Banff Trail - Capitol Hill Community Planning Project

Project Overview

Administration presented the public feedback, analysis, and recommendation to Council on May 27, 2019. Council recommended that no further City-initiated land use changes be completed in Banff Trail and Capitol Hill at this time. Council also recommended that information be added to the Banff Trail Area Redevelopment Plan and North Hill Area Redevelopment Plan (Capitol Hill) to acknowledge the presence of a caveat in the communities and provide support the vision of those plans.

Amendments to the Banff Trail Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and Capitol Hill portion of the North Hill ARP were adopted by City Council in 2016.

Following these changes and after consultation with the community Council redesignated several parcels in the Community to reflect the ARPs. These changes were to allow for the rowhousing (R-CG) land use in strategic locations.

Now, council has directed Administration to investigate whether the community would like The City to redesignate more parcels to align with the multi-residential areas of the ARPs. We will be consulting with the community to see if there is interest in further City-initiated land use for medium density and mid-rise land uses.

The City would like to note that no changes are being proposed to recently updated community plans. This discussion is for redesignations that are reflected by the vision of the current ARPs.

The focus of the discussion is areas of the community that are identified as Medium Density Low Rise and Medium Density Mid Rise in the ARPs. The land use bylaw equivalent of the ARP use is Multi-Residential Contextual Grade-Oriented (M-CG), Multi-Residential – Contextual Low Profile (M-C1) and Multi-Residential – Contextual Medium Profile (M-C2) districts.

Banff Trail Redevelopment Plan
North Hill Area Redevelopment Plan

The City of Calgary asked for public input most recently in April 2018.

Please review the What We heard report to learn what we asked and the feedback we received in-person and online.

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Background

The communities of Capitol Hill and Banff Trail have Area Redevelopment Plans (ARP) to guide future land use and development. These plans set high level requirements for future development and outline how the goals of Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan and other planning documents will be applied to a specific site. Area redevelopment plans may be amended as conditions change in a community and as the vision and aspirations of a community change.

The purpose of the Banff Trail - Capitol Hill Community Planning Project is:

To engage with the community of Banff Trail and Capitol Hill on future redevelopment opportunities – COMPLETED
Work with local partners to identify potential locations for modest redevelopment, consistent with the policies of the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and within the boundaries of the Banff Trail Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and the Capitol Hill portion of the ARP – COMPLETED
Implement aspects of the revised area redevelopment plans as per Council direction through City-initiated redesignations – NOT COMPLETED AT THIS TIME

A community visioning exercise between City staff, residents of Banff Trail and Capitol Hill, and other partners concluded at the beginning of 2016 (see the Engagement tab). The proposed amendments to the Banff Trail Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and the Capitol Hill portion of the North Hill ARP were adopted by City Council at a Public Hearing of Council on March 7, 2016. See Council meeting minutes (item 8.2) for additional information.

Timeline

Date	Event
Date: January 2017 - March 2017	Event: Community consultation for City-initiated R-CG redesignations (start of project)
Date: June 15, 2017	Event: Calgary Planning Commission for City-initiated R-CG redesignations
Date: July 31, 2017	Event: Public Hearing of Council and approval of City-initiated R-CG redesignations
Date: April 2018	Event: Community consultation for City-initiated M-CG/ M-C1/M-C2 redesignations
Date: May 1, 2019	Event: Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development
Date: May 27, 2019	Event: Regular Meeting of Council

Past Engagement

Previous public engagement

An open house was held in April 2018, the focus of the discussion was areas of the community that are identified as Medium Density Low Rise and Medium Density Mid Rise in the ARPs. The land use bylaw equivalent of the ARP use is Multi-Residential Contextual Grade-Oriented (M-CG), Multi-Residential – Contextual Low Profile (M-C1) and Multi-Residential – Contextual Medium Profile (M-C2) districts.

Review the What We heard report and the display boards from the April 2018 open house.

