In-person Engagement Session

Thursday, Nov. 30 from 6 – 8 p.m.

Varsity Community Association (4303 Varsity Dr N.W.)

Registration not required. Drop in anytime.

Virtual Engagement Sessions

Thursday, Nov. 23 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 7-8:30 p.m.

A brief presentation, followed by the opportunity to ask questions and provide input.

REGISTER HERE for virtual engagement sessions.

The Virtual Engagement Session Presentation has been recorded so you can watch at a time that works best for you.

This video presentation covers the same information that is online below and included within the Engagement Booklets, but in a video format.

If you prefer to read and provide feedback via paper and pen, Engagement Booklets will be mailed to homes and businesses starting the week of November 13, 2023. The Engagement Booklets include a feedback form on the back page that includes pre-paid postage to mail back to us.

A digital version of the Engagement Booklet is available if you did not receive one and/or you can find a booklet at an Engagement Station (see map) nearby.

There are multiple topics open for feedback:

• Topic 1: Vision and Core Values
• Topic 2: Potential Focus Areas for Growth
• Topic 3: Small-Scale Growth
• Additional Feedback: Provide feedback on the revised draft of Chapter 1 & the initial draft of Chapter 2 of the local area plan.

Click the tabs below to review information on provide feedback on each topic.

Planning Together for the Next 30 Years

We’re working together to create a local area plan for the South Shaganappi Communities including: Banff Trail, Montgomery, Parkdale, Point McKay, Saint Andrews Heights, University Heights, University District, Varsity, and The University of Calgary.

What is a Local Area Plan?

A local area plan sets the vision for the evolution of the area over the next 30 years. It provides direction on future development and investment that residents, landowners, builders / developers, City Planners and Council can commonly refer to when new development and investment ideas are proposed.

Why Do We Need a Local Area Plan?

The city, communities and streets where we live and work have changed, are changing, and will continue to change. People renovate, rebuild, enlarge and modify spaces around them all the time. We need to make sure there’s room for people looking to make changes and provide direction to help guide decisions. We also need to provide guidelines for investment when change is proposed, and certainty for residents and businesses to know how their community may change in the future.

South Shaganappi Communities - Plan Area

The South Shaganappi Communities include Banff Trail, Montgomery, Parkdale, Point McKay, Saint Andrews Heights, University Heights, University District, Varsity, and The University of Calgary.

Conversations about where, why and how revitalization and redevelopment should happen are essential to ensure there's a plan in place to help guide future changes. Growth and change happen in a community with or without a local area plan.

Consumer demand, market forces, 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 land use redesignation / 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 from 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 everyone 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.

What We’re Talking About Now

We are currently in Phase 2 – EXPLORE, and we want to hear your thoughts on the draft Vision and Core Values. We’re also going to start looking at where and how growth and change could happen in the area.

What We’ve Discussed So Far

In Phase 1 – ENVISION, we asked you to help us look back at the past, understand the present and envision the future. The feedback provided helped us draft a Vision and Core Values for the South Shaganappi Communities that will help guide decisions about the evolution of the area over the next 30 years.

What We’ll Discuss Next

Your input now will help inform and refine the focus areas for growth and new development. In the next phase of engagement, we will ask for your thoughts on the appropriate building scales (heights/number of storeys) and uses (residential, commercial, industrial, mixed use, etc.) for growth within all areas of the plan. In addition, we will discuss community improvements and reinvestments.

Feedback provided by participants helps shape the local area plan as it is created.

Following each phase of engagement, the project team compiles and shares what was heard, highlights the key themes raised, and provides responses for how key themes were considered and addressed.

In addition to participant input, other key inputs are also considered to help inform the creation of the local area plan, as shown below.

Visit calgary.ca/Shaganappi and check out the "PAST ENGAGEMENT" tab to review What We Heard & What We Did Reports along with Engagement Summaries from each phase through the project.

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

Who makes the decision on proposed land use redesignation (rezoning) proposals? City Council makes the final decision on land use redesignation applications. Administration must review all land use redesignation (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 the final decision on a land use redesignation as outlined in the Municipal Government Act (MGA) based on their own interpretation of policies, site characteristics and the merits of the application.

The City of Calgary does not have jurisdiction over institutions’ lands, including the University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre, Alberta Children’s Hospital, and McMahon Stadium. The South Shaganappi Communities Local Area Plan cannot apply future growth policies or direction on this land.

The South Shaganappi Communities will continue to develop into a well-connected, innovative hub that supports recreation, economic activity, and livability through inclusive and vibrant mixed-use spaces and natural areas that are anchored by the regionally recognized University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre, and Alberta Children’s Hospital.

Diversity of Housing Provide diverse housing choices in the South Shaganappi communities to meet the evolving needs of existing and future residents of all income levels, ages and abilities while supporting major institutions and local employment centres in the Plan area, achieving a welcoming and inclusive community environment.

Improve connectivity by providing safe and accessible mobility options, including transit, walking, and wheeling networks that efficiently connect institutions, recreational assets, Red Line LRT and MAX BRT stations, and major destinations within the Plan area and surrounding communities to allow all residents and visitors to access employment, housing, and recreation.

