Blanket rezoning replacement policy in Calgary could take 18 months

Several groups gathered at Calgary city hall on Monday to urge council to get a new plan in the works for housing policy.

Less than a week after scrapping Calgary’s controversial blanket rezoning policy, nearly a dozen housing advocacy and student groups gathered on the steps of city hall to push for a quick replacement plan.

“Mr. Mayor, you made a promise not just to us, but to all Calgarians during the election—a commitment to gentle density across the city. Six months of silence is not a strategy; it’s not leadership,” said Willem Klumpenhouwer with More Neighbours Calgary.

“We need a timeline, we need a compromise and we need it now,” he said.

However, updated zoning rules to replace the now-defunct bylaw could take up to a year and a half, one councillor said.

“In early 2027, we’re going to be taking a look at the municipal development plan. Once we get that done, we can move on to finalizing the updated zoning bylaw,” said Coun. DJ Kelly, who represents Ward 4.

“That’s likely the place where you’re going to see more of these changes occurring, which means we basically have about 12 months to 18 months.”

As of August, more than 300,000 residential properties will revert back to the zoning rules that were in place until 2024.

After August, developments of low-density homes such as townhomes and rowhomes can still proceed, but only after being approved through individual land use hearings.

Council will have to hear each land use change application individually at scheduled public hearings.

“So to be clear, I have zero interest in replacing blanket rezoning with a new blanket rezoning. I want to work legitimately with the community to be able to get this right,” Mayor Jeromy Farkas said Monday.

“It’s very clear that blanket rezoning did not work for the vast majority of Calgarians. So then the question becomes, what’s next? And for us as a council, we’re stepping up to the plate with a local plan process, as well as much greater land and capital being made for those not-for-profit providers to be able to deliver housing that is actually affordable, rather than just, say, at that million-dollar price point for developers.”

It’s those affordable housing options that continue to be the hardest to find, especially for students, advocates say.

“Students are couch-surfing; they’re living in unsafe conditions. They’re packing into accommodation,” said Julia Law with the University of Calgary’s Students’ Union.

“It’s happening, truly, because rent is out of their budget.”