REVIEW THE PLAN

Click here to review the revised North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (June 2021 version) and learn more about the key refinements that were made.

PROJECT UPDATES

The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan received first reading at Council on June 21 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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:

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).

Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development:

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.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning initiative includes the communities of: Highland Park, Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview, Crescent Heights, Renfrew, Rosedale, Capitol Hill and Thorncliffe Greenview (south of Mcknight Blvd).

Through the local growth planning process, we worked together to create a future vision for how land could be used and redeveloped in the area – building on the vision, goals and policies outlined in Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan and the Guide for Local Area Planning.

Why is this happening?

Communities change and evolve over the years. Buildings gain character, community demographics change, trees mature, local amenities and businesses change ownership and offerings. A big part of a community’s life cycle is redevelopment, which often begins when communities reach a certain age and homes, buildings and amenities need to be refreshed and revitalized or renewed and replaced. When a neighbourhood reaches an age and stage when revitalization and redevelopment naturally start to happen, a local area plan is a helpful tool to have in place.

What is a local area plan?

A local area plan encapsulates a future vision for the area and provides development direction that residents, landowners, builders/developers, City Planners and Councillors can commonly refer to as new development ideas are proposed by property owners and landowners within the area. A local area plan includes the following sections, aiming to answer the accompanying question and includes the associated key components:

  1. Visualizing growth – What is the vision for the area? (vision and core ideas)
  2. Enabling growth – What type of growth makes sense where and what local/custom direction is needed to realize great development in this area? (future growth concept and development policies)
  3. Supporting growth – If growth occurs, what physical and social investments are needed? (future infrastructure and amenity goals/objectives)

For more information on local area planning in Calgary, please click here.

WHAT COMMUNITIES ARE INCLUDED?

Includes the communities of Highland Park, Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview, Crescent Heights, Renfrew, Rosedale, Capitol Hill and Thorncliffe Greenview (south of Mcknight Blvd).

The North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning initiative includes the communities of: Highland Park, Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview, Crescent Heights, Renfrew, Rosedale, Capitol Hill and Thorncliffe Greenview (south of Mcknight Blvd).

Through the local growth planning process, we’ll work together to create a future vision for how land could be used and redeveloped in the area – building on the vision, goals and policies outlined in Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan and the Guide for Local Area Planning.

A new local area plan(s) will fill gaps in communities where no local plan currently exists and replace other plans that are largely outdated.

Currently, the North Hill Communities area has ten local policy documents, each covering different portions of the area. These documents were originally created between 1977 and 2017 including:

  • Highland Village Green Design Guidelines (2017)
  • 16 Avenue North Urban Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan (2017)
  • South Nose Creek Site Plan (2008)
  • Winston Heights / Mountview Area Redevelopment Plan (2006)
  • North Hill Area Redevelopment Plan (2000)
  • Crescent Heights Area Redevelopment Plan (1997)
  • Centre Street North Special Study (1989)
  • North Bow Special Study (1979)
  • Inner City Policy Plan (1979)
  • North Bow Design Brief (1977)

(date in brackets indicates year of original adoption or when an entire new version was adopted)

Updating and consolidating policies in the above plans will provide a more comprehensive picture of where growth should occur in the future. This is particularly important for growth corridors such as Edmonton Trail NE, Centre St N, 16 Avenue N and 4 St NW that are within or adjacent to multiple communities. Further, identifying local growth opportunities along these corridors and within communities is important in order to support existing schools facing declining enrollment, retain and expand the variety of commercial and retail services and support recent and future investment in transit infrastructure, including the Green Line and North Crosstown BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) services.


BACKGROUND INFO

For those wanting to do further reading, here are some helpful background documents on the project, City planning processes and/or growth and redevelopment. As the project progresses, this library will be added to.

Background handouts:

Background videos:

Background maps:

Other projects in the area:

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Public engagement is now complete.

We are currently in the final phase of the project, REALIZE. The final proposed plan will be shared with the pubic prior to being presented to the Special Policy Committee on Planning & Urban Development on January 13, 2021. Click through each of the tiles below to learn more about each phase of the project.