After more than 20 hours of discussion spread over two days, a city committee recommends that the city council increase approval of five proposed communities on Calgary’s outer boundary.
Thursday night, the city’s planning and infrastructure committee voted narrowly 6-5 on an amended recommendation that the council advance approval of the five proposed communities to September from November budget deliberations. Those five were recommended in a city plan to help meet demand for Calgary’s projected population growth of 88,000 people by 2026.
Three additional communities were also included in the initial plan, but the administration said they want to conduct an analysis to see if risks related to “service, operating cost efficiency and absorption” can be mitigated. That report is due in September, rather than the November budget talks.
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The original recommendation from the city administration was to hold approvals for the five proposed communities until November, when city councilors will craft the next four-year budget.
A map of Calgary showing the eight proposed communities recommended for approval by the Calgary city administration.
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“From a governance perspective, it’s really important that we all make big decisions together, at the right time, after we’ve given everything due consideration,” Ward 9 Coun. and committee chairman Gian-Carlo Carra told reporters.
The change came from Ward 12 Count. Evan Spencer, after a Ward 1 Coun attempt. Sonya Sharp will advance the approval of the eight proposed new communities until September.
Sharp told committee members that waiting until November would create “another unnecessary barrier to companies starting their work.”
Meanwhile, Ward 8 Count. Courtney Walcott said it was “bad government” to change the process by rushing through the eight proposed communities, adding that she wanted to see the process move through the budget process.
“We don’t know what our budget is yet, it’s not done… putting this process in place takes two months off our industry partners,” Walcott told the committee. “This is now a conversation about circumventing this to benefit the industry over governance.”
The cost of the proposed communities would be included with funding for 39 previously approved new communities set at $532 million over the next four years. The money would cover transit, roads, utilities and emergency services.
According to the city administration, while the five proposed communities do not require further capital funding, they will require $5 million in annual operating funds in the 2023-2026 budget. ‘
“I support moving these five business cases forward. I’ve had conversations with many of you who believe this will all happen within budget,” Spencer told the committee. “These business cases will have minimal impact on the 2023-2026 budget due to prior investment.”
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Councilmembers Andre Chabot, Jennifer Wyness, Dan McLean and Sharp also introduced several amendments asking the administration to continue working on five other proposed new neighborhoods to clarify concerns before further consideration.
A different amendment recommended the city manager consult with the development industry about the current approval and construction process for new communities after the committee heard concerns about the process from developers Monday.
“The difficult part of this process is that it seems like we’re picking winners and losers,” Sharp said.
The committee also voted to include research on net-zero emissions goals and climate initiatives in the development of these new communities.
The city administration expressed its own concern about the ability to get the work done ahead of budget.
Carra told the committee that she felt the committee’s move dismantled the city’s processes for the benefit of the development industry.
“The signal it sends is that regardless of what we say we are going to do, they can pressure us and politicize us to do what they want,” Carra said. “That’s a bad, bad place to be.”
The report also recommends an additional $232 million over four years for transit, roads and utilities on 250 hectares of industrial land in the city.
An additional $83 million over four years is recommended for established areas in the city that are expected to cover capacity-building projects and “enhance the attractiveness of established areas.”
Spending decisions with both capital and operating funds will be considered in the budget. Still, the committee’s full list of recommendations will need the final word from the entire city council at a meeting scheduled for late July.
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