The fight over Calgary city council’s controversial blanket zoning bylaw has landed back in court.
Hundreds of people opposed to the new bylaw were at Court of Kings Bench Wednesday, in person or online, for the start of a judicial review.
Opponents, led by retired Calgary lawyer Robert Lehodey, launched legal action earlier this year claiming irreparable harm will be caused to people who live next door to developments that, under the bylaw, could now be allowed to proceed.
The new bylaw went into effect on Aug. 6, 2024, after council voted in favour of amending the city’s land-use bylaw to make residential grade-oriented infill (R-CG) the default residential zoning district across the city.
R-CG allows a variety of housing types including single-detached, semi-detached, duplexes and rowhouses.
The move, designed to boost the supply and affordability of housing, was one of more than 80 recommendations in the city’s housing strategy, aimed at boosting supply and improving housing affordability.
City projections at the time estimated the change to R-CG would result in the redevelopment of 250 properties into rowhouses per year, which could translate into about 750 additional homes annually, on top of what the market already produces.
Council voted in favour of the change following a public hearing in May that lasted about 100 hours, the longest in the city’s history.