Calgary Housing Advocates Rally for New Density Framework After Rezoning Repeal
In the aftermath of Calgary City Council's decisive vote to repeal blanket rezoning last week, a coalition of pro-housing organizations assembled in front of City Hall on Monday, urging local lawmakers to prioritize the city's pressing housing needs. The gathering featured approximately two dozen representatives from groups that had previously supported blanket rezoning during extensive public hearings, including More Neighbours Calgary, Calgary Transit Riders, the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, and the University of Calgary Students' Union.
Advocates Decry Return to "Square One" Without Clear Replacement Plan
Willem Klumpenhouwer, co-founder of More Neighbours Calgary, expressed profound disappointment, stating that the council's action has effectively reset progress on housing strategy. "We've simply voted to go back to where we were several years ago," Klumpenhouwer declared. "We're basically back at square one—we've taken one of the core pillars of the housing strategy, which had a nice green check mark next to it, and we've put a big red X next to it. And as far as I can tell, we don't have any plan to bring that back to a green check mark."
Klumpenhouwer further accused Mayor Jeromy Farkas of failing to uphold a campaign promise from last fall to replace blanket rezoning with a new framework designed to promote gentle densification. The repealed policy, a key component of the Home is Here housing strategy approved by the previous council, had allowed homeowners to convert single-family detached dwellings into denser housing types—such as duplexes and row houses—without first requiring a land use change from the city.
Council's Decision Follows Extensive Public Hearing Process
The council's 12-3 vote to repeal blanket rezoning came after an eight-day public hearing that involved testimony from more than 400 speakers. This citywide zoning policy had rezoned approximately 306,000 properties, aiming to streamline development processes. Advocates argue that its removal will negatively impact housing affordability in Calgary by making it more costly and time-consuming to develop multi-unit dwellings.
Klumpenhouwer emphasized that despite Calgary leading Canada in housing starts for the past two years and witnessing some stabilization in rents, the city remains entrenched in a housing crisis. "This didn't happen overnight," he explained. "This came from this steady pace of housing getting more and more expensive, more and more scarce, with less and less variety. And because of that, people are falling more and more below being able to attain housing. That isn't going to go away if you don't add supply at both ends of the housing spectrum."
He contended that council did not allow sufficient time to adequately assess the merits of blanket rezoning, suggesting that a longer timeframe was necessary to judge its effectiveness in addressing housing shortages.
Mayor Farkas Defocuses Council's Commitment to Affordability
In response to Monday's rally, Mayor Jeromy Farkas addressed reporters, reaffirming council's dedication to tackling housing affordability but emphasizing a broader approach beyond zoning policies alone. Farkas, who voted in favor of repealing blanket rezoning, highlighted recent city initiatives, including:
- Selling municipal land to non-market housing providers
- Launching a new Indigenous housing program
- Advancing transit-oriented development projects
"We know that in the case of the blanket rezoning that it did not deliver the housing in the appropriate places at the price points that Calgarians could afford, and that's why we've been focusing on the non-market element," Farkas stated. He argued that the repealed policy failed to produce housing in suitable locations at affordable price points, justifying the shift toward alternative strategies.
The coalition of housing advocates continues to press for a concrete replacement framework that promotes gentle density, warning that without immediate action, housing costs could escalate further, exacerbating the existing crisis for residents across Calgary.
