Calgary makes downtown permit exemptions permanent

Summary#

Calgary City Council passed Bylaw 35P2026 at third reading on September 15, 2026. It amends the City’s Land Use Bylaw, making permanent two Centre City Enterprise Area exemptions that were due to expire on December 31, 2026. The stated goal is to provide certainty and continue supporting downtown investment; that is a goal, not a guaranteed result.

  • In the Centre City Enterprise Area, qualifying exterior alterations will remain exempt from needing a development permit, except for buildings on the City’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources.
  • Qualifying additions smaller than 1,000 square metres will remain exempt from needing a development permit, if they meet the Land Use Bylaw’s other conditions for exemptions.
  • The existing exemption for some changes of use remains in place. It applies to uses listed in the district and subject to other section requirements; it was already made permanent in 2019.
  • The exemptions apply only to certain work in the designated area. They do not remove the development permit requirement for all downtown development.

What it means for you#

  • Downtown businesses and property owners: If a project qualifies, it can proceed without a development permit for the covered work. The decision makes those exemptions permanent, but does not guarantee that a particular project qualifies.
  • Owners of listed historic buildings: The exterior-alteration exemption does not apply to buildings on the City’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources.
  • City staff: The decision does not create a new office or program. The Centre City Enterprise Area is an overlay in the Land Use Bylaw.
  • Residents and the public: One person spoke at the public hearing. The minutes do not say what they said. Council passed the bylaw 14–0.

Money#

City staff reported no anticipated operating or capital budget impact from the decision.

  • Staff report that, from 2023 to 2025, an average of 192 development permits a year were exempted in the area, saving about 7,900 days of permit time annually.
  • Staff say