Calgary should update its housing strategy, officials recommended to council members on Wednesday. As the city's housing strategy officially reaches its halfway point, administration is recommending a refresh.
Housing Strategy Progress Report
The previous city council approved the strategy in September 2023, amid growing concerns around housing affordability. That summer, a housing needs assessment in Calgary suggested the city was in a 'housing crisis.' The strategy council adopted to tackle that crisis, called Home is Here, outlined 98 action items to improve housing affordability and increase overall housing supply in Calgary by 2030, for both market and below-market homes.
The plan included zoning reform to accelerate residential development, incentivizing programs for secondary suites, a new Indigenous-led housing program, and the sale of municipally owned land to non-profit housing providers, among other tactics.
Chief Housing Officer's Update
Chief housing officer Reid Hendry, who is responsible for overseeing the strategy, presented his yearly update to council's community development committee on Wednesday. His report outlined that 71 per cent of the strategy's action items are either underway or completed, with the remaining ones either 'not progressing as planned' or slated to be underway by the end of this year.
He said the city is still lagging in its goal of delivering 3,000 below-market housing units per year. Last year, Calgary approved more than 1,800 development permits for below-market homes, Hendry noted. While this is almost five times the historic annual average, he said it falls well short of the target.
But overall, Hendry said the city's housing-related programs have made a considerable dent in cooling local housing demand. He noted Calgary led Canada in housing construction last year, with more than 23,000 housing starts and nearly 28,000 new occupancies granted.
'These indicators demonstrate progress is being made,' he told the committee.
Ongoing Housing Pressures
Nevertheless, housing pressures remain significant for many Calgarians, according to Hendry. Home and rent prices in Calgary are 40 per cent higher than in 2019, which has far outpaced an income growth rate of about 12 per cent in the same time frame.
'This dynamic is driving affordability pressures, particularly for households already at risk of housing instability, and it's increasingly affecting middle-income households,' he said.
A population increase of 21 per cent in the past six years has also strained Calgary's housing demand. One in five households in Calgary are struggling to afford shelter.
Recommendation for Mid-Strategy Refresh
To continue ensuring the strategy is delivering through to its completion in 2030, Hendry said administration is recommending a mid-strategy 'refresh' to help leverage more funding, reinforce intergovernmental relationships and adapt to policy changes from other orders of government.
