April 2024 Newsletter

Greetings Ward 14!

I don’t often reduce this column to a single topic, but today I am going to make an exception. I will still break it down in sections to make it easier to digest. On April 22, City Council will undergo a public hearing and decide on whether or not to make some major changes to what type of building is allowed on properties in Calgary. I voted against moving forward with this, but here we are.

I eventually want to get into more detail about how we got here. First, there are some key details that I should get out of the way.

Ward 14 Open Houses

As a part of this public hearing, I must remain open to persuasion. That is the law, but it is also important to me to be open to what Calgarians think. There have been some opportunities for input, but it has not been enough.

I will be holding two sessions in April. These will be opportunities to speak with some of the City’s experts on proposed rezoning changes, and a chance to give me your thoughts face-to-face. I encourage you to visit calgary.ca/ward14 where I will write more about this, but here are the most urgent details.

Public Input

A huge thank you to my Executive Assistant Lois for being the first point of contact for all your comments on this is in order. A huge thank you to those who are taking the time to let me know what they think is also in order. Keep it coming, if you are inspired to do so. I want to know where you stand.

But contacting my office is not the only way to exercise your democratic rights in the public hearing. The deadline to take input at engage.calgary.ca/rezoningforhousing has been extended to April 11 at the request of Council. If you have any questions or comments about this method of input, I would like to hear about that too.

Background

During the Fall of 2023, City Council voted and approved a Housing Strategy. If you are looking for a more detailed account, I provided it back then. You can find it at Affordable Housing Decisions and What's Next, but here is the gist.

Some parts of the strategy called for actions and funding to increase the stock of subsidized affordable housing available to Calgarians. Another part of the strategy aimed to make all housing more affordable through major changes to Calgary’s land zoning. You can read more about the first parts in the link shared above. The latter is the main topic of this newsletter, and it is what Council will be deciding on April 22.

Blanket Rezoning is the headliner. Today all residential properties in Calgary come with a base level of allowable development. This means a single-detached home and a basement suite with restrictions on height etc. is allowed on any residential property without further approval from City Council.

Administration’s recommendation (i.e., the “blanket rezoning” we will be voting on) proposes to change this base level of maximum allowable development to four “semi-detached” dwelling units (basically four rowhouses). Each of these rowhouses would be allowed a basement suite, for a total maximum of eight dwelling units on the base residential parcel of land where the maximum had previously been two. 

I understand that we will also vote on a proposal to allow a basement suite and a backyard suite on every property and remove the need to supply a parking space for a backyard suite. Properties are currently limited to either a backyard suite or a basement suite, not both.

My Stance

I do not have a problem with much of the Housing Strategy as it was presented in Fall of 2023. The blanket rezoning, however, is just not something I could bring myself to support. Back then the citizens of Ward 14 made it clear to me they had reservations about the rezoning.

On April 22, I will remain open to being persuaded by the many opinions in Council chambers. I believe the public hearing is an important part of our democracy, and staying open to persuasion is a part of my duty as a Council member. But based on what I hear, the opinions of Ward 14 constituents have not changed much since then.

The Public Hearing

As I mentioned, the Public Hearing on this blanket rezoning will be held on April 22. The deadline to send written public submissions for the April 22 agenda will be April 15. There will also be a chance to speak to Council at the meeting. Every citizen is entitled to five minutes in front of Council.

For more information about the rezoning you may want to visit calgary.ca/rezoningforhousing. If you want to focus on how to participate in the public hearing, you can go straight to calgary.ca/publichearing.

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Feel free to contact me any time. The best way to contact me is by visiting calgary.ca/contactward14 or calling (403) 268-1653.

Sincerely,

Councillor Peter Demong