City of Calgary puts 3 parcels of land up for sale for affordable housing units

The City of Calgary said it is putting three city-owned land sites up for sale to non-profit organizations for more affordable housing units.

In a news release on Monday morning, the city said the sites will be priced below market value under the Non-Market Housing Land Sale program.

The program aims to help non-profit organizations develop affordable housing at a discounted rate and provide more resources and support for residents.

The land sites will be located in Bowness, Parkdale and Erlton because of their close proximity to amenities like transit, grocery stores and employment agencies.

“With one in five Calgary families in need of affordable housing, all orders of government, non-profits, and industry must respond with urgency,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in an emailed statement.

“This will move more Calgarians from precarious living situations to safe homes, close to community amenities.”

This is the third round of the Non-Market Housing Land Sale program and the city said 280 homes are either completed or in construction since the last two rounds were launched in 2018 and 2020.

The program is a key objective of Calgary’s Corporate Affordable Housing Strategy and city administration will be presenting a report to the community development committee on Thursday to propose policy changes to support the increase in land supply for affordable housing.

The report will also propose policy changes to support Indigenous-led housing initiatives.

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Applications to purchase the sites will be accepted until April 28. Applicants must be non-profit providers with experience in the supply and management of non-market housing, the city said.

Successful applicants are required to go through the development permit and land use amendment approval process, which includes a community engagement requirement, before construction.