Weight in redistribution of prime cover

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With more than a week to go before a massive public hearing begins in Calgary, Premier Danielle Smith weighed in on the controversial topic of blanket redistribution on Saturday.

On his biweekly call-in radio show, Smith was asked for his opinion on the blanket rezoning currently being proposed in Calgary as a means of increasing density and increasing overall housing supply.

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While he responded that he prefers to live in different mixed-use zoned communities because of the proximity of commercial amenities, Smith said it's his personal choice and he thinks it's unfair to force that lifestyle on the entire population.

“I chose the types of houses because there's a lot of diversity in zoning,” he said. “Other people choose a different type of district for (opposite) reasons — they want to have the kind of non-mixed-use housing that they know will be safe for their children.

“Those communities will have similar types of families with similar interests who can maintain public amenities as desired. We have to allow all these things to come together.”

Smith's comments come nine days before Calgary City Council sits down for multi-day public hearings starting April 22, where several hundred residents will share their thoughts on the rezoning proposal.

After this public hearing, the council will vote on whether the city should make the changes land use regulation changing the base district of the city to district residential grade-oriented infill (RC-G).

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The change would allow for medium-density infills with ground-level entrances, such as duplexes and townhouses, on private land throughout much of the city, including areas currently zoned for single-family detached homes only. houses.

Currently, property owners in these “established” single-family communities must apply for a rezoning and development permit if they want to build these housing units. If RC-G becomes a base residential area, land use re-planning will no longer be necessary, thereby speeding up the redevelopment process.

While proponents argue that RC-G will improve housing affordability by increasing the overall supply and variety of housing options, the proposal has been highly divisive, with recent councilor-led open houses drawing considerable opposition from residents.

14th District. Peter Demong hosted two campuses in southeast Calgary last week, both of which had standing-room-only attendance. According to media reports, many attendees at meetings in Midnapore and Lake Bonavista expressed concerns that the rezoning would increase traffic and parking congestion, affect property values ​​and change the character of their communities.

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On his radio show, Smith targeted the federal government with $228 million from the Housing Acceleration Fund last November to accelerate housing development in Calgary if the municipality ends special zoning regulations. He argued that this was an example of Ottawa “rewriting zoning laws” and interfering with municipal jurisdiction.

“These are the types of roads that will be added when the federal government comes in,” Smith said. “They're not just here to help, they're not just there to be a financing partner and to do a good deal. They are here to implement an agenda.

“Municipalities are now suffering from the feedback they've received, and some (town) meetings seem to have been very brutal.”

He said this is an example of why the Alberta government's recent Bill 18, the Provincial Priorities Act, is needed. The proposed legislation would require provincial approval before the federal government signs funding agreements with Alberta municipalities, post-secondary institutions or other provincially-run entities.

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