REALIZE

NORTH HILL COMMUNITIES LOCAL AREA PLAN

UPDATE

On September 14, 2021 Council approved the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (LAP) with a 13-1 vote. This plan is Calgary’s first modernized, multi-community local area plan and is the result of over 2.5 years of engagement with area stakeholders including residents, community associations, business improvement areas, and the building and development industry. Not to mention several rounds of committee and Council directed revisions over the past year.

The North Hill Communities LAP sets out the vision and policies to guide growth and change in the communities of Capitol Hill, Crescent Heights, Highland Park, Mount Pleasant, Renfrew, Rosedale, Thorncliffe-Greenview (south of McKnight Blvd), Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview and Greenview Industrial. In addition to policies for how land can be used and redevelopment in the area, the Plan identifies actions that can be taken to support communities as they experience growth and change. The plan will help support local businesses, create new business opportunities, and guide City investment in the area – such as within the area’s main streets, parks, and civic and recreation facilities. The plan will also support The City’s largest infrastructure investment ever, the Green Line LRT by providing greater opportunities for people to choose to live and work in this area.

With the approval of the North Hill Communities LAP, we’re excited to be moving ahead with specific actions identified in the LAP including developing heritage guidelines for heritage areas and local area improvement such as Balmoral Circus Improvements, Crescent Road Master Plan, 40 Avenue N.E. Park & Area Improvements and North Mount Pleasant Arts Centre Area Improvements.

Thank you to everyone who dedicated their time and provided input throughout the creation of the Plan!

Click here to review the approved plan

ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

Thank you to everyone who shared ideas and provided input through the project!

The input provided by citizens and stakeholders helped the project team understand people’s perspectives, opinions, and concerns. Input collected in each phase helped influence and inform the concepts and policies that were created and refined throughout the process.

Engagement Highlights

Prior to project kick-off: The project team met with and surveyed local community association members and business improvement area members to ask how their communities wanted to be engaged. Their feedback, together with unique local context considerations (including demographics, previous engagement learnings, popular events, hard to reach groups, etc.), was taken into consideration as we finalized the outreach plan and selected tactics throughout the project.

Throughout the project:

Over 800,000 people were made aware of the project through our communications program.
Over 20,000 people participated online or in-person.
Over 7,000 ideas and contributions were collected across all phases.
61 events and meetings were held (with the general public and targeted stakeholders such as: youth, business owners, landowners, Chinese-speaking community members, community association members and business improvement area representatives, etc.)
3 multi-week, multi-input online engagement opportunities were available.
2 online information sessions / presentations were held.

Throughout the project we:

Raised awareness about the project and opportunities to get involved through a variety of traditional, digital and in-community channels aiming to reach diverse stakeholders in each phase of the project.
Took a grassroots approach, working with community leaders and popping up throughout the community, to ensure we were accessible to all and in an effort to reach people we may not have otherwise connected with.
Worked to actively remove participation barriers and promote participation for all who wanted to be involved. Specifically, we removed barriers to participation by:
- offering sessions at varied times to accommodate different schedules;
- ensuring a range of participation methods were available so people could participate in ways that best suited their interests and needs (from community pop-ups to local information and feedback stations, workshops, community tradeshows, targeted stakeholder sessions, open houses, online information and engagement opportunities);
- translating information and offering interpretation in Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish, (due to a higher than average number of speakers in the area). Translated ads were placed in Chinese-language papers. Translated materials and interpreters were available at three in-person sessions.
- providing opportunities that were general, stakeholder-specific and topic-specific to ensure a range of diverse perspectives were heard.
- creating family-friendly events with children’s activities.
Engaged with a range of stakeholder groups (from residents, community associations and business owners to students and seniors) at a range of locations through the plan area (the local college, Chinese market, transit stops, recreation centres, parks, grocery stores, seniors’ facilities, low-income residences and schools in the area).
Ensured that North Hill Communities Working Group members represented a broad range of demographics and perspectives (although there are limitations based on who applied).
Took an iterative and phased approach to education and engagement which enabled dialogue to start at a broad / visionary level and naturally progress and become more focused and refined overtime.
We actively discussed key topics, collected input and reported back to participants throughout the project to demonstrate that we were listening to and utilizing community feedback (or in some cases, clarifying why feedback could not be utilized) to ensure stakeholders could see how feedback was being considered and utilized throughout the project and in the creation of the plan.

Summary of Input

In our Final Engagement Summary, we have outlined the details of our engagement program and the high-level themes that were common from all three phases of engagement and provided responses for how these were addressed and considered throughout the project.

