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PROJECT BACKGROUND

WHAT IS THE JOINT USE AND PLANNING AGREEMENT?

The Joint Use and Planning Agreement is a partnership between The City of Calgary, the Calgary Board of Education, the Calgary Catholic School District and the Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud.

The Agreement provides the tools and guidance required to achieve complete communities. It also outlines the coordinated approach to the allocation, use, planning and development, and maintenance of municipal reserve, open space, and school sites to address the evolving needs of Calgarians.

Municipal reserve is a piece of land that can only be used for parks and related purposes outlined in the Municipal Government Act of Alberta.

An open space includes current and potential future parks, pathways, roadway greens, land for parks and recreation facilities, golf courses, cemeteries, and other alternative use of green space.

A joint use site is land set aside for or including a school building, a location for a school building or a school playing field and community playing fields with facilities and grounds which are accessible to both school and non-school users.

WHY WE'RE UPDATING THE AGREEMENT

The current Joint Use and Planning Agreement was created in 1985. It has had some minor updates since then. It is important to update the Agreement as community demographics and needs change over time. This new Agreement will be more adaptable and flexible, respond to changes in Provincial legislation and City policies since 1985 and include the three school boards and The City.

The modernized Agreement will create efficiencies in delivering land use, recreation, parks, and school facilities. It will allow for multiple uses on reserve lands to further the role of school sites as key activity hubs in the community.

Through engagement, we have learned about how different groups use and want to use these sites. Often, these sites are in prominent locations within the community and can be used for a variety of different activities. The information shared with us has been reviewed and incorporated into the new Agreement where appropriate.

The new Agreement addresses how The City and school boards plan, develop, use, and dispose of school sites. As well, the use and maintenance of school facilities, municipal facilities and playing fields have been addressed. In addition to updates to the content, a single Agreement with all three school boards is an important outcome for all partners going forward.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE AGREEMENT

The City and school boards have reviewed the existing Agreement, and have collaborated to fill gaps, resolve issues and found opportunities to improve the Agreement. These include:

  • Developed criteria for uses which provide a public benefit that are compatible with school board purposes which will enable multiple uses on joint use sites and promote redevelopment on surplus unused, closed or underutilized school sites.
  • Addressed maintenance and operational costs of Joint Use Sites and multi-use buildings.
  • Assessed and updated the use of the reserve fund.
  • Modernized the disposal of surplus school sites.
  • Incorporated recent City policies and Provincial legislation that are related to the Agreement.
  • One Agreement with all three school boards.

The new Agreement is not focused on any individual joint use site in Calgary. It provides the policies to help us improve collaboration and land use and planning on joint use sites across the city. Once approved by all partners, the new Agreement will support discussions about individual sites.

NEXT STEPS

Thank you for being part of this process to update the Joint Use and Planning Agreement. The project team is aiming to present the Agreement to the Infrastructure and Planning Committee on September 9, 2022 with a report to Calgary City Council in October.