Public engagement conducted during 2014 and 2015 included regular meetings with the Banff Trail and Capitol Hill Planning Advisory Committees, and two public open houses (December 2014 and September 2015).

Preliminary land use concepts developed by Administration and the Planning AdvisoryCommittees were presented to the public at the December 2014 open house.

Approximately 250 residents attended the open house and 166 feedback forms were received. Analysis of the feedback forms received showed that there was approximately equal support and opposition to the proposed areas identified for modest redevelopment.

A second public open house was held in September 2015 presenting the revised Land Use Maps, Building Height maps and associated potential policies. Approximately 200 residents attended the open house, 123 feedback forms were received. Feedback received was similar to that received at the December 2014 open house, resulting in minor changes to the land use and building height maps.

Review the summary of the public feedback we heard and the display boards from the September 29, 2015 open house.

Past Project Updates

August 2017 update

On August 1, 2017, Council approved the City-initiated redesignation. For Council minutes, please see item 6.34 of the July 31 Combined Meeting of Council meeting agenda.

June 15, 2017 update

On June 15, 2017, the Calgary Planning Commission recommended that City Council approve this application. A Council public hearing is scheduled for July 31 2017. You have an opportunity to submit written comments to City Council starting on July 6, 2017.

What’s next?

Mail-outs: There will be another round of mail outs to inform all adjacent and affected land owners about an upcoming Council public hearing on this item.
Advertising Period (July 6 – July 20): This is an opportunity for your input. Community members and residents who wish to support or voice their concerns over the proposal, but cannot attend the public hearing in person, may submit written comments directly to City Council (cityclerk@calgary.ca) staring on July 6 until July 20, 2017 – 10AM. Comments received during this time period are placed in the agenda of the public hearing where they can be reviewed by members of City of Council.
Council Public Hearing (July 31): A Council public hearing for this application has been scheduled for July 31, 2017. A public hearing is held by City Council. Any member of the public can speak for five minutes in favor or against the proposal. Typically, the public hearing meeting agenda becomes available approximately one week ahead of the Council meeting.

NOTE: Given the significant number of items scheduled for the July 31 public hearing, this particular item (Bylaw 269D2017) may not be heard by Council until the following day.

February 2017 update

The City held two information sessions on February 15, 2017 and February 22, 2017. If you were unable to attend the sessions, please review the display boards.

Amendments to the Banff Trail Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and the Capitol Hill portion of the North Hill ARP were adopted by City Council on March 7, 2016 (see the meeting minutes - item 8.2 of the agenda).

Council directed City staff to implement specific aspects of the revised ARPs through City-initiated redesignations. As such, at the beginning of 2017 City staff initiated an application to redesignate the following residential R-C1 and R-C2 properties to an R-CG land use designation (Map below).

The new R-CG designation will allow for:

Rowhouses in addition to uses and development already allowable on R-C2 and R-C1 properties;
A maximum building height of 11 metres (applicable to new rowhouse development only); and
A maximum of 4 units (based on a typical 50’ x 120’ parcel of land).

The revised land use plans included in both ARPs identify specific parcels and blocks of land as ‘Low Density Rowhouse’. Properties selected for “upzoning” to an R-CG designation are generally consistent with these land use plans.

Banff Trail: Council directed City staff to redesignate all properties identified in the Land Use Plan of the Banff Trail ARP as ‘Low Density Rowhouse’ to R-CG.
Banff Trail land use plan

Capitol Hill: The R-CG redesignations will be limited to appropriate properties along 24 Avenue NW, 20 Avenue NW and the north side of 17 Avenue NW.
Capitol Hill land use plan

For more information on the Banff Trail Capitol Hill Community Planning Project,
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Supporting documents

Contact

Josh de Jong
Community Planning – North
Planning and Development
403-268-5716
Joshua.deJong@calgary.ca

For media inquiries, please call 311.

This information has no legal status and cannot be used as an official interpretation of the various bylaws, codes and regulations currently in effect. The City of Calgary accepts no responsibility to persons relying solely on this information. Web pages are updated periodically.