Some time ago the council passed into being the new housing ‘go zone’. I posted something on it and gave some favourable reviews. By adding this regulation to the rule book, it actually functions to enable, rather than disable development. In its past iterations, the zoning bylaw served mainly as a tool of segregation and use restriction, and it was unduly zealous and successful in creating the low density inner city areas that face intense market demand for new housing today. The go zone really targets busier streets, which we have many of, but often the land was the wrong shape to do much with. Even parceling two lots together would not do much for enabling the type of building that will work best. The hgo changes this essentially by creating a two building model with a corridor or communal landscaped area in between, then a lane accessed garage. It also makes stacked type of models work with major flexibility and doesn’t require so much parking the project is scuttled before it hits the planners desk.
What is impressive is the way the design teams have hit the ground running with dp and land use applications reaching the planning commission and we will see these getting built in quite a few spots. Applications I have seen to build include areas such as glenmore park, shaganappi, capital hill, and beyond. With higher migration to calgary right now these easy governance tools may be just what is needed to welcome population growth vs other jurisdictions that are quagmired in their embarrassing nimbyism. Another fringe effect could be lowering land costs for those, such as myself, to assist in deal finding. When you basically enhance the development potential of massive tracts of land, perhaps a bit of premium due to scarcity is lost? Permitting these will lower the risk to the owner, adding a bit of certainty that the project, after huge investment in land and design, won’t get successfully appealed. These are some business friendly tactics that the city can do without spending any of its own money. Imagine that, cutting red tape by adding a page to the bylaw. These changes are indicative of a society that won’t be so beholden to narrow interests that it can’t build anything. This is a healthy sign that the development game is evolving as a meritocracy open to any operator rather than of money politics like in —- Vancouver, where the rules are there to keep the big fish fed.