Infill Development Discussion

[TooBizzy]

With the blanket rezoning debate I keep seeing comments about “8-plexes mid block” (not including a corner lot). Does anyone have examples of these projects under construction or completed in Calgary, with a single mid block home being replaced with 8 units? I’m not doubting they exist but I haven’t come across any myself. The only example I can think of is the large townhouse development proposed on the north side of 26 Avenue SW in Bankview, which is over multiple lots.

DMap

DMap

dmap.calgary.ca

The 4+4 typology is exceedingly rare, David White from Civicworks had a presentation at the Public Hearing back in 2024 claiming that only about 5% of parcels could actually support it given site and market conditions. A lot of these are corner lots. Almost exclusively these are in neighbourhoods built in the 60s and earlier, near decent transit and active transportation infrastructure.
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I hope that whatever Council does with R-CG it's along the lines of neutering certain configurations that are already basically impossible, and playing it up in the media as though they 'fixed the problem.' We banned 8-plex rowhomes and townhomes in neighbourhoods without laneways, we fixed it!

Though unfortunately, the last Council already did this for the maligned "12-plex" which is actually physically impossible and only took off because certain loose interpretations of the bylaw before amended made it sound like it might be possible.

Does it matter that Council amended the policy to disallow people from building both secondary and laneway suites? Does it matter that rowhouses and townhouses became discretionary uses, meaning that LAPs and neighbours can easily block or appeal DPs from releasing through required notification and engagement processes? Does it matter that Council increased the parking minimum to 1 on-site stall per unit and suite in basically every suburb without a C-Train connection?

No - people will fearmonger themselves and others without access or consideration to information or its validity. The bylaw will only get wordier and more difficult to interpret, and the small subset of loud people that are ultimately interested in preserving the primacy and exclusivity of their mansion-only neighbourhoods will only get angrier.

 

[Alex_YYC]

There’s some activity on the SE corner of 5th Ave and 19th street NW. Does anyone know what is being built there?

 

[badc0ffee]

There’s some activity on the SE corner of 5th Ave and 19th street NW. Does anyone know what is being built there?

The DMAP says 3 storeys/12m with 9 units (6 above ground and 3 secondary).

 

[Zoom]

9 units replacing two houses isn't a huge density gain, but better than nothing.

 

[Sambo]

9 units replacing two houses isn't a huge density gain, but better than nothing.

It’s a huge density gain.

 

[TooBizzy]

Well... shit.

 

[TooBizzy]

Might be the worst day in Calgary housing history since Council rejected the Housing Strategy back in June '23.

At every opportunity, Council took the worst possible option today.

We're looking at a full repeal, plus an R-CG that is no longer capable of delivering 4 unit rowhomes, or townhomes whatsoever, and no backup plan for how to enable missing middle development afterwards.

We've got 8 people on Council who say "I'm ready to repeal, and then roll up my sleeves to build back better, towards a targeted approach."
...but then when any opportunity to build back better with a targeted approach was on the table, we heard "not yet," or "isn't rezoning around transit basically just like mini-blankets?"

Write your Councillors. These guys need to understand the consequences of what they're playing with.

 

[nickheer]

It's so frustrating! And to read accounts like Bruce Graham's in the Herald today is irritating for how misinforming it is, though well-intentioned. In Graham's case, the properties in question were not part of blanket rezoning, but were instead rezoned R-CG with a city council hearing. This is not sufficiently clear in the article, which seems to overwhelmingly be in opposition to the allowances of that particular type of zoning.

Then, to make matters worse, the Herald illustrated it with a photo of an apartment building that falls under an entirely different type of zoning while implying it is part of the question of blanket rezoning. Again, it isn't — this was built by going through normal council channels to receive rezoning.

 

[adamyyc]

Glad I don’t need to write my councillor (Nate Schmidt).

 

[Sambo]

Might be the worst day in Calgary housing history since Council rejected the Housing Strategy back in June '23.

At every opportunity, Council took the worst possible option today.

We're looking at a full repeal, plus an R-CG that is no longer capable of delivering 4 unit rowhomes, or townhomes whatsoever, and no backup plan for how to enable missing middle development afterwards.

We've got 8 people on Council who say "I'm ready to repeal, and then roll up my sleeves to build back better, towards a targeted approach."
...but then when any opportunity to build back better with a targeted approach was on the table, we heard "not yet," or "isn't rezoning around transit basically just like mini-blankets?"

Write your Councillors. These guys need to understand the consequences of what they're playing with.

Most Calgarians disagree with you.

 

[dirtymood]

Most Calgarians disagree with you.

Most Calgarians don’t have the knowledge base or care to understand what these decisions mean. They read scare pieces about midblock 16-plexes, and attribute their rising property tax and commute times to blanket rezoning.

All the chuds in neighbourhoods like evergreen (which won’t be affected by blanket rezoning in their lifetime), who voted for councillors like McLean, are really souring the unicity model for me. I want to see my city evolve and grow, not stagnate further into 20th-century sprawl mindset. Now I have to worry about the bike lanes I take to work being in the crosshairs of the provincial government and their minions in council as well, even though my ward voted in a pro-housing and pro-transit/active mobility candidate. What a clown show.

 

[DiscoStu]

Unfortunately zoning is one of those things that is fairly complex, requires context, and hard to discuss in simple black and white terms...but it has also now become a political football, which is never good for nuanced discussion. Like pretty much everything these days I guess, you're either with us or against us!

 

[CT_]

Might be the worst day in Calgary housing history since Council rejected the Housing Strategy back in June '23.

At every opportunity, Council took the worst possible option today.

We're looking at a full repeal, plus an R-CG that is no longer capable of delivering 4 unit rowhomes, or townhomes whatsoever, and no backup plan for how to enable missing middle development afterwards.

We've got 8 people on Council who say "I'm ready to repeal, and then roll up my sleeves to build back better, towards a targeted approach."
...but then when any opportunity to build back better with a targeted approach was on the table, we heard "not yet," or "isn't rezoning around transit basically just like mini-blankets?"

Write your Councillors. These guys need to understand the consequences of what they're playing with.

I've heard people in my area call regular development permits "Blanket Rezoning Permits..." It's crazy how misinformed people are about this.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Most Calgarians don’t have the knowledge base or care to understand what these decisions mean. They read scare pieces about midblock 16-plexes, and attribute their rising property tax and commute times to blanket rezoning.

All the chuds in neighbourhoods like evergreen (which won’t be affected by blanket rezoning in their lifetime), who voted for councillors like McLean, are really souring the unicity model for me. I want to see my city evolve and grow, not stagnate further into 20th-century sprawl mindset. Now I have to worry about the bike lanes I take to work being in the crosshairs of the provincial government and their minions in council as well, even though my ward voted in a pro-housing and pro-transit/active mobility candidate. What a clown show.

Victoria is looking at amalgamation; they should avoid it.

 

[TooBizzy]

Most Calgarians disagree with you.

Source? At least 80% of Calgarians agree that we need to allow multi family construction in districts that were previously single-detached only. "Infill development" was a top 3 issue for only 8% of voters.

If we get a watered down version of R-CG that is more palatable everywhere, sure. But if we lose the ability to incrementally grow, then we're forcing more radical growth.

If we want to avoid densification and growth entirely? Have fun maintaining infrastructure or reducing poverty without skyrocketing taxes. By the way, taxes, infrastructure, and poverty reduction were by far the most common top 3 issues for Calgarians.