Strengthen the transit station areas at Dalhousie, Brentwood, University of Calgary and Banff Trail LRT station areas as community hubs that provide services and amenities for residents and visitors by concentrating a mixture of high-quality pedestrian-oriented commercial and residential development that encourages environmentally sensitive design and climate resilience transportation options.

Continue to provide high-quality, affordable, and accessible local and regional recreational opportunities by enhancing and expanding community playgrounds, parks, and facilities as well as major civic recreational infrastructures such as Shouldice Park, McMahon Stadium, Foothills Athletic Park and the Field House.

Enhance and conserve existing local parks, open spaces and natural areas such as the Bow River pathway network to protect local biodiversity and wildlife, while providing inclusive programmable spaces for social gathering and year-round activities.

There are areas in the city where moderate- to large-scale growth (four storeys or potentially more) is already directed to go.

Focus areas for growth are outlined in Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP).

These growth focus areas include:

• Transit Station Areas – Locations around Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations and bus stops with frequent transit such as the MAX line where mixed-use and higher density development should occur. The Banff Trail, University, Brentwood and Dalhousie LRT Stations and the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Foothills Medical Centre, 31 St. N.W. and Brentwood MAX Orange BRT stations are located within the South Shaganappi Communities Plan area.

• Main Streets – Areas of higher density, activity and a variety of uses along specified streets or routes. Examples in the South Shaganappi Communities are Bowness Rd. N.W. and 16 Ave. N.W.

• Activity Centres – Concentrated areas of growth with high activity and a variety of uses. Examples in the South Shaganappi Communities include the area surrounding the University of Calgary, University District, Foothills Medical Centre, and CF Market Mall.

• Primary Transit Network – Locations adjacent to a network of major corridors with transit service running every ten minutes or better, at least 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Public Parks and Open Space – Parks and open spaces that are accessible to the public.

In addition to these focus areas, City planners, the South Shaganappi Communities Working Group and local community associations have reviewed public feedback from the first engagement phase on what exists today and discussed areas where there could be potential for additional growth in the future.

1. The map below shows initial ideas and potential focus areas for moderate-to large-scale growth.

2. We want and need your feedback to refine the map.

3. The map was created based on direction in the Municipal Development Plan (see overview under the key considerations above), with some refinements made based on initial feedback. Pink areas show potential focus areas where new buildings that are four storeys (or potentially higher) could potentially be welcomed if proposed in the future, but again, these areas are a starting point for discussion. Grey areas are existing focus areas that already support (though zoning or policy) new development that is four storeys or higher.

4. New development will continue to be proposed with or without a local area plan in place. Through discussions like these, we can work together to help guide where new moderate-to large-scale buildings could fit best.

5. In the next phase of engagement, Spring 2024, revised maps with additional detail (including potential building scales/heights and uses – residential/commercial/mixed-use) will be shared and additional opportunities for discussion and feedback will be provided.

Grey areas are existing focus areas for growth. These areas are existing focus areas that already support (through zoning or policy) new development that is four storeys or higher.

Pink areas are potential focus areas for growth to discuss and consider. Based on the Municipal Development Plan and feedback received so far, these are areas that have been highlighted as potential areas for discussion and feedback, where new buildings that are four storeys (or potentially higher) might fit best if proposed in the future. Focus areas for growth are areas where buildings such as residential apartments, buildings with shops on the bottom floor and residential above (mixed-use), or commercial and professional office buildings (as shown on the map below) could fit best.

Blue areas are areas that are not under The City’s Jurisdiction include the University of Calgary, Foothills Hospital, Alberta Children's Hospital and McMahon Stadium.

(based on the Land Use Bylaw Rules)

• Contain one primary residence and may include a backyard or basement suite.
• Can be different scales including one storey (bungalow) two or three storeys.
• The general lot coverage is 45 per cent and the maximum height is 10 metres.

(based on the Land Use Bylaw Rules)

• Contain two primary residences in one building and may include a basement suite or backyard suite for each primary residence.
• Residences in semi-detached dwellings are separated from each other side to side, and duplexes are separated above and below. Can be different scales including one storey (bungalow) two or three storeys.
• The general lot coverage is 45 per cent and the maximum height is 10 metres. This makes the massing generally similar to a single-detached home.

(based on the Land Use Bylaw Rules)

• Contain three or more residences on a property and may include a basement suite or backyard suite for each primary residence.
• Typically have up to 60 per cent lot coverage and up to three storeys in height (11 metres).

(based on the Land Use Bylaw Rules)

• Contain three or more primary residences (suites are not permitted).
• Residences not required to have front entrance facing the street.
• Typically have up to 60 per cent lot coverage and can be up to three storeys in height (11 metres).
• Residences are separated from each other side to side and / or top to bottom.

If Council approves these changes, it would then be legal to apply to build a variety of small-scale homes such as single detached, semi detached, rowhouses and townhouses on any residential lot in the city. While this would remove the land use redesignation/rezoning requirement for these homes, this does not change the existing development permit review process.

Administration is currently working on providing more information and opportunities for you to share your input. All property owners who may be affected by these changes will be directly notified by The City. We currently expect that the public hearing, which will include the opportunity to submit comments and speak to Council, will take place in spring (Q2) 2024. The date will be confirmed as soon as possible. For more information on Home is Here – The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy, go to calgary.ca/HousingStrategy