Growth and change happens in a community with or without a Local Area Plan. Market forces, consumer demand and other factors will drive change in the community. However, in areas with high demand that do not have a Local Area Plan, developers will often have to undertake site-by-site rezoning applications in order to build developments to meet demand for new housing and businesses.

This site-by-site approach can create uncertainty for local residents, who don’t know where the next application will come and what it will propose. It also creates uncertainty for developers, who don’t know for certain what types of proposals will be acceptable where. Without a local area plan, conversations about growth and change happen application by application, often in a manner disconnected from a wider vision.

A local area plan helps create more certainty for all stakeholders by outlining the general expectation for what scale and type of new development is appropriate where and what policies will help shape development that is proposed.

There have been considerable changes to the make-up of households in Calgary, and specifically in the Heritage communities over the last 50 years. Due to several factors, the average number of people living in a home over this period has substantially decreased. In the Heritage communities there were 4.27 people living in a home in 1969, and in 2019, it was 2.3. A major reason for this is the number of children per household has significantly decreased. To maintain the same number of children in a community, or increase it, more housing needs to be created for more households.

We also know that all forms of housing attract households with children. When new housing is added, such as replacing a bungalow with two semi-detached dwellings, or several homes with an apartment, the number of children in the community increases.

Simply put, communities that remain predominantly single-detached areas have seen the number of children in their neighbourhoods decrease and communities that have allowed new semi-detached homes, rowhouses, townhouses and apartments have seen an increase in the number of children living in them. In the Heritage communities, over the last 20 years, the communities of Kingsland and Haysboro have added 249 and 83 children (0-19 years old) respectively, while the communities of Acadia, Fairview, Maple Ridge, Southwood and Willow Park have lost 287, 113, 166, 223 and 218 children respectively (most other communities have lost children as well). Overall, the Heritage Communities have 766 children less than they did 20 years ago. While children do live in single-detached homes, more children are moving out of single-detached areas than are moving in. Keeping schools open means allowing more types of housing.

During the Local Area Planning process, the project team corresponds with local school boards to understand local school conditions and any other issues the school boards may have. By working together with the school boards, the plan team can better understand any potential issues with school capacity, pedestrian safety and traffic concerns, or any other issues facing local schools.

No. New development must always go through the proper permitting and approval process. For proposed development that conforms to existing zoning, developers must submit development permit applications, which detail the design (building height, size, materials, parking, landscaping, etc.) of the proposed development prior to proceeding with construction. The public can view the details of proposed developments, including plans, and can submit comments on proposed developments through the Development Map application (Development Map (PDMAP) (calgary.ca)). Affected parties can also appeal the approval of a development to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

If a proposed development does not conform to the existing zoning, and a developer wishes to bring the zoning in line with the Local Area Plan, the developer must submit a land use redesignation (rezoning) application. This process is also open to public comment, and similarly to development permits, information is posted on the Development Map application (Development Map (PDMAP) (calgary.ca)). The decision on a land use redesignation (rezoning) application is made by City Council, and a public hearing is held prior to the decision.

As we refine the plan and finalize the urban form category and scale modifier maps, our colleagues model potential growth scenarios based on the plan to understand how the population of the area can change over time. This model is then used by our transportation and water resources departments to analyze infrastructure capacity and usage based on that expected population growth. This analysis will help identify potential upgrades that may be needed as growth occurs in the plan area. This information is also shared with other utility partners, such as Enmax, so they can similarly forecast growth and infrastructure capacity and plan for upgrades.

A key part of the Local Area Plan is recognizing that public infrastructure and amenities need to support growth. In fact, an entire Chapter of the Plan, Chapter 3- Supporting Growth is dedicated to it. That Chapter outlines the goals and policies that will guide supporting investment and implementation options in the plan area as growth and change occurs. Goals such as improving mobility and safety, improving park spaces and increasing affordable housing are included. We are looking for public feedback on these goals to ensure we are capturing all the ways we need to support growth and change in the community.

No. The Local Area Plan itself does not rezone land. Property/landowners determine if and when to propose to rezone their land. If a land use rezoning (redesignation) were brought forward by a property/landowner, it would be reviewed for alignment with the Heritage Communities Local Area Plan, if the Local Area Plan is approved by Council. The Local Area Plan provides direction that would inform and guide decisions about development in the area.

City Council makes the final decision on land use zoning applications. Administration must review all rezoning proposals and makes a recommendation to Council based on planning merits, supporting policy and comments received. Council refers to the Local Area Plan and other City policy and holds a public hearing prior to making a decision. Council can make a decision based on their own interpretation of policies, site characteristics and the merits of the application.

