Calgary Rezoning HearingsWhat did Calgarians say at the rezoning hearings?

The current blanket rezoning bylaw needs to be amended.

Previously, 12-plexes were considered too dense for blanket rezoning; now, 8-plexes and 12-plexes should require much more community input and should not be part of blanket rezoning.

Retain city-wide blanket rezoning for duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes (defined as any configuration up to four units on a site, including single-family homes with suites, row houses, or duplexes with basement suites).

Amend blanket rezoning to require significantly more community input and planning for developments larger than four units (e.g., 8-plexes and 12-plexes), specifically addressing impacts on parking, green canopy, and waste management.

Larger developments (over four units) should still be considered but should not benefit from fast blanket rezoning approval, requiring more planning time even if it increases costs.

Council should direct administration to summarize financial/legal obligations related to repealing the blanket upzoning bylaw, including any funding agreement limitations on council's independent planning decisions.

Council should pause further implementation of blanket upzoning until requested financial/legal information is provided to Calgarians for review and response.

The city should anticipate the future and avoid repeating past planning mistakes, with long-term societal interests outweighing individual landowner interests.

Council should choose a path reflecting Calgary's future, not its past, as 'nostalgia is not a strategy' (quoting the Prime Minister).

The city should prioritize building 'real' affordable housing directly, rather than solely relying on market-driven mechanisms.

The Council Advisory Committee on Housing recommends that Council vote against the repeal of the citywide rezoning.

Council should protect the progress made through existing citywide rezoning and uphold the commitments enabled by the 'Home Is Here' strategy.

If Council chooses to modify the current report, the committee recommends pursuing zoning-related solutions that advance four key outcomes: increased housing supply, expanded housing choice, strengthened investment confidence, and streamlined building pathways.

If Council proceeds with amending the bylaw, the committee respectfully requests to remain engaged as an advisory and consulting body.

The city must implement business licensing for landlords and property managers to ensure new homes are safe and well-maintained.

The city should retain blanket rezoning and strengthen it with a commitment to universal design and landlord accountability to build a city that everyone will eventually need.

If rezoning is repealed, the city must implement a moderate replacement strategy that developers and the federal government can work with, fostering thoughtful growth without excessive red tape.

A new zoning strategy should be supported that increases density, improves housing choice, and provides affordable options in every neighborhood.

Council is urged to lead with the courage to balance popular opinion with what is genuinely beneficial for the city.

The speaker trusts decision-makers to keep blanket rezoning in place and consider the real needs of the community.

He supports allowing development up to zero to three stories based on fiscal and demographic analysis.

Local area plans should be utilized to empower residents with choices regarding development in their communities.

Local area plans could offer residents choices for density, potentially with a baseline density (e.g., duplex plus two basement suites for four units) required to retain Housing Accelerator Funds.

Residents could be asked via local area plans whether they prefer higher taxes, service cuts, or increased neighborhood density.

Local area plans are important for gathering community feedback, and the speaker supports city-approved redesignation in areas where communities endorse density through these plans.

A more nuanced and balanced approach to development must be implemented.

He would support blanket rezoning if it were implemented at a more sensitive density level and if bylaw and motor vehicle noise enforcement became more effective.

A committee should be formed to quickly identify tools and solutions needed to facilitate housing construction.

The association is open to changes to the RCG district or the overall development process, acknowledging potential positive impacts and benefits.

Any changes or adjustments to the RCG district or process should involve proper stakeholder engagement and a clear understanding of achieving desired outcomes.

If the land use bylaw is reconstituted, previously approved housekeeping amendments should be retained to maintain technical clarity.

Approval processes should be simplified in areas designated for building, whether city-initiated or through LAPs.

If the city-wide RCG application is repealed, policy efforts should instead concentrate on addressing the original problems it intended to solve: making development faster, quicker, and easier.

Council should direct administration to shorten land use and development permit (DP) timelines to specific targets in appropriate locations, as this would effectively solve the core issue blanket rezoning aimed to correct.

All previously approved housekeeping amendments should be carried forward into the reconstituted land use bylaw to maintain technical clarity.

Council should direct administration to present process recommendations within one fiscal quarter to significantly shorten land use and DP approval timelines.

Forming a committee of city administration, industry experts, and community representatives could provide evidence-based recommendations to improve low-density residential districts and streamline the application process.

Exempting RCG land use applications from needing to go to the Calgary Planning Commission (CPC) and having them go directly to Council could be a quick win.

Due to the technical nature of the land use bylaw, any proposed amendments should be run through modeling to assess their practical buildability on the ground.

CPC should be eliminated for applications that ultimately go to Council, as it adds an extra month to the approval process without being the final approving authority; CPC's role is better suited for major development permits where it is the final authority.