Calgary development applications more than double compared to last year

New statistics from the City of Calgary show development permit applications have doubled over the past year.

According to the data, requested by CTV News, Calgary saw 24 applications for development permits on R-CG and H-GO parcels from May 14 to August 12, 2023.

During that same period this year, there were 51 applications which would have required a land use if not for rezoning.

The city started accepting applications for R-CG development as soon as council made a decision to approve new blanket rezoning measures.

"The file managers were able to start their reviews of the DPs, but we were not able to give a final decision and approve or refuse any DPs until the rezoning had taken effect on Aug 6," read a statement from the city.

"At this time, we can't determine if this increase is attributed specifically to citywide rezoning, as those changes came into effect Aug. 6. We will continue to monitor volumes in the months to come."

The new changes, however, are not sitting well with many Calgary residents who are already noticing major impacts.

Jackie Stebanuk has lived in the northwest community of Bowness for more than three decades, and says she was shocked to find out that a park across the street from her is set to be removed.

The Trellis Foundation has plans to develop the space on Bow Anne Road and Bow Wood Drive N.W. into a five or six storey-high low-income housing complex with 50 units.

"The impact is going to be incredible, because the builders cannot do underground parking, so that means it has to be above-ground parking. So we lose street parking, and all the new neighbors that are moved in are going to lose something they bought into," Stebanuk said.

Stebanuk has since launched a petition signed by several of her neighbours, but some area residents have already made plans to move in the future as a result.

"We don't want to lose Bowness, I've lived here all my life."

'Equitability for the future'

Alkarim Devani is the CEO of MDDL, a division of RNDSQ developments, a company that specializes in 'middle housing.'

Devani says the citywide rezoning offers "equitability for the future."

"It gives everyone an opportunity to be playing from a level playing field, he said. "For a long time, only certain sites or criteria met the requirement for redevelopment.

"Those were getting hyper aggressive in terms of developers competing, and getting really expensive, and just getting more and more costly to try to deliver, because you're dealing with a needle in a haystack approach."

Devani adds that there was previously little predictability around time, certainty and outcome of developments in residential areas, so he thinks the blanket rezoning will create "transparency and help mobilize the ecosystem."

He notes that there will be parking and traffic concerns, but those negatives will outweigh the benefits, which include family-oriented and multi-generational developments, built at a scale that's urban-centric.

"I think if we kind of get beyond that and recognize the fact that we need density, we need more housing, the question is, how do we make it appropriate at a scale that works?"

"When you think about middle housing, it is a sensitive density form that's meant to exist besides single-family neighborhoods and single-family homes, and if we're not doing that, then we're not actually doing what the intent of the district was."

Mixed reviews from councillors

The new 'open-season' mentality for developers to erect duplexes, townhouses and row housing in residential neighbourhoods has come with mixed reviews from city councillors.

The 9-6 vote in favour of Calgary's new rezoning rules passed with councillors Sonya Sharp, Dan McLean, Andre Chabot, Sean Chu, Terry Wong and Peter Demong voting against it.

McLean says the new rules are coming as a major shock to his constituents.

"People are telling me that developers are coming to their door, they're leaving fliers in their mailboxes, looking for these properties, so one day you might wake up and find out there's a 12-plex right next door to you," he said.

"As we know, infrastructure is aging around the city, as we've seen with our water-break issues, so I don't know if we can handle this much more density."

McLean adds that new developments in otherwise previously residentially-zoned neighbourhoods will also lower the value of current homes.

"If I thought this was going to make homes a lot more affordable, I'd be more inclined to support it, but it's not."