By voting to repeal the blanket upzoning bylaw on Monday, Calgary city council delivered an early Christmas gift to Calgarians who have fought the bylaw for almost two years.
But let’s be clear; the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, and Christmas will be long in the rearview mirror before the ‘gift’ can be fully ‘unwrapped’.
Council’s vote on Monday didn’t automatically repeal the bylaw, it just directed city administration to start the formal repeal process.
Alberta’s Municipal Government Act lays out what procedures are included in the process, beginning with a public hearing that must be advertised with at least 60 to 90 days' notice. City administration has targetted the hearing for March, with the exact date to be determined.
After the hearing, council will vote on the repeal bylaw’s readings (three) and once the readings are passed, the repeal will become law, and land uses in effect before blanket upzoning will return.
But not right away.
Administration has suggested that the repeal will not take effect until August 2026, assuming the process moves forward based on current projections.
And until then, the blanket upzoning bylaw remains in effect, and, according to city administration, applications for building permits adhering to the blanket upzoning bylaw will still be accepted, and those in the pipeline will be processed.
Any development with an approved development permit or a valid land-use designation, can proceed legally, even after the repeal.
So, there will be a blanket upzoning ‘hangover’ long after it is repealed; regardless, homeowners regain control of potential changes in their neighbourhoods, as all new development applications after repeal will require a public hearing in council chambers.
The repeal will add uncertainty for developers who will be more cautious about buying inner city lots knowing it will require approval at the public hearings.
City council will regain direct control of individual applications, allowing it to make decisions based on specific circumstances.
Calgarians will not notice deteriorating housing affordability nor a sudden lack of housing available in the city, neither of which were accomplished by blanket upzoning.
In fact, some may be surprised at the low number of building permits issued under the bylaw and that it is not a city-wide issue.
At Monday’s meeting, council was shown the number of permits issued since August 2024, and where in the city they were issued.
A total of 478 permits were issued, with none issued in Wards 2, 3 or 12. Ward 13 had one, Ward 14 had two, Ward 5 had four, and Ward 10 had eight.
Wards with more than 10 permits each include Ward 8 (34), Ward 1 (55), Ward 4 (58), Ward 9 (60), Ward 6 (63) Ward 11 (66) and Ward 7 (127). City-wide, townhouse developments were the most popular at 268 applications.
But numbers don’t tell the real story about blanket upzoning. It was approved by renegade members of the previous council in 2024 who gave the finger to democracy by voting against the wishes of a vast majority of Calgarians who participated in the longest public hearing in the city’s history.
That’s the saga.
The story is, there is no wokeness nor a DEI attitude apparent in this new city council; rather there's a firm understanding of democracy and citizens' rights.
