Questions about Calgary’s proposed citywide rezoning? Ask

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The City of Calgary’s plan for a blanket residential rezoning will be presented at a public hearing next Monday. The change, if approved, would mean a homeowner could apply to build a townhouse or semi-detached house in areas where only single-family homes are currently permitted.

Do you have questions about the proposal? Share them with Town Hall Reporter Scott Strasser during a live Q&A event today at 11:30 a.m. on this page. Simply head to the comments section below and leave your query in the discussion box.

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Zoning improvement proposal linked to housing strategy approved by council

Calgary’s planned switch to basic residential zoning has its roots in the city’s housing strategy, which was approved by city council in September 2023.

Officials called the strategy “a major turning point” in addressing an ongoing housing crisis that has one in five Calgary households struggling to afford housing.

The approval laid the groundwork for a multi-year plan to add more housing in the city, one of which was a provision for general R-CG zoning throughout the city, “upward zoning” that will increase density by allowing the construction of townhomes and duplexes on land currently zoned for single-family homes.

Councilors reject plebiscite on rezoning proposal

A change to R-CG zoning citywide requires a public hearing, which is scheduled for Monday.

However, some city council members attempted in March to add the general rezoning issue as a plebiscite during the 2025 municipal elections.

This was rejected by the council in a 8-6 decision.

Councilors in favor of the plebiscite argued that a blanket rezoning would eliminate the possibility of holding public hearings on individual properties for future land use changes.

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Mayor Jyoti Gondek and some other council members who opposed the plebiscite compared a public vote to “kicking the can down the road.” Councilors said next month’s public hearing will give the public a chance to express their views and the “why” behind them, rather than the simple yes or no that a plebiscite would offer.

Planned upzoning policy sparks controversy

Critics of the proposed upzoning policy have claimed that the change would alter the character of existing neighborhoods and lead to overdevelopment, while advocates have claimed that it will limit suburban sprawl and improve housing affordability.

The issue has proven contentious for many, to the point that a related walking tour to explain the proposed rezoning policy had to be canceled due to threats and hate speech directed at organizers.

City employees were told the event would face hecklers and racialized municipal employees were met with racist tirades, Calgary Federation of Communities executive director Leslie Evans told Postmedia at the time.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also recently weighed in on the debate on her weekly radio show, criticizing the federal government for forcing cities to change their zoning rules in order to qualify for federal housing funding.

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“Those are the kind of conditions that are imposed 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 financial partner and negotiate in good faith. “They are here to implement an agenda.”

District 14 County. Peter Demong recently hosted two town halls in southeast Calgary, and both were standing room only. According to media reports, most attendees at meetings in Midnapore and Lake Bonavista expressed concerns about the overall rezoning, stating that densification would increase traffic and parking congestion, affect property values ​​and alter the character of your community.

With files from Scott Strasser and Michael Rodriguez

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