Here's how Calgary's proposed residential rezoning plan would affect your property

The City of Calgary is looking for public input on its proposed rezoning plan that would see communities re-designated to allow for higher-density housing.

The proposed plan would result in a city-wide rezoning, re-designating properties that currently only allow single or semi-detached homes as:

• R-CG in established communities – which is primarily for rowhouses, but also allows for single detached, side-by-side and duplex homes that may include a secondary suite;
• R-G in newer communities – which allows for a mix of low-density housing, including single-detached, side-by-side, duplex, cottage housing clusters and rowhouse development, all of which can include a secondary suite; or
• H-GO in newer communities – which allows for “higher intensity redevelopment than that of R-CG, but still maintains direct ground-level access for all homes (i.e. no apartment forms).”

“It will be easier, and legal, to build various types of homes in our communities. This includes single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and townhouses,” the city said on its website.

The city emphasized that the rezoning would not prevent property owners from replacing existing homes with new single-detached homes, remove single-family developments or solely support rowhousing developments.

You can search your address on the City of Calgary’s interactive map to see how the proposed rezoning would affect your property.

The goal of the plan is to provide more housing options within all Calgary communities while reducing costs and timelines for permit approvals, the city said.

“With rezoning, Calgarians would have access to a wider variety of housing to meet their needs and it would contribute to increasing the overall housing supply,” the city said in a news release Monday.

“Increased supply is crucial to addressing affordability.”

The city is offering a number of in-person and online information sessions to help Calgary residents learn more about these potential changes.

• Jan. 30, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre (197 1 Street SW);
• Feb. 1, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – Dalhousie Community Association (5432 Dalhart Rd NW);
• Feb. 3, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Bowness Community Association (7904 43 Ave NW);
• Feb. 6, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre (1316 33 St NE);
• Feb. 7, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – McGivney Hall, St. Mary's University (14550 Bannister Rd SE);
• Feb. 8, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – online; and
• Feb. 10, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Grace Lutheran Church (3610 Sarcee Rd SW).

Mixed reaction

Michael Wilhelm, president of the Shaganappi Community Association, said he isn’t confident that putting this kind of density on single-family lots will work.

However, he notes that Shaganappi is already experiencing a lot of rezoning like this and would like to see that spread around.

“I think some relief to our residents would be helpful and I think if we’re going to, you know, explore this option that should be done on a city-wide basis as opposed to a community-by-community basis. So, it’d be a relief to us to actually see more communities take on this kind of density,” Wilhelm said.

Sasha Tsenkova, a University of Calgary planning professor, said if the rezoning is done right, it’s a positive move.

“We have really amazingly low densities in terms of just the basic metric of homes per acre or people per acre in some inner-city communities, in mature communities. So, with the influx of people to the city and patterns of growth, we need to really use efficiently what we have,” said Tsenkova.

At the same time, she added that blanket rezoning needs to be done in a sensitive way.

“Not everything and anything across the city is done in a uniform way and there are situations where indeed, there is the need to be more sensitive to the way that rezoning or up-zoning will actually play out and actually impact the lives of people and indeed the built environment of neighbourhoods,” Tsenkova said.

A report on the findings of the public engagement will be shared with Calgary city council on March 7. Then on April 22, the Calgary Planning Commission’s recommendations will be considered by city council.

No zoning will change without council approval.

Visit the city’s website to learn more about the proposed plan.