The final participation numbers during the blanket zoning public hearing at Calgary city council are in and if the hearing was a public plebiscite, the proposed zoning would lose by a wide margin. According to the city’s count, 736 Calgarians spoke on the issue, either in council or on the phone. Of those, 51 were neutral about the issue, 227 were in support of the bylaw, while 458 were opposed. Additionally, the city received 6,101 written submissions, but the city didn’t release the number of those who were against, for or neutral about the subject. It did say 50,000 people watched the proceedings on the city’s webcast. On Thursday, Tim Keane, general manager, planning and development services, spoke to council members, giving them a recap of the public hearing and what his department heard as the main issues. At the top were concerns about how blanket zoning would affect property values and there is a need for more housing in the city. Also on the list, in no particular order, were: the impacts of new development on lifestyles; parking; waste and recycling collection; privacy; and water, among others. In his address to council, Keane said the city’s goal for new housing development is 50% in new communities and 50% in existing neighbourhoods, adding the current ratio is 85% in new communities and 15% in existing neighbourhoods. He said the city is projecting a population of 1.5 million in Calgary by 2028; the city’s population today is just under 1.4 million, while the Calgary metropolitan area is home to 1,665,000 people. Keane said, “now is the time to add housing choices in existing neighbourhoods,” and the choice should be what the blanket zoning is proposing: fourplexes, townhomes and other forms of multi-family homes, excluding high-rise apartment buildings. He added that to date, when a single-family home is demolished, in 75% of cases a new single-family home replaces it, and in 96% of those cases, the home is larger than the one being replaced. If the new blanket zoning bylaw is approved by council on Monday, when an old single-family home is demolished for redevelopment, the zoning will become ‘discretionary ‘, meaning neighbours will know what type of dwelling is planned to replace the old home. In his close, Keane said any changes to existing neighbourhoods will be incremental and will not happen rapidly. As the council meeting was designed for only for receiving information, councillors were not allowed to ask Keane any questions. A question period, as well as the hearing of any amendments, followed by a vote by council, will take place on Monday, May 13 starting at 9:30 a.m. in council chambers.
The final participation numbers during the blanket zoning public hearing at Calgary city council are in and if the hearing was a public plebiscite, the proposed zoning would lose by a wide margin. According to the city’s count, 736 Calgarians spoke on the issue, either in council or on the phone. Of those, 51 were neutral about the issue, 227 were in support of the bylaw, while 458 were opposed. Additionally, the city received 6,101 written submissions, but the city didn’t release the number of those who were against, for or neutral about the subject. It did say 50,000 people watched the proceedings on the city’s webcast. On Thursday, Tim Keane, general manager, planning and development services, spoke to council members, giving them a recap of the public hearing and what his department heard as the main issues. At the top were concerns about how blanket zoning would affect property values and there is a need for more housing in the city. Also on the list, in no particular order, were: the impacts of new development on lifestyles; parking; waste and recycling collection; privacy; and water, among others. In his address to council, Keane said the city’s goal for new housing development is 50% in new communities and 50% in existing neighbourhoods, adding the current ratio is 85% in new communities and 15% in existing neighbourhoods. He said the city is projecting a population of 1.5 million in Calgary by 2028; the city’s population today is just under 1.4 million, while the Calgary metropolitan area is home to 1,665,000 people. Keane said, “now is the time to add housing choices in existing neighbourhoods,” and the choice should be what the blanket zoning is proposing: fourplexes, townhomes and other forms of multi-family homes, excluding high-rise apartment buildings. He added that to date, when a single-family home is demolished, in 75% of cases a new single-family home replaces it, and in 96% of those cases, the home is larger than the one being replaced. If the new blanket zoning bylaw is approved by council on Monday, when an old single-family home is demolished for redevelopment, the zoning will become ‘discretionary ‘, meaning neighbours will know what type of dwelling is planned to replace the old home. In his close, Keane said any changes to existing neighbourhoods will be incremental and will not happen rapidly. As the council meeting was designed for only for receiving information, councillors were not allowed to ask Keane any questions. A question period, as well as the hearing of any amendments, followed by a vote by council, will take place on Monday, May 13 starting at 9:30 a.m. in council chambers.
