Calgary’s controversial blanket rezoning bylaw may be on its way out.
City Council has formally started the process to repeal the policy, after a notice of motion before the Executive Committee was approved 13–2.
New mayor Jeromy Farkas has shown support in sponsoring the motion and repealing blanket rezoning was a central part of his campaign platform.
“Addressing blanket rezoning is one piece of it, and that’s why we have to move forward with a community driven approach,” he said. “Focusing the housing closest to amenities, closest to transit, to infrastructure, to employment.”
The repeal motion will now head to a full debate at Council on Dec. 15, and could eventually trigger another public hearing. That hearing could be significant, considering the rezoning bylaw’s original hearing was the largest in Calgary’s history, with thousands of residents voicing opposition.
Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, one of the sponsors of the repeal motion, said he is not worried about the potential costs of holding another hearing.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from residents that they didn’t want it in the first place,” Chabot said. “I don’t think that small amount of cost, comparatively speaking, on a $5 million budget, is that problematic.”
The motion seeks to restore the land-use bylaw to its previous state, undoing the blanket rezoning that took effect in August 2024. That policy allowed for more housing density across the city but faced widespread backlash, with nearly 70 per cent of people who spoke against it during the marathon public hearing, opposing the change.
The group of municipal officials in support of repealing say blanket rezoning has failed to deliver greater housing affordability and caused public concern about several issues including loss of neighbourhood character and private tree canopy, increased pressure on aging infrastructure like water, sewer, and stormwater, inadequate parking and traffic management, and more.
Only councillors Myke Atkinson and Nathaniel Schmidt opposed the motion. Schmidt wonders if repealing will curb Calgary’s red hot housing starts.
“We are one of the leaders in the country for housing starts,” he said. “Certainly, taking away something that allows us to build more housing will affect that.”