Here’s an idea that might soon be part of the election promises of those seeking a seat on Calgary city council in the fall. Edmonton, home of those looser Oilers, has, as does Calgary, a bylaw that allows construction of multi-family homes in areas originally zoned only for single-family homes. Edmonton’s bylaw went into effect in January 2024 and currently allows multi-unit buildings to have eight homes, on lots where single-family homes once stood, as does the Calgary bylaw, which is closing in on its first anniversary on August 6. And, just like Calgarians, Edmontonians have expressed their displeasure of having multi-home buildings next door to single-family homes. Earlier this week, the urban planning committee in Alberta’s northern berg voted to move ahead with an amendment to its bylaw that would lower the number of homes allowed on most lots in the small-scale residential (RS) zone. The amendment instructs Edmonton city administration to prepare documents to reduce the maximum number of homes permitted on mid-block lots from eight to six. Multi-family buildings with more than six units would only be allowed on corner lots, if the new amendment is approved in a public hearing of council on June 30. .A CBC report says some Edmonton councillors are in favour of the amendment, although the mayor sounds dubious. “I have heard concerns from Edmontonians around mid-block eight units, and them perceiving that to be too much density. I may not agree with some of those things, but my worry is that sometimes these kinds of things become a lightning rod that they distract from other good work that is being done,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. "In the corners, you can still build bigger units but for the mid-block, it's a recognition that there are greater impacts on your neighbours mid-block," Edmonton councillor Michael Janz, who introduced the motion, told CBC News, adding 80% of the complaints he receives about infill have been about mid-block units. "We want to see more density in the nodes and corridors, more density in the priority growth areas, more density on corners, not necessarily the unit maximum in a mid-block area," said Janz. Not all city councillors are on board. Cllr. Anne Stevenson said it's too early to gauge the outcome of developments. ."I'm not sure exactly which problems we're trying to solve with this. I know that there are concerns around parking," Stevenson told CBC News. "At this point we have a very, very small sample size of units that have actually been completed and occupied. So, I don't think at this point we know how those will work, what impacts they'll have." The urban planning committee meeting was a public hearing, attended by people in support and some in opposition to limiting the number of units. Jan Hardstaff, a resident of the Belgravia community, said the rate of development over the past year has been overwhelming for communities. "There has been a surge in eight-plexes that are not compatible mid-block to surrounding development," Hardstaff told the committee, reports CBC. "They are alarmed, anxious and angry at what they are seeing, and they are experiencing real negative impacts." The committee received a report showing Edmonton issued 555 housing development permits in 2024, with more than half for row housing. resulting in 2,403 new homes. And, yes, this is also an election year in Edmonton.
