduce costs.
"Before the public hearing began, it was clear that housing is the top issue on Calgarians' minds and is truly the problem of our time. The stories Calgarians shared over the past few weeks painted a stark picture of the housing challenges being faced in this city," Mayor Jyoti Gondek said. "Council's decision confirms our commitment to meet that problem with the tools and plan we have."
"While today's decision is just one of the actions in the Housing Strategy, we will continue our work in implementing the entire strategy."
This decision was made after a 15-day Public Hearing in which 736 Calgarians verbally gave their feedback and 6,101 Calgarians submitted a written statement, which resulted in the largest and longest public hearing in The City's history.
“City Council and Administration heard from thousands of Calgarians during this record-breaking public hearing,” said City of Calgary Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth. “I would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in this incredibly important public input and decision-making process.”
A fundamental change Administration recommended prior to the public hearing, which was approved by Council, was to make it easier for Calgarians to provide input during the development permit process in their communities.
Many themes emerged from feedback given during the public hearing, and Council has made changes to the original proposal to address concerns on issues such as parks, parking, and backyard suites associated with rowhouses and townhouses.
“We heard clearly from Calgarians that they care about the state of housing citywide, and also about what gets built next door,” said Tim Keane, General Manager of Planning & Development Services. “Both of these matter to The City too. We are committed to enabling more homes and making sure they fit well into our communities.”
Rezoning for housing is one of 98 actions in Home is Here: The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy. Citywide rezoning is a change to the low-density residential zoning across Calgary. In addition to single detached houses, other types of low-density housing including semi-detached, rowhouses and townhouses are now allowed in new and established areas of the city, effective August 6, 2024.
While The City can accept development applications for the newly rezoned properties effective immediately, decisions on applications will not be made until after the August 6 implementation date. Potential applicants may contact the Planning and Development Services call centre at 403-268-5311 for information.
For details on citywide rezoning, before amendments, refer to Calgary.ca/rezoningforhousing
For more information on the application process visit: https://www.calgary.ca/development/proposed-approved-developments.html
To view the public hearing video and meeting minutes, visit: https://www.calgary.ca/council/meetings/agenda-minutes.html?redirect=/agendaminutes. The meeting minutes and decision from May 14 will be posted within three business days after the conclusion of the meeting.