Summary#

Council did not approve the proposed policy and land use amendments for 9797 Harvest Hills Boulevard NW and 656 Country Hills Road NW. The motion to approve them was defeated 7 to 8; the proposal’s goal was to allow phased mixed-use and housing development while protecting land for future transit needs.

• The defeated motion would have amended the Calgary North Area Structure Plan Phase 1 and changed 0.61 hectares from Special Purpose – City and Regional Infrastructure (S-CRI) to Mixed Use – General (MU 1f4.0h25).
• The proposed first phase anticipated about 150 homes. A later phase, requiring another land use approval, could have brought the total to about 321 homes.
• The proposal would have kept an eastern part of the site available for surface parking, including a possible park-and-ride use, until transit plans were developed further.
• The members who voted against the approval motion were Councillors Ward, Yule, Pantazopoulos, Jamieson, Dhaliwal, Tyers and Johnston, and Mayor Farkas. The vote does not state why any member voted as they did.
• Council did carry motions to add late confidential public submissions to the Corporate Record and keep them confidential and not release them.

What it means for you#

• Nearby residents and people seeking housing: This decision does not approve the proposed land use change or the housing it anticipated. The site’s existing S-CRI designation remains. City staff reported that no development permit had been submitted.
• People using or living near the site: The site was described as undeveloped and temporarily used as an off-leash dog area. The decision does not directly change that use.
• Public: The late submissions were directed to be added to the Corporate Record but kept confidential and not released. The materials do not explain how they can be accessed.

Money#

City staff reported no anticipated financial impact from the proposed amendments; the materials give no cost estimate for the decision itself.

• The decision does not approve spending, a fee, a tax change or a payment.

What is unclear#

• The materials do not say what will happen next with the proposed changes or when another proposal might come forward.
• The Calgary Planning Commission had previously approved an outline plan, but the materials do not explain how that approval relates to the defeated amendments.
• There is no timeline for establishing detailed plans for the future Green Line station and Airport Connector rail.
• The late public submissions are confidential and not released, so their contents are not available in these materials.

Case for#

• City staff said the proposal could allow more housing options and more efficient use of land and existing services. The proposed first phase anticipated about 150 homes.
• Staff said the phased approach would keep the eastern area available for possible transit needs until plans for the nearby station and rail connection were further developed.
• Staff said the proposed mixed-use district encourages development oriented to walking and public transit.

Case against#

• A nearby resident, Dorothy J. Anderson, objected to the proposal, raising concerns about traffic, congestion and access from her condominium complex onto Country Hills Road.
• Anderson also objected to the proposed commercial uses near existing businesses and said the public notice and response process gave residents too little time and was difficult to use.
• The materials do not include a City staff response to the specific traffic and notice concerns in Anderson’s letter.