CALGARY- How should Calgary grow, and more importantly, who should pay for it? It’s a contentious issue that has led to secretly-taped meetings and calls for election finance reform, and has city hall scrambling to come up with an answer.
On Monday, councillors were brought up to speed on the Growth Management Framework—a plan based on criteria like access to transit, existing infrastructure and employment opportunities. It then rates which communities should be built-up first. Currently, the northeast community of Skyview Ranch tops the list.
“We fundamentally know, and our municipal development plan is based on the knowledge that we can’t afford to keep growing the way we have been,” says councillor Brian Pincott. “Afford is not just about the cost of roads and pipes, it’s about the cost of operating that community well into the future.”
Industry leaders say the new framework will help council make the right decisions, but there are issues.
“Our main concern right now is the land supply situation, and the amount of time it takes to get land on the market,” explains Michael Flynn, executive director of the Urban Development Institute.
He adds that the industry would rather pay for new infrastructure itself, instead of waiting for city approval.
“There will still be a queue and the city will absolutely remain in control of the decision making process, it will just be based on a different financing model.”
Both he and Pincott maintain that there is still a strong partnership between the city and developers, despite a recent controversy uncovered by Global News.
“When I take a look at how much people are liking Calgary these days, I think we are doing a good job of working together,” says Pincott.
The growth and change framework is expected to take effect in December, following October’s municipal election.
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