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
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6874537.1714950794!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.