Phase 2: Explore begins soon

ASP Timeline Graphic

  • Join us in-person

    Join us on Wednesday September 18, for an in-person engagement session.

    Drop-In anytime between 5pm and 8pm at the East Entrance of the Vivo Centre, 11950 Country Village Link NE Calgary, AB T3K 6E.

    REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED for this session. Drop in anytime between 5pm and 8pm.

  • Provide your input

    A first draft of the vision, guiding principles and land use concept will be posted here on September 11.

    Come back to this page at that time to provide your feedback online.

  • Stay connected

    Join our email list to find out about upcoming participation opportunities and to stay connected to the project

    Join our email list 
Phase 2 engagement session postcard for September 18, 5pm at the Vivo Centre

Background

Why is The City developing a new ASP for Aurora?

In February 2024, The City began the process of creating a new ASP for the Aurora lands.

Here are some of the reasons why we are revisiting the 2008 Aurora Business Park ASP:

  • Outdated plan: The Aurora Business Park ASP was approved in 2008 and zoned for a business park. This no longer aligns with The City’s current priorities and needs. A new plan for the lands will better respond to the needs of Calgarians.
  • More options: A new plan will set a vision that allows for a variety of uses such as residential, commercial, industrial, school sites and other community amenities.
  • Housing: The new ASP provides an opportunity to help address Calgary's housing crisis.
  • Environment: The new ASP aims to create connections between neighbourhoods and parks, as well as preserving these natural spaces.
  • Complete community: Creating a new plan will allow for a mix of uses to meet the needs of local residents for an entire lifetime.

About

What is the Aurora Area Structure Plan?

Calgary is growing. Community planning is crucial for managing growth in a manner that is equitable, transparent, and consistent with Calgary's vision for the future. A new Area Structure Plan (ASP) will shape the future of the Aurora lands to make sure that change happens in the right way.

The ASP will guide development and investments over the next 30 years, serving as a reference for landowners, builders, City Planners, and Councillors as they consider future projects. It will also inform land use, transportation and utility networks and implement the broad planning objectives of the Municipal Development Plan, Calgary Transportation Plan and other City-wide Policies & Strategies (see the Useful documents section).

The ASP development process will include:

  • The review of technical studies including population and employment forecasts for the area, as well as historical and environmental assessments
  • An engagement process with interested groups and the public. See the Your input matters and Engagement timeline sections for more information
  • The development of a Land Use Concept and planning policies to replace the existing Aurora Business Park ASP

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

You'll find answers to the most frequently asked questions here. These FAQs will be updated throughout the project.

A complete community is a fully developed area that meets the needs of local residents through an entire lifetime. Complete communities include a full range of housing, commercial, recreational, institutional and public spaces. A complete community provides a physical and social space where residents and visitors can live, learn, work and play.

City Council has already set the vision and direction for more complete communities through the Municipal Development Plan (MDP). The next step is for us to implement this vision with the development industry as we design Calgary's future communities.

The City is preparing a new Area Structure Plan for (four) 4 main reasons;

Alberta Regulation 177-2009 which now permit residential development on the Aurora Lands as a result of changes to the Airport Noise Exposure Frequency Contours;

Calgary Transportation Plan which contemplates significant transit investment in the vicinity of the Aurora Lands. To date these investments, include rapid bus service, number of upgraded stops, a Light Rail Transit Station (Greenline North), and as well as a connection to the Airport;

Calgary Housing Strategy which calls upon the City of Calgary to review its land holdings and make land available for housing supply and residential development;

Findings of the City’s 2023 Industrial Area Growth Strategy and the specific needs and considerations related to the industrial sector in the City’s Northeast.

Yes. The existing Area Structure Plan for the Aurora Lands was adopted in 2008 and designed to allow for a ‘campus style’ business park.

The City is contemplating a new Area Structure Plan for the Aurora Lands as the current Area Structure Plan is no longer aligned with Calgary’s current Municipal Development Plan, Transportation Plan or New Community Guidebook.

Yes. The City of Calgary has a long-established framework for the creation of Area Structure Plans. Commonly referred to as the ‘Developer-Funded Model’, this framework allows developer or landowner to apply to The City to create a new development plan for greenfield sites. All costs for the plan development are charged back to the developer or landowner. They are often the sole or majority landowner within the area being considered for plan development.

The Aurora Area Structure Plan was approved in 2008. The land area is approximately 234 hectares (or 578 acres). The area is designated for employment and otherwise non-developable lands which include a ravine, slope and environmentally significant watershed. Aurora ASP lands are generally characterized as a greenfield development site.

In August 2021, changes were approved to Calgary International Airport Vicinity Protection Area Regulation (Alberta Regulation 177-2009) which allow residential land uses to be considered on the site. At the same time, the Calgary Transportation Plan envisioned as many as two LRT Stations – Greenlane LRT and the Airport LRT within proximity of the Aurora Lands.

The City of Calgary is initiating a new Area Structure Plan for the Aurora Lands to assess how and where residential land uses may be introduced or incorporated into the Aurora Lands.

Yes. The City of Calgary is a majority landowner within the Aurora Business Park.

  • Community Planning Business Unit will provide the planning policies for the lands in accordance with The City's ASP process.
  • The City is adhering to the established processes for engagement and transparency for Area Structure Planning work.
  • Council will make the final decision on the ASP.

Yes. There are no proposed changes to park boundaries in the project area at this time. Additional policies to protect, promote access and enhance the environmental features of the site will be considered based on the feedback received from the public, current policies, the parks department and parks ecologists.

Yes. The City will engage with Indigenous groups with cultural and historical ties to the lands. Engagement will inform recommendations of the new Area Structure Plan.

Evidence of early human presence in West Nose Creek and Nose Creek Valleys is well established through historical records.


Map

Where are the Aurora lands?

Get Involved

Your input matters

The creation of a new ASP allows people living in the area, landowners, and anyone interested in the community’s future to have a say in how the Aurora lands will be developed. Their feedback will guide the planning process.

It is important to note, while public input is essential in the development of the ASP, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. City policies, professional expertise, and best practices will also inform the plan.

Your input metters

Past Engagement

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come and talk with us on May 29. Missed the open house event? Please browse the virtual open house below!

Click on a hotspot to see more.

Reporting back

In Summer 2024, we’ll share a report summarizing the feedback we received during Phase 1: Envision. This report will inform the project team’s work to prepare for Phase 2: Explore, where we will share a draft concept and goals for the ASP, for public feedback.

For each project phase, we’ll create a “What We Heard” report, so that we can build on insights from one phase to the next. Through our reporting process we will also share how public input influenced the development of draft and final ASP.

Next Steps

Next steps

We are about to begin Phase 2 engagement for the Aurora ASP Project. Find the upcoming dates for online and in-person engagement in the Phase 2 Engagement opportunities section of this page.

Land Acknowledgement

Calgary is situated within the ancestral lands and traditional territories of the people of the Nations that made Treaty 7. These Nations in Southern Alberta are: the Siksika, Piikani, Amskaapipiikani and Kainai First Nations, who, altogether, form the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy); the Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi (Stoney Nakoda) First Nations, comprised of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations; and the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The city of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, Métis Nation Battle River Territory, Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6. We acknowledge all Indigenous people who have made Calgary their home.