Calgary's public hearing marathon is over

Calgary's longest public hearing ended Monday night, leaving council to decide what to do with the controversial bylaw.

For more than three weeks, the City Council heard their concerns from thousands of residents, including several hundred who attended council chambers in person.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said more than 730 Calgarians and organizations attended the public sessions and thanked them all for their time.

“Housing is an important issue for the city and for Calgarians, and I look forward to working with my council colleagues to consolidate the input we've received from the many perspectives we've heard,” he said at the X on Monday.

He also thanked his administration and office staff for their support of the council and their work in keeping the hearing running smoothly.

On April 22, the city began a public meeting on a proposed general rezoning plan that would allow properties zoned as R-C1 districts to move to R-CG, making way for higher-density residential development.

According to the city, 67 percent of residential properties are currently zoned for single-family homes.

The R-CG rezoning would still allow single-family homes on those properties, but would also allow for semi-detached homes such as townhouses and townhouses.

The vast majority of comments submitted to the council so far have opposed the proposed rezoning.