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The City of Calgary's residential rezoning plan will go to a public hearing next Monday. The change, if approved, means a homeowner can apply to build a semi-detached or row house on lots where only single-family homes are currently permitted.

Questions about the offer? Share them with City Hall reporter Scott Strasser today at 11:30 a.m. during a live Q&A on this page. Go to the comments section below and leave your query in the discussion box.

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A rezoning proposal in relation to the housing strategy approved by the Council

Calgary's planned major residential zoning changes are contained in the city's housing strategy, approved by city council in September 2023.

Officials hailed the strategy as a “significant turning point” in addressing Calgary's ongoing housing crisis, which has left one in five homes unsheltered.

The approval laid the foundation for a multiyear plan to add more housing stock in the city — one of which was the citywide R-CG zoning ordinance — a “zoning” that increases density by allowing construction. row houses and duplexes on land currently zoned for single-family homes.

City councilors reject a plebiscite on the proposed rezoning

R-CG's city zoning change requires a public hearing scheduled for Monday.

However, some members of the city council tried to include the rezoning issue as a plebiscite during the 2025 municipal elections in March.

That recommendation was rejected by an 8-6 decision.

Councilors in favor of the plebiscite argued that rezoning would eliminate the ability to hold public hearings on individual properties regarding future land-use changes.

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Mayor Jyoti Gondek and other councilors opposed to the plebiscite likened the public vote to “kicking the pipeline down the road.” Councilors said next month's public hearing will give the public a chance to voice their opinions and the “why” behind it, rather than the simple yes or no that a plebiscite offers.

The policy of expansion of planned areas is causing controversy

Critics of the proposed rezoning policy said the change would change the character of existing neighborhoods and lead to overdevelopment, while proponents said it would limit suburban sprawl and improve housing affordability.

The issue was so controversial that organizers had to cancel a walking tour to explain the proposed rezoning policy due to threats and hate speech directed at it.

City staff were told the event would be a confrontation with vile people and racial diatribes from municipal staff who were racist, Leslie Evans, executive director of the Federation of Calgary Communities, told Postmedia at the time.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently appeared on her weekly radio show to criticize the federal government for forcing cities to change zoning rules in order to receive federal housing funding.

“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 their agenda.”

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