On July 25, ECCA received applications from QuadReal to amend the Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and Direct Control District (DC). These were scheduled for the Calgary Planning Commission (CPC) meeting on August 7. Thanks to Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong, an all-stakeholders meeting was held on July 30, giving us the chance to address concerns directly with City representatives and the developer.
Key Wins
ECCA successfully:
• Stopped the addition of “with the option for commercial uses throughout the majority of the development” to the ARP.
• Kept ARP clauses 4.4 and 6.1.3, which cap commercial use at 9,000 m².
• Added language to the updated 2025 paragraph specifying the development will be “primarily residential” and will “transition from highest densities closest to the core and step down to lower densities adjacent to the river.”
• Removed vague phrases like “8.0 FAR with bonusing” and “across the entire site,” replacing them with clear FARs for each site that include all bonusing provisions.
• Removed “mixed-use” from the DC Purpose.
• Removed the following discretionary uses from the CC-X template:
o Beverage Container Quick Drop Facility (bottle depot)
o Cannabis Store
o General Industrial – Light
o Pawn Shop
o Payday Loan
• Retained the existing limit of 10% commercial frontage along Eau Claire Avenue.
• Ensured the sunlight protection area explicitly includes the promenade.
What We Couldn’t Change
• Re-introducing a minimum unit size in section 5.4.1 to prevent extremely small condos.
• Adding more restrictive language to ARP 5.1.3.
• Removing the discretionary uses:
o Liquor Store
o Night Club
o City officials assured us size restrictions would limit these to boutique wine/whiskey shops or small venues (e.g., a jazz club), and only along 2 Avenue.
Other Discussions
5 Street Easement and Setbacks: The City confirmed the Easement agreement takes precedence over both the ARP and DC. 5 Street will remain a two-way street with vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian access.
Next Steps
We’ve updated our CPC response letter to reflect both our wins and ongoing concerns. While we didn’t achieve every goal, these outcomes were possible because residents spoke up and our team came prepared.
At the August 7 CPC meeting, some commissioners questioned whether our discretionary use wins were too restrictive but ultimately left them unchanged.
Thank you to everyone who participated—your involvement made a real difference.
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