The City of Calgary wants to clarify some confusion around the proposed blanket rezoning bylaw that is at the centre of a historic public hearing at city council this week.
The proposed bylaw is one of around 80 recommendations in the City of Calgary’s housing strategy, which will change the base residential zoning district to RC-G instead of RC-1 or RC-2 zoning.
Currently, the majority of residential areas are zoned to only allow single-family homes by default.
RC-G zoning will allow single-family homes and duplexes, triplexes and rowhouses to be built. City officials say the change would “simplify the process” for landowners and developers and remove six months from the process.
The city says the current long re-designation process adds time and cost — between $50,000 and $100,000 per land parcel — which are passed down to the homeowner.
“This makes the process of redevelopment a bit easier, a bit more straightforward because it allows people to choose what they want to do without having to go through a re-designation process,” said Lisa Kahn, leader of the land use bylaw team at the City of Calgary.
“It really takes out the process of re-designation, which is a process that takes about six to eight months and can add a lot of time and cost to development.
“When we’re dealing with a housing crisis, every moment counts.
“Eliminating that process still allows us to have the due diligence on every application through a development permit, but it just takes out that one hurdle. We already have a policy that allows for this type of development … most of the ones that go to council already are always approved. So this is just taking out that one step that adds up time and cost to something.”
Kahn noted that the RC-G re-zoning will not allow highrises. The maximum number of storeys is three, which is the same for a single detached dwelling.
Developers will still have to file for a development permit if they want to build duplexes, triplexes and rowhouses even if the bylaw passes.
Kahn said city administration has put forward a recommendation for a discretionary process that will allow city staff to evaluate a parcel of land and determine whether or not it’s appropriate for whatever type of development somebody wants to build.
“It gives us a little bit of extra review time internally to make sure that we’re taking in the community’s comments and that we’re looking at it from an infrastructure perspective…. We’re doing all of our due diligence to make sure that development is correct on that parcel,” Kahn said.
“There’s still a building permit as well that checks for safety. That’s important to us when we start construction.”
The land use bylaw lead noted that if the bylaw passes, it doesn’t mean every piece of land is going to be developed into a duplex, triplex or rowhouse, nor does it mean it will happen everywhere right away.
“Communities have to go through a life cycle. So those that are nearing the end of a life cycle, where you see houses being torn down and replaced with new development, those are the ones that are going to see it first,” Kahn said.
“I think it’s important to remember that nothing happens without a homeowner wanting to do it. It really depends on what that property owner wants to do on that parcel, and (rezoning) just takes away that one step to it.
“It’s really about providing that flexibility for the future.”
Public hearing enters second day
The public hearing for the proposed blanket rezoning bylaw entered its second day Tuesday, with more than 840 people registered to speak.
Leslie Evans, executive director of the Federation of Calgary Communities, told council there weren’t meaningful conversations between member community associations and city planners at engagement sessions the federation hosted.
She also expressed concerns about the current engagement process, saying there is a deteriorating relationship between the city and its communities.
“The lack of transparency, evidence-based research and meaningful two-way conversations with citizens only makes the feelings of mistrust towards the city all that greater,” Evans said.
“In the case of rezoning, the city has conflated growth and change to housing affordability and the need for affordable housing…. We have repeatedly heard requests for evidence-based research on how rezoning will help with housing affordability.”
Evans said many community associations are not concerned about densification but do have concerns about rezoning.
“(Community leaders) want to be part of the solution, and so does the federation. We know staff desires robust conversations, and we recognize community engagement is important for their responsibilities. They can all do better. We can do better,” she said.
But many participants at Tuesday’s public hearing highlighted that safe, affordable housing is a human right.
“I think we sometimes think affordable housing and homeownership are opposites, but housing is a continuum…. I think there is a perception that non-market housing is only for poor people and in my mind, they are for everybody,” Lorraine Moulding said.
“For me, it’s all about livability…. I think everyone has a right to liveable communities.
“There is also a gender, racialized and Indigenous difference in wages. It applies in Calgary, it applies in Alberta, it applies in Canada. Housing affordability is not equal. There are certain populations that have it harder. The city’s job is to work for all of us, regardless of our income, regardless of whether we own homes or not.”
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