Premier discusses proposed blanket rezoning
Just over a week before a massive public hearing is set to get underway in Calgary, Premier Danielle Smith weighed in Saturday on the contentious topic of blanket rezoning.
On her biweekly call-in radio show, Smith was asked her opinion on blanket rezoning, which is currently being proposed in Calgary as a means of boosting density and increasing the overall housing supply.
While she responded that she has always preferred to live in communities zoned for a variety of mixed uses due to the proximity of commercial amenities, Smith said that's her personal choice, and suggested it's unfair to force that lifestyle on the entire population.
“I've chosen the types of homes I've had because there is a diversity of zoning. Other people choose a different type of neighbourhood for (the opposite) reason — they want to be able to have the type of homes where they know it's going to be safe for their kids, where there isn't going to be mixed-use.
“There's going to be similar types of families in those communities with similar interests in being able to maintain the public amenities the way they want to. We should be able to allow for a combination of all those things.”
Smith's comments came nine days before Calgary city council will sit for a multi-day public hearing starting April 22, where potentially a few hundred residents will speak on the rezoning proposal.
After that hearing, council will vote whether or not to amend the city's land-use bylaw to change the city's base zoning district to residential grade-oriented infill (RC-G). The change would allow for medium-density infills with ground-level entrances, such as duplexes and row houses, to be built on an individual parcel of land throughout much of the city, including in neighbourhoods that are currently zoned solely for single-family detached homes.
Currently, property owners in these “established” single-family communities need to apply for a land-use redesignation and development permit if they wish to build these housing forms. If RC-G becomes the base residential district, the land-use redesignation would no longer be required, speeding up the redevelopment process.
While proponents argue RC-G would improve housing affordability by increasing the overall supply and type of housing options available, the proposal has been highly divisive, with recent councillor-led open houses generating significant resident opposition.
Ward 14 Coun. Peter Demong hosted two townhalls in southeast Calgary last week, both of which saw standing-room-only attendances. According to media reports, the majority of attendees at the gatherings in Midnapore and Lake Bonavista expressed concerns about blanket rezoning, stating densification would increase traffic and parking congestion, affect property values and alter the character of their community.
On her radio show, Smith took aim at Ottawa for committing $228 million from the Housing Accelerator Fund to Calgary last November to fast-track housing builds, under the condition the municipality would end exclusionary zoning rules. She argued it was an example of Ottawa “rewriting the zoning laws” and meddling in municipal jurisdiction.
“Those are the kinds of strings that get attached when the federal government comes in,” Smith said. "They're not just here to help, they're not just here to try to be a funding partner and deal in good faith. They're here to get an agenda implemented.
She argued it's an example of why the Alberta government's Bill 18, the Provincial Priorities Act, is necessary. The proposed legislation would require the province's permission before the federal government signs funding agreements with Alberta's municipalities, post-secondary institutions or other provincially operated entities.