It was blanket rezoning all over again at Calgary City Hall on November 9, until City Council, after a public hearing, finally gave a thumbs-down to a townhome development after years of councils approving every project that came along, regardless of the disruptions caused in the city.That's not the entire story.The proposed development would have been in the southwest community of Britannia, which is small by Calgary standards.It is bordered on the east by Elbow Dr., on the north by Britannia Dr., on the south by 50 Ave. SW, and on the west by an escarpment overlooking the Elbow River.The project was targeted to be on the west side of the intersection of Elbow Dr. and 48 Ave. SW, running west along the north edge of 48th, removing three single-family homes, to be replaced by 21 luxury rental townhomes and 21 secondary suites; a total of 42 units.Each townhome would have a single-car driveway, presenting the potential of 21 vehicles or more parking on 48 Ave.The development's plan was not well received in the community, as witnessed by the parade of about 70 Calgarians who spoke against it in council chambers and on the phone during the public hearing and the 199 written submissions, all of which were opposed.And they should oppose it. If there was a development that needed to be turned down by city council, and there have been thousands in the last two years, this was it.When the former city council approved blanket upzoning in 2024, it would have approved a cardboard box with a mattress inside if it qualified as "missing middle" housing, as defined by the federal government in its Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) contract with Calgary..The HAF put $251 million into city coffers, tantamount to bribery, for approving just under 43,000 "missing middle housing" permits, which exceeded the target laid out by the feds.The contract expired in October, so the bribery money has dried up. If the HAF contract were still in effect, council would have been incentivized to approve the Britannia proposal.But they didn't, after reading the room and hearing the backlash from the public, which brings us to the rest of the story.In documents to city council, city planners recommended the development be approved, even though HAF has expired and despite having read — I assume — the 199 written submissions in opposition, prior to the public hearing.Along with the opposition itself, most of those speaking at the hearing complained of a lack of communication and consultation from city staff, and said that what consultation there was indicated approval of the project was a foregone conclusion.Administration said postcards about the project were distributed in Britannia, but those presenting from the public said many of their questions went unanswered.The arguments from administration supporting approval were that the proposal was within the bureaucratic brackets of approval, part of a culture inside City Hall that must be addressed.Inner city developments negatively impact all aspects of Calgarians' lives, from lifestyle to financial. Those addressing council affirmed they do not oppose developments, as long as they are planned logically and with community in mind.Local area plans are planning and development tools and are not considered by planners to be suggestions. It's bureaucracy at work, as much as bureaucracy can work, which isn't much, especially in the DEI atmosphere at city hall.With a new chief administrative officer scheduled to take over at City Hall, it's up to the new hire to wash clean the culture inside City Hall.
