Calgary’s contentious blanket rezoning policy back before city council | Globalnews.ca
More than 350 people have signed up to speak Monday at what is expected to be another marathon public hearing on Calgary’s highly divisive, citywide rezoning issue, and that number could grow as the hearing gets underway.
The issue is back before council after it became a key point of debate in last fall’s municipal election, with many of the members of the new city council promising to repeal or reconsider the policy, which was approved by the last city council in 2024.
That approval came after a historically long public hearing with 736 people speaking to the issue, over 15 days. The majority of them opposed to blanket rezoning, which resulted in the city’s base residential zoning policy being changed to allow for more housing types on a single property, such as row houses and duplexes.
The policy change was aimed at boosting the supply and affordability of housing in the city.
However, the new council voted in December, by a 13 to 2 margin, to kickstart the process of repealing the policy.
“Its not so much blanket rezoning yes or no,” Mayor Jeromy Farkas said ahead of the hearing. “[It’s] more that continuous debate over change, community character, how we continue to be able to build the needed housing in a way that the community feels involved in and respected.”
Shameer Gaidhar, chair of the Calgary Inner City Builders Association said the city needs row housing, but not everywhere. “There are location criteria that have involved community engagement, industry engagement, so if they are the appropriate places, why aren’t we approving them and moving those forth.”
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While those in favour say the policy say it is working, opponents say it is damaging the character of their neighbourhoods.
Interest in the public hearing is so great that the city has had to set up overflow seating, outside of Calgary city council chambers.
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Along with the hundreds of speakers, council has also received nearly 2,400 written submissions on the issue.
The public hearing is scheduled to run 12 hours per day for the entire week and into next week if needed.
Other people who wish to speak will be allowed to register as long as the public hearing is still going on.
Farkas said that if the policy is changed, there needs to be a replacement strategy on how the city will continue to build the housing it needs.
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