by Chris Welner
Community Association Change is hard. Change is coming. And your Community Association Board is doing its best to help influence measured progress throughout our community. As 2020 dawns, another significant step in the evolution of Glendale is taking place. A motion to rezone three properties along 17th Avenue SW, west of Glenmount Drive, was approved at a December meeting of Calgary City Council.
The proposal for Glendale Commons before Council was put forth by Lee Dowd, a Glendale resident and commercial real estate developer, to approve a land use change that would allow construction of a new coffee shop plaza. The request included allowance for a drive through as a discretionary use under the new zoning. With Council’s approval, the developer will now engage the community, offering detailed site and building design prior to applying for its Development Permit. The Development Permit must be approved by the Calgary Planning Commission.
The debate was passionate on both sides, with members of the Community Association supporting the proposal and several area residents voicing concerns about the change and communication during the process. Hearing comments at City Council from our residents heightened awareness of how much our neighbours depend on the Thumper to get news about our community. We will strive to be better with our communication as we move forward. I will note that every speaker who stood up before Council did our community proud and the Councillors and Mayor Nenshi were attentive to the presentations and thoughtful in their questions, comments and in their votes.
The end result was approval by 9-5 to rezone the property to allow Direct Control with a MU-1 base and a height restriction of 11 metres. What does that mean? In a nutshell, approval was granted to advance to the next phase for developing the new plaza. Plans today call for a single-storey coffee shop and other commercial ventures. But the zoning also allows for development of residential or commercial space up to 11 metres (effectively 3 storeys) in the future. Most of Glendale is currently zoned RC-1 (one lot-one house) with a building height maximum of 10 metres. The new zoning reflects what is now allowed along 37th Street SW under the city’s Main Streets Initiative. The first signs of that new development are already on display along that boulevard.
The Community Association Board has been dealing with intense development proposals for many years, more recently change that has been driven by the advent of the LRT and city policies to increase density in neighbourhoods close to the urban core. We have worked through the West LRT development and helped secure the trenched C-Train design, 37th Street Main Streets with higher density allowances amid reasonable height restrictions. We are also active participants in the newly formed Westbrook Communities planning initiative.
With the LRT, Glendale gained an amazing asset. The LRT is a catalyst for higher density residential development and new commercial opportunities in the area. With new development coming, our volunteer board continues to work very hard to look out for the interests of all of our residents and to continue to make Glendale one of Calgary’s most desirable neighbourhoods.
Less than two years ago, the Community Association led opposition against a proposed 5-6 storey apartment complex on 17th Ave. SW. That proposal was rejected and last fall a developer approached us with a concept for a revised 3-storey, 46-unit condominium complex that feels much more fitting for our community. We await further news on those plans.
As is noted in every issue of the Thumper, our board meets on the second Wednesday of each month and every meeting is open. Any resident with a community membership is welcome to attend and listen to the discussion and voice their positions on issues being discussed. We look forward to continuing to work on behalf of all of our residents.
