by D. Jeanne Kimber | [email protected]
After a lengthy debate on October 5, Council approved a new land use designation called H-GO (Housing – Grade Oriented), as well as several amendments to the R-CG land use designation. These Land Use Bylaw amendments are intended to address the “Missing Middle”. An example of the “Missing Middle” could be two rowhouse buildings situated on a parcel with one directly facing the street and one building at the rear of the parcel with courtyard space in-between. One desired outcome is the reduction in the number of Direct Control (DC) land use applications which are made when there is no land use designation that “fits” with what the developer wants to build. This has resulted in a proliferation of one-off zoning designations. Concerns were raised regarding potential changes and sensitivity to existing communities. There were also many participants who expressed support for the housing choices these projects could provide to people who are being financially squeezed out of the housing market. The land use changes are not to take effect until January 2023.
In September, there was an application for a land use change to DC based on M-CG land use filed for 453 and 457 35 Ave NW. The Community opposed the application due to uncertainty around DC land use redesignations. Given the recent Council approval of the Land Use Bylaw amendments, we have asked for a status update from the File Manager. The file reference is LOC2022-0112.
In conjunction with LOC2022-0112, a Development Permit (DP) application was made for the site and buildings. The file reference is DP2022-05441. The application is still under review but is dependent upon a land use change being approved. The HPCA Planning committee raised the following concerns:
- Building height transitions from the adjacent R-C2 property
- The parcel coverage and density which exceeds the norm for M-CG
- The small amount of permeable land available for soft landscaping
- The apparent lack of space allocated for waste and recycling facilities/bins
- The landscape plan and the inappropriate choice of some tree species
- Charging capacity for e-vehicles
LOC2022-0111 is another land use change application for M-CG zoning at 342 32 Ave NE. The hearing at Calgary Planning Commission is scheduled for October 20.
New plans have been provided for a proposed rowhouse at 4024 2 St NW. We submitted a letter raising concerns about the privacy of properties adjacent on the south side of the project. The file reference is DP2021-5688.
A new DP application has been made for a backyard suite at 115 43 Ave NW. This small one-bedroom unit would be accessible and have parking directly off the laneway.
DP2022-00854 for a four-plex at 308 32 Ave NE was approved by the Development Authority on October 5. The decision can be appealed to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB). The deadline to submit an appeal is November 3. You can do this by going to the City’s development map (developmentmap.calgary.ca), clicking on the property to open the “Application Summary”, then clicking “Details”, then selecting the “Status” tab, and scrolling down to the link at the bottom.
The following DP applications are still under review:
- DP2022-04104 for a rowhouse with suites at 3903 2 St NW
- DP2022-00977 for a four-plex at 4320 Centre A St NE
- DP2022-04064 for a rowhouse at 3306 1 St NE
As always, we encourage Highland Park residents to keep informed of redevelopment activities in the community. The City’s development map is a great tool to help with that.