The Local Area Plan provides high-level policy guidance and a framework for how growth and change could be accommodated in the plan area. The Local Area Plan identifies the urban form categories and building scale modifiers to identify where the different scales of growth and change should occur.

The current Land Use Bylaw outlines the rules and regulations for development of land in Calgary for each district (zone). It also outlines the process for making decisions for development permit applications. The Land Use Districts provide specific rules and requirements such as parking, lot coverage, allowable uses, setbacks and landscaping.

Other policies, guidelines and implementation tools provide further guidance for growth and change in a community.

One of the benefits of housing diversity and choice in a community is that it supports lifelong living as people’s needs change through their lifetime. Housing diversity offers different forms of homes that support the different needs of different people at different stages of their life.

Absolutely. All types of homes are used by all types of households. Just as you can find households with children living in semi-detached, duplex, rowhouse, townhouse and apartment homes, you can also find singles and couples without children in single-detached homes. The average number of children living in a typical rowhouse or townhouse in the Heritage communities is 0.56, while it is only 0.48 in single-detached homes.

Three-storey homes are already allowed to be built in every community. As long as a home is within the height and lot coverage allowed, it can be approved by The City. Some communities are already seeing older bungalows being torn down and replaced with three-storey homes, and this is allowed throughout the city. Over 550 new single-detached homes have been built in the Heritage Communities in the last 20 years, often replacing smaller bungalows with larger new homes.

No. Neither the Land Use Bylaw nor the Local Area Plan regulate the materials or architectural design of homes. The Bylaw does regulate built form, which includes things such as lot coverage, building height and landscaping requirements, but the architectural style of a home is up to each individual homebuilder and owner.

No. Semi-detached homes and duplexes generally have similar height and lot coverage as single-detached homes. Allowing semi-detached homes and duplexes doesn’t increase the allowable size of new homes, but it does allow two homes (plus suites) in a single building instead of one home (plus suite).

Those details are not in the scope of the Local Area Plan; however, at the development permit stage details such as building design, site constraints, landscaping, parking, utilities and waste and recycling staging areas are discussed and carefully looked at. Privacy is also discussed as part of the design of the new development. For example, glass blocks or frosted glass can be placed when side windows are proposed. All development permits include the opportunity for the public to provide comments during the review of the proposal as well as to appeal the decision about a proposed discretionary development.

Currently, the Land Use Bylaw permits small-scale homes including single-detached homes to be built up to three storeys; however, specific design details are looked at during the development permit stage. The proposed development should align with the contextual rules set in the Land Use Bylaw. In addition, during the development permit application review, the file manager reviews comments from the public and discusses options with the applicant to better integrate the new proposed development into the existing context.

Yes, the survey responses were taken in and reviewed. We responded to the CKE Community Association in May to confirm that we received and reviewed the results and that the results would be considered along with all of the other input received.

The survey results helped us understand some of the key concerns in the community, such as school closures, density and loss of parks/natural spaces. We still want and need additional feedback to further understand concerns and to work to find solutions. We appreciate your dedication and passion for the future of the CKE communities and we really encourage any solutions-oriented feedback that can help find the right balance between key concerns identified, including those raised through the CKE survey, such as:

• “Finding a balance between limiting crowded densification and drawing enough young families in to maintain schools…”
• “The biggest concern among respondents is keeping community schools open and viable.”
• “Densification and Chinook Park School are the most significant concerns in the community.”

We know that community redevelopment is complex, change is difficult, and these conversations are not ones that everyone wants to have, but growth and change will happen with or without a local area plan in place. We need you to provide input and direction on how that looks. We want to have these discussions with you. We need to work together.

We need to further discuss concerns, challenges and opportunities surrounding population decline and school closures. School closures are directly tied to population decline and enrollment. The population in CKE was at its peak in the early 1970s and has declined due to a reduction in the number of people per home. We want and need to talk to you about potential solutions to this problem.

We need to work together to find ways to welcome more people into CKE in order to maintain population levels needed to support schools and other community amenities. We need to try to work together to find solutions that balance the need for more people, with concerns that come along with welcoming more people and homes.

Development of parks and natural spaces was also raised as a key concern. We agree that parks and natural spaces are very important to retain and we are not looking to redevelop these spaces, but rather ways we can improve and enhance them. We are currently seeking input on priority projects, such as parks or other key areas for improvement, that could be implemented in the future.