If you’ve been following municipal politics recently, you might be feeling a little disappointed in city council.
City council will hear from hundreds of people starting on Monday as council debates amending Calgary's land-use bylaw to allow for blanket rezoning.Before the city's zoning bylaws can be amended, the new plan has to go through a public hearing process. Almost 650 people had signed up to speak as of Thursday, with an additional 5,155 written submissions.
Much of the controversy surrounding the strategy, if it's approved, centres on the fact that it would allow for different housing types, such as townhomes and six-plexes, to be built in neighbourhoods that currently only allow single-family homes., meaning that there's a gap in available housing options for those hoping to upgrade from an apartment, but not quite ready for a single-family home.
"I think the most important thing to remember on this item is: are we doing the right thing for the future of our city? Are we ensuring that we will have the housing supply that we need? That is the number-one thing that we need to address."released in mid-April following public engagement on upzoning, residents raised a number of key themes they hope the city will consider before voting on the proposed rezoning.
Concerns raised by opponents of the land-use change include worries about its effect on available parking and the character of their neighbourhoods, as well as the impact of the rezoning on property values. Many opponents also say it won't address the immediate issue of housing affordability.City council has been grappling with how to navigate this contentious topic since it was first proposed.
"Let's face it, people bought their homes in R-C1 and R-C2 communities. They did it based on the rules that existed around zoning," he told CBC News on Friday. "To change those rules … unilaterally, without the input of Calgarians, is frankly inappropriate on the part of council." Last month, two walking tours organized by the city to show people examples of what mixed-use residential blocks look like were cancelled due to safety concerns, according to organizers.Hundreds attend S.E. councillor's meetings to voice concerns about upzoning proposal
Right now, the city says 95 per cent of rezoning applications that come through the council chamber are approved. "We're getting a pretty large influx of new residents on a daily basis, and that affects all kinds of folks in all kinds of parts in the city," she said.
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