On April 22, Calgary city council will debate a proposed blanket zoning bylaw that would change the bylaw in areas of the city that are currently zoned for only single-family homes, to allow for the construction of new multi-family home buildings.The proposal would see the zoning on more than 300,000 properties currently rated for single-family houses changed to allow for townhouses, semi-detached units (also known as side-by-sides or duplexes) and row houses. The April 22 council meeting is a public meeting, meaning Calgarians will be allowed to express their opinions about the proposed bylaw to councillors in chambers.Hundreds of Calgarians have already expressed their opinions and they're not in favour.Ward 14 Coun. Peter Demong hosted two open houses last week, with hundreds of people attending both meetings, as reported by CBC.Those attending were concerned about a lack of consultation, the impact on home values, parking and infrastructure.Demong told CBC he wasn't surprised to hear the lack of support for blanket zoning."I understand it. I get it. I don't want this to go forward either. This is their homes. This is where they live and we're talking about coming in and changing the structure of a community at some point and I don't agree with it," said Demong.CBC reports one attendee said: "You're going to have little houses everywhere, ruining everyone's house values. Ruin their neighbourhoods. Eyesores!" and another told Demong "We pay our taxes. We always have. Just leave us alone."Also weighing in on the issue over the weekend was former Alberta finance minster Jim Dinning, who wrote a letter that was posted to Twitter."We applaud Calgary City Council's efforts to support the construction of more 'front doors' so more Calgarians have a place to call home," wrote Dinning."Except for the rezoning initiative that will permit a development 'free for all' that leaves neighbours and neighbourhoods vulnerable to developers who will build anything that is saleable.""Allowing them to build virtually anything anywhere with zero input from neighbours is conduct 'unbecoming of council.'"Dinning alluded to the federal government's new housing plan to give municipalities millions of dollars to build more housing, as long as the cities adhered to the specific rules that are outside the feds' jurisdiction."Council's action to take Ottawa's strings-attached bribe of federal tax dollars and to impose on Calgarians up to eight front doors on a conventional single-family dwelling lot puts us on the 'steamed' side of the population," wrote Dinning. "Ottawa's decision makers don't have the right to dictate changes to a century old norm for those who want to live in a neighbourhood filled primarily with single-family dwellings." "And while city council has the legal authority to make the change, it has no moral authority to up zone virtually all residential properties in Calgary.""Nor does council have the political authority to take such consequential action. This was not an issue in the 2021 election; no elected councillor or mayor advocated for this kind of rezoning. If council remains determined to rezone, its advocates should make it a ballot issue, including a plebiscite, in the 2025 election. Issues of those consequence should be decided by all voters, not just fifteen.""We are asking you please: do not vote in favour of this one element of the city's comprehensive housing plan."On March 13, a motion to cancel the April 22 public meeting and send the zoning bylaw to a plebiscite in October 2025 was defeated by an 8 to 6 vote, with Dan Mclean, Sean Chu, Peter Demong, Terry Wong, Sonya Sharp and Andre Chabot in favour.On her website, Sharp said, "Until the public hearing is completed, provincial law requires that all members of Council remain open to persuasion from the public on this matter."
