Council adopted recommendations on adopted recommendations on Growth Applications in Glacier Ridge Area Structure Plan on July 29, 2025. 

Administration brought forth a semi annual briefing in January on Growth Applications that have completed the evaluation and refinement stage and are anticipated to be presented at the Infrastructure and Planning Committee in April/May 2025. 

Council adopted recommendations on Growth Applications in Glacier Ridge and Belvedere on March 18, 2025. Four growth applications were recommended for consideration in the 2025 mid cycle adjustments to the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets.

Council adopted recommendations on Growth Applications in Glacier Ridge, West View, Providence and Haskayne on April 29, 2025. Four growth applications were recommended for consideration in the 2025 mid cycle adjustments to the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets.

Administration brought a semi annual update briefing on Growth Application activity and a report on the approval timing for operating costs only Growth Applications to Infrastructure and Planning Committee on June 4, 2025.  

Council approved the New Community Growth Application decision-making process that would provide the ability for Council to consider approving, at any time, Growth Applications that initially require only operating investments. Council also adopted recommendations on five and one partial, operating costs only Growth Applications that were previously directed to be considered in the 2025 November Adjustments to the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets.

Administration brought forth a semi annual briefing in January on Growth Applications that have completed the evaluation and refinement stage and are anticipated to be presented at the Infrastructure and Planning Committee in April/May 2024.

Council adopted recommendations on growth applications in Belvedere, Westview, Keystone Hills, Providence, South Shepard and Glacier Ridge on May 28, 2024. Four growth applications were recommended for consideration in the 2025 mid cycle adjustments to the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets.

Administration brought forth a semi-annual update briefing on Growth Application activity to the Infrastructure and Planning Committee with status information on ten active files on June 12, 2024. 

On November 5th 2024, Council adopted adjustments to the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets with four growth applications in Belvedere, Keystone Hills and South Shepard moving forward. 

Learn more about the proposed new approach to Growth Applications presented on June 7, 2023 Infrastructure and Planning Committee here. This item was presented at a Public Hearing of City Council on July 25, 2023. Council unanimously approved the recommendations. Growth Applications have been accepted through the new process as of August 1, 2023.

On September 8, 2023, the funding approval status of capital requests identified in the 2023-2026 Citywide Growth Investment Portfolio was made available on Growth Applications under the Review Contextual Information section.  

A new version of the Suburban Residential Growth report was made available to the public on October 16, 2023. 

City Council approved an adjustment to the Growth Application fees on smaller applications (up to 16 hectares in area) on Otcober 17, 2023. Learn more here.  

Council approved over $267 million for new community investments. These new areas of the city will be able to accommodate over 12,500 new homes over the next 20-30 years. Council also approved the removal of the growth management overlay for 8 new community business cases.  

Removing a Growth Management Overlay lets landowners begin development steps—like stripping and grading, land use redesignation, subdivision, and construction —and commits the City to providing supporting off-site services.

Council further directed Administration to make changes to the business case evaluation process related to enabling new community development (i.e., The Growth Management Overlay process).

Per direction from Council, the 2022 business case evaluations included new tools for understanding and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and climate-risk. This analysis, prepared by City Administration, was provided for informational and supplementary purposes only, and was not part of the formal climate-related decision-making criteria that Administration used to determine a portfolio of business cases for Growth Management Overlay removals in 2023-2026. 

Learn more about  the location of the 2022 business cases.  

2022 business case submission resources:

• New Community 2022 Business Case Criteria
• Business Case Submission Guidelines
• Business Case Development Template
• Climate Risk Statement
• Natural Asset Valuation
• Business Case Submission Summaries
• New community summaries

Evaluation criteria are focused on the following well established growth planning factors including alignment with the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP), market demand and financial impact. 

Learn more about the analysis of three new community businesses cases at Infrastructure and Planning committee on Sept 9, 2022. 

Learn more about proposed changes to the growth applications process at the Strategic Meeting of Council on Sept 20, 2022.

On November 2019, Council provided clarity on the 2020 New Community Growth Strategy process through the Growth Monitoring Report (PFC2019-1062) (Item 7.12), approving a change to the established process of how business cases are received  to recognize The City of Calgary’s financial constraints.

As part of the modified process, proponents submitted proposals that showed how their business case area will meet the following entrance criteria:

1. No required capital costs from The City of Calgary to initiate development;
2. No required operating costs in the current One Calgary (2019-2022) budget or the next (2023-2026) budget cycle, without a proposed mitigating solution, that does not include tax and utility rate increases using the existing model and any improvements made by the date of review;
3. Completing areas of previously approved communities and leveraging capital investments already made in 2018 and prior years;
4. Property tax generation potential; and
5. Levy generation potential that funds new and established areas.

Full business cases were reviewed using this Evaluation Criteria to ensure that when a new community is approved, it is viable and will grow into a great place for future residents and businesses.

The New Community Growth Strategy 2020 evaluation included the submission and review of 11 business cases for new community growth. Administration brought forward a recommendation to the Priorities and Finance Committee on Oct. 19, and debate and decisions occurred at the Nov. 2 Combined Meeting of Council.

None of the business cases were approved. Proponents were invited to resubmit these applications during the next evaluation cycle. Learn more about the proposed 2020 business cases here.   

Council made amendments to Administration’s recommendations and added motions arising. These included encouraging developers in currently approved business cases to maximize development, to look at the potential of right-sizing some road standards to redirect savings to established communities, and to better integrate climate resilience considerations into the business case process. 

Learn more about the Growth Strategy Monitoring Report: Item 7.12

A new framework for strategic growth decision making in new community areas was created. Business cases for new growth areas were prepared and recommendations were brought forward with decisions made by Council. The result was an approved portfolio of investments for 14 new communities and 27 actively developing communities for inclusion in the One Calgary (2019-2022) service plan and budget. This represents an estimated $489 million investment from 2019-2022 and sets forward a path for strategic growth in these areas for the next 10-30 years. 

The 2018 process also introduced three growth decision making factors; the MDP/CTP Alignment, Market Demand and Financial Impact.

Since 2018, as the Citywide Growth Strategy moved onto established areas and industrial areas, these three factors continue to be the foundational considerations for process and investment recommendations made to Council.

Reports to Council

• March 2018 Item 7.1
• July 2018 Items 8.2.1, 8.2.1.1, and 8.2.3