To review the What We Heard Reports from each phase of the project, click the links below.

Phase 1: Discover & Discuss - What We Heard Report
Phase 2: Envision - What We Heard Report
Phase 3: Evaluate - What We Heard Report
Phase 4: Realize - What We Heard Report

HOW WAS PUBLIC INPUT CONSIDERED?

Your input, and the input of other citizens and stakeholders, helped City decision makers understand people’s perspectives, opinions, and concerns. Input collected in each phase of the project was compiled and shared through a series of What We Heard reports (linked above).

Through the project, decision makers considered public input and demonstrated how input influenced decisions where possible or aimed to explain why decisions were not influenced by public input if they did not.

Although it would be a great outcome, the goal of public engagement is not to reach consensus or make everyone happy. Public engagement is also not about voting or collecting representative information. Public engagement is about considering the input, ideas and perspectives of people who are interested or impacted by decisions, before decisions are made.

Public input is an important part of local area planning, but is one of many areas of consideration in the decision-making process.

Learn more about engagement at The City, visit engage.calgary.ca/about.

PROJECT UPDATES

On June 21, 2021 the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (the Plan) was brought forward to Council. At that meeting, Council gave first reading to the Plan and provided direction to reduce building scale in certain locations and correct minor mapping inconsistencies showing 31 Avenue NE connected to 6 Street NE. Second and third readings were withheld pending review of the Plan by the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB).

An updated version of the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (June 21, 2021 which incorporated Council direction) was circulated to the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). The CMRB issued a formal letter of approval on August 20, 2021. For additional information on the CMRB review and their approval of the Plan, visit calgarymetroregion.ca/2021-12

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan will now return to Council for second and third readings. The scheduled Council date is September 13, 2021.

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan received first reading at Council yesterday and is now headed to the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board for review, prior to returning to Council for second and third reading.

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (the Plan) was first brought forward to Committee and Council in the spring and summer of 2020 and was refined based on public input and Council direction. Most recently, the Plan was brought back to Council for a Public Hearing on March 24, additional refinements were then directed by Council April 12, and the Plan returned to Council on June 21 where it received first reading with a vote of 10-4.

Next Steps

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan will now be circulated to the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board. After a recommendation is provided by the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board Administration, municipalities are given a 28-day period for review. The Plan will then return to Council for second and third reading, with an estimated to return to Council in September 2021.

As the first multi-community local area plan in Calgary, the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan will help guide change in the area by: outlining a future vision for the area and providing development direction to match development with the priorities for future local investment in the area. The Plan is the first to incorporate best practice direction from the Guide for Local Area Planning, including incorporation of Heritage Guideline Areas and a Single-Detached Special Policy Area. The Plan is also the first to pilot a property tax uplift, which aims to link new development and the resulting tax revenue increase with funding for growth-related local investment in the area, such as the priorities outlined in the Plan.

Thank You!

Throughout the creation and refinement of the Plan, thousands of citizens and stakeholders (including community members, local business owners, landowners, development industry members, community association and business improvement area representatives) dedicated their time to help create, shape and refine the Plan. In total, 61 engagement events were held, over 20,000 participants were engaged, and over 7,000 ideas and inputs were collected. Thank you to everyone who took the time to get involved.

Stay Tuned

An update will be provided following circulation to the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board and prior to the Plan’s return to Council.

Recent Council & Committee Direction – North Hill Communities Local Area Plan & The Guide for Local Area Planning

At the April 12 meeting of Council, Administration was directed to make a series of amendments to the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (LAP), incorporate the policies in the Guide as needed, and return to Council by June 21, 2021.

The Guide for Local Area Planning (previously named "Guidebook for Great Communities") was considered and accepted by the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD) Committee on May 5, 2021. The Committee directed Administration to use the document, with the 62 amendments proposed, as a best-practice guide to planning communities in collaboration with citizens and other stakeholders through the Local Area Plan (LAP) program.

What does this mean for the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan?

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan has been informed by the Guide throughout its creation and evolution. For example, the recently updated urban form and scale categories within the Guide were incorporated in the January 2021 version of the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (LAP) and the North Hill Communities LAP policies build on or add to the foundational policies within the Guide. Based on the new direction provided by Council and Committee, outlined above, the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan will see additional two key refinements:

Applicable policies from the Guide will be incorporated directly into the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan. This change will ensure future guidance and development direction within the North Hill Communities area will remain consistent, but all applicable policies and direction will now be contained exclusively within the North Hill Communities LAP.
Council-directed amendments for the North Hill Communities LAP will also be incorporated into the revised LAP.

