Calgary rezoning debate: What's at stake?
A marathon meeting over proposed blanket rezoning in Calgary continued Tuesday in front of a noticeably smaller crowd at city hall.
A day after long, twisting lineups and duelling protests took over city hall, council chambers were sparsely attended and overflow seating was almost entirely empty.
Public hearing panels are still taking place and more than 600 speakers have yet to have their say.
At issue is a debate over whether to transition properties zoned as R-C1 districts, which currently allow only single-detached homes on them, to R-CG to open the door for more housing density in Calgary communities.
"We will see more development happen (if proposed changes are approved)," said Ryan Cairns, a residential designer with Ellergodt Design.
"Development is already happening, but we're not going to see six-storey or 70-unit or massive buildings in single-family neighborhoods," he said.
The city says 67 per cent of residential properties are currently zoned exclusively for single-detached homes.
Blanket rezoning to R-CG still permits single-detached homes on those properties, but also allows for semi-detached homes, such as townhomes and row homes.
"It may mean a duplex or a triplex or a fourplex nearby," Cairns explained.
R-CG districts allow development up to 11 metres in height and each project would still have to go through the development permit process before being approved.
"We're capped with maximum building height, we're capped with density, we have side setbacks, front setbacks, rear setback -- this still restricts what we're able to do on a lot," Cairns said.
The vast majority of feedback to council so far has been against proposed blanket rezoning.
Concerns from many speakers centre around the impact rezoning and higher-density development could have on property values, community character and parking.
"The other thing to remember is we are talking about providing more supply of housing," said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
"If you're able to provide a greater supply, it eases the demand," she said Tuesday.
The federal government granted Calgary $228 million through its Housing Accelerator Fund after the city passed its housing strategy.
Ministers say the money won't be pulled if the proposed zoning changes don't pass.
"The (housing) minister has been clear on this. I've been clear on this. We're not talking about any threats to funding right now," said Randy Boissonnault, the federal minister of employment and workforce development.
He added Ottawa will watch "democracy unfold" as Calgary holds its lengthy public hearings and debate over rezoning.
"But we do want to see the gentle density along trade corridors. We want to see the ability for people to live and work and play where they want to," he said.
Calgary's public hearings will run every day this week from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and people can sign up to speak in-person or online until the hearing is closed.
As of Tuesday evening, about 130 panels of five people each are still yet to be heard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Conservatives, NDP should be 'celebrating' EV deals: industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says federal opposition parties should be 'celebrating' the recently announced electric vehicle deals, despite their criticisms the Liberals refuse to make public the terms and conditions laid out in the contracts.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.