There’s a new bump on the road to repeal blanket upzoning in Calgary on March 23, and those opposed to the bylaw will see it as an unexpected detour.
Calgary City Council voted 13 to 2 in December to have city administration begin the process of the repeal, which apparently included adding at least one alternative from a full repeal and elimination of the bylaw.
Administration has returned to council with a new bylaw proposal that will be on the agenda on March 23, which reads, in part, to “bring back the low-density residential zones that existed in the land use bylaw prior to the citywide rezoning approved by Council in May 2024.”
It would not affect properties that "received approval for a permit or subdivision application under R-CG, R-G, or H-GO zoning before the proposed bylaw takes effect; or submitted a permit or subdivision application before the first reading of the proposed bylaw; or rezoned through an approved rezoning application applied for by the property owner after August 6, 2024.”
The administration's proposal is actually to change very little of the blanket upzoning bylaw as approved two years ago.
It reads “Prohibit townhouses and rowhouses, except for parcels at the end of a block; reduce the maximum amount of units in rowhouses and townhouses on a standard-sized parcel from four units to three units.”
“Reduce maximum building coverage on the parcel from 60% to 55%; reduce building heights from 11 metres to 10 metres; reintroduce a minimum front setback that is based on the front setback of neighbouring buildings.”
“Prohibit zero lot line development; maintain current minimum parking requirements of either one or 0.5 stalls per unit or suite; modify Section 529 of the Land Use Bylaw, from 75 units per hectare to 60 units per hectare.”
That’s the 30,000-foot view. It’s different at ground level, particularly concerning row and townhouse buildings, only on lots at the end of a block.
These types of homes will be allowed on the last three lots of each block, meaning six lots per block.
Other home types will be allowed, including single-family homes, semi-detached buildings, duplexes, secondary, and backyard suites (but not both).
These changes were in a notice of motion brought to the council by Cllrs. Jennifer Wyness and Andre Chabot.
Councillors voting to approve sending the notice of motion to council chambers were Yule, Pantazopoulos, Clark, Dhaliwal, Atkinson, Kelly, Chabot, Schmidt, Wyness, and Mayor Farkas.
The current bylaw is a pothole of murky water and misunderstandings.
At the public hearing beginning on March 23, many speakers and written submissions will point out that blanket upzoning has contributed greatly to the supply of housing that is affordable.
It depends on your definition.
In December 2025, a City of Calgary report showed it had issued 478 building permits under the bylaw from the time it took effect in August 2024. Averaging four homes per permit, that totals 1,912 units approved in just under a year and a half.
By contrast, the city issued close to 48,000 building permits in 2024 and 2025, most of which were apartments in major high-rise buildings, which are not built under the guise of blanket upzoning.
Realtor.ca says new townhomes in inner-city neighbourhoods in Calgary are selling for between $600,000 to $700,000 and more in some areas. Those are not affordable prices. Developers are buying inner-city single-family homes for average prices floating at around $800,000, then selling four-unit townhome projects for between $600,000 and $700,000 per unit.
It’s likely councillors who favour the bylaw will talk about supply and affordability, but that’s a cover for what’s really on their minds, that being federal funds from the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF).
Calgary has a contract with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation that gives the city $251 million for reaching certain housing starts, which Calgary has more than achieved.
Actually, there are two contracts; one signed in 2023 with no mention of changing zoning bylaws, and one amended last year that mentions zoning, but was not signed by the city.
Legal advice supplied to the city council by Calgarians For Thoughtful Growth says the second contract is invalid.
Council must repeal blanket upzoning, not revise it.
It’s tantamount to the government taking away your Tesla, but then admitting they made a mistake and giving you back a Datsun 510 (no offence meant to Datsun).