When will the revised North Hill Communities Local Area Plan be available for review and presented to Council?

The revised North Hill Communities LAP will be shared with the public on June 1, 2021. The revised North Hill Communities LAP will be presented to Council on June 21, 2021.

Summary of April 12, 2021 Combined Meeting of Council

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan was tabled to the April 12, 2021 Combined Meeting of Council. At that meeting, Council referred the North Hill Communities Plan back to Administration to incorporate amendments, policies from the Guidebook, as required, and report directly to Council no later than June 21, 2021. Council also approved two motions arising related to the North Hill Communities Plan.

For additional information, please review the following:

Summary of Motion Arisings and Council-directed Amendments
Detailed Referral Motion and Motions Arising (as approved connected to item 9.2.1 North Hill Communities Local Area Plan – April 12, 2021 Combined Meeting of Council).

When a Council date is determined, it will be posted.

March 2021 Update: Public Hearing of Council & Next Steps

The Guidebook for Great Communities and North Hill Communities Local Area Plan were presented and discussed at the public hearing of Council March 22 - 24, 2021. Over 130 citizens provided feedback directly, with 24 people speaking specifically to the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan. Additional input was also received through written submissions. Thank you to everyone who took the time to get involved.

Guidebook Next Steps

The Guidebook team was directed by Council (see item 8.2.1 within the official minutes) to report back to the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development on May 5, 2021 with a What We Heard Report (summarizing comments received through the public hearing related to the Guidebook) as well as any proposed amendments to the Guidebook for consideration.

North Hill Communities Next Steps

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan was tabled and will return to the Combined Meeting of Council on Monday, April 12, 2021 for further discussion and direction. The April 12 Council session is not a public hearing, but the public can tune in online. Visit Calgary.ca/Council to view the agenda (typically released the Thursday prior) and access the live stream. An update will be posted following Council on April 12.

The refined North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (North Hill LAP), along with the Guidebook for Great Communities (Guidebook) are scheduled to be released on Jan. 4, 2021.

In July of this year, Council directed Administration to undertake further work on the Guidebook and the North Hill LAP, and return by no later than the January Planning and Urban Development Committee meeting.

Providing time for review

Based on the importance of these policies and plans to citizens and our stakeholders, the holiday season, and the unprecedented situation in which we find ourselves with the COVID pandemic, we’re ensuring there is more time for people to review and learn about the newly refined Guidebook and North Hill Communities LAP in 2021.

The following information outlines the plan for public release and review, leading up to the Combined Meeting of Council:

Jan. 4: Publicly release and circulate refined Guidebook (Calgary.ca/guidebook) and North Hill LAP (calgary.ca/NorthHill).

Jan. 13: Attend SPC on Planning and Urban Development (PUD). We will give an update on the Guidebook and North Hill Communities LAP and be available to answer questions.

Feb. 3: Bring Guidebook and North Hill Communities LAP to PUD, which will result in a recommendation to the Combined Meeting of Council. This meeting will give PUD members and citizens a more fulsome presentation and opportunity for questions and comments.

March 22: Bring Guidebook and North Hill Communities LAP to Combined Meeting of Council, if PUD makes a recommendation to Council. This public hearing is another opportunity for citizens and Council to ask questions and provide comment. This meeting of Council will include a Council decision.

The newly refined Guidebook is scheduled to be posted at calgary.ca/Guidebook on Jan. 4. The newly refined North Hill Communities Local Area Plan will be posted here on Jan 4.

North Hill Communities Local Area Plan – Update on Revisions (October 2020)

In parallel to the Guidebook refinements, the North Hill team has been refining the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan. Focus areas for refinement are based on previous stakeholder feedback and direction provided by Council (captured in Attachment 2 of the North Hill Communities Council report). Three North Hill engagement sessions were held in late September with key stakeholders (North Hill Working Group alumni, community association representatives and development industry representatives). They reviewed and discussed changes to the draft plan, as well as recent updates to the Guidebook. The engagement sessions focused on the following key areas:

Urban Form Categories: discussing updates to the draft plan to accommodate the Guidebook’s revised urban form categories.
Transit Station Areas: incorporating Green Line’s new 9 Avenue N. station, and new subsections of the plan dealing with specific station areas.
History and Heritage Planning Areas: reviewing the revised History section and discussing the revised data set and boundaries for Heritage Planning Areas within the draft plan.
Chapter 3 – Supporting Growth: reviewing the revised chapter including the newly consolidated set of implementation actions.

The North Hill team is currently working on additional refinements to the plan, based on input received through the stakeholder sessions and additional Guidebook refinements. The next steps include: sharing the revised draft plan with Calgary Planning Commission (November 5) and making any additional refinements; sharing the final draft plan with key stakeholders (mid-to-late November); publishing the revised proposed plan on Calgary.ca (likely December); and returning to PUD with the revised proposed plan in no later than January 2021.

On July 27, 2020, Council directed Administration to revise the Guidebook for Great Communities (Guidebook) and the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan based on feedback received from stakeholders (outlined in the report and attachments found on the Council Agenda at 7.6 and 7.7.) and return back to PUD no later than January 2021.

For the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan, a key area of focus will be completing refinements to the plan (noted in the Attachment 2 of the North Hill Communities Council report), including an update to the future growth concept based on the new Urban Form Categories that are created through the Guidebook work. Updates on the Guidebook revisions can be found at Calgary.ca/Guidebook.

Based on direction from Council, the scope of the revisions and background understanding that is required, we are engaging with targeted stakeholders and citizens who have been closely involved in the creation of the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan.

Council Referral back to PUD Committee

On Monday June 15, Council approved a motion to refer the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan and the Guidebook for Great Communities back to the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD) on July 15, rather than proceeding to a public hearing of Council.

The Council motion and referral of both plans back to the PUD on July 15 enables potential refinements to be further discussed and/or directed prior to a public hearing of Council. On July 15, Administration will bring forward a presentation outlining proposed refinements for discussion.

The report for this meeting will be available the Thursday prior (visit link below) and members of the public may speak at PUD (please note the instructions for participating): Council & Committee Agendas, Minutes and Video.

Committee & Council Meeting Background

On March 4, the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan and the Guidebook for Great Communities were presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD). Feedback received at the Committee meeting indicated there were aspects of both plans that may benefit from further refinement. Ultimately, Committee recommended approval of the two policy documents and for their consideration at a Public Hearing of Council. However, with a desire for further refinements to be made, but a lack of ability for Administration to make refinements between Committee and Council meetings, a referral from Council back to PUD was made to ensure refinements could be further discussed and/or directed prior to a public hearing of Council.

KEY DATES

September 12, 2021

Combined Meeting of Council

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan returned to Council for second and third readings.

On September 14, 2021 Council approved the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (LAP) with a 13-1 vote.

June 20, 2021

Revised North Hill LAP presented to Council

The revised North Hill Communities Local Area Plan
was shared with the public on June 1, 2021.

The revised North Hill Communities LAP was presented to Council on June 21, 2021.

TIMELINE

Take a look back at the various phases of the project by clinking the red links below.

Timeline item 1 - active

PHASE 4: Spring 2020 - Spring 2021
REALIZE (WE ARE HERE)
- The final proposed plan is created and shared.
- The final proposed plan is ready for Council review and decision.
Timeline item 2 - complete

PHASE 3: Fall/Winter 2019
EVALUATE
- Key topics, options and alternatives are explored and evaluated.
- Review and provide feedback on draft proposed plan.
Timeline item 3 - complete

PHASE 2: Winter/Spring 2019
ENVISION
- Discuss the future vision for growth.
- Discuss key opportunities and big ideas.
- Identify topics that require further exploration.
Timeline item 4 - complete

PHASE 1: Fall 2018
DISCOVER & DISCUSS
- Learn about the project and upcoming opportunities to get involved.
- Learn why growth in developed communities is needed.
- Share what you love about your community and chat with your neighbours.
Timeline item 5 - active

ONGOING
IMPLEMENT
- Landowners decide if and when they want to develop or redevelop their land.
- If a landowner decides they want to redevelop their land under a different land use district (zone), they must apply for a land use redesignation.
- In some cases, The City (rather than a specific landowner) will rezone land. The City is more likely to rezone land if it is aligned with the long-term vision for growth and redevelopment such as in the Municipal Development Plan or local area plan.
- City Council is the decision maker on all land use amendments.
Timeline item 6 - active

ONGOING
UPDATE & AMEND
- Local area plans are meant to be ‘living documents’ that may be amended and updated over time as the community changes and evolves and as conditions and circumstances in the area change.
- City Council is the decision maker on all local area plan amendments.

Phone	311 or 403-268-CITY (2489)
Website	www.calgary.ca

NORTH HILL COMMUNITIES LOCAL AREA PLAN

UPDATE

ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

HOW WAS PUBLIC INPUT CONSIDERED?

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