Calgary is a step closer to moving forward with blanket rezoning after council voted to pass the motion on Tuesday in the wake of a historic public hearing.
City council voted 9-6 in favour of the proposal for citywide rezoning with some small amendments made to the original motion.
The change means Calgary’s base zoning would allow for townhomes or row homes to be built in most communities alongside single-family homes and duplexes.
The decision came on the heels of the city’s longest-ever public hearing that included around 6,100 written submissions and more than 700 speakers who said their piece at city hall.
“I’m disappointed,” said Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean, who voted against the proposal. “What’s the point of having a public hearing, if we ignore that and vote against it.”
Last week, administration provided a recap to council following the 12 days of hearings that saw 736 speakers present to city council. Out of those speakers, there were 458 who were opposed (62.2 per cent), and 227 supported the idea (30.8 per cent).
“You have the majority of council voting against the majority of Calgarians,” McLean says.
In the wake of the hearing, council debated rezoning over the past two days where motions to abandon the strategy and to hold a plebiscite were defeated.
Procedurally, council could not pass the third reading of the bylaw during Tuesday’s meeting after Coun. Sean Chu and Coun. Andre Chabot opposed the second reading.
Council adjourned shortly after and Mayor Jyoti Gondek will need to call a special meeting for the third reading.
The city hopes the move will provide relief to the housing crisis by speeding up approvals and making it easier for more housing options to be built across the city.
Listen to CityNews 660 for more on this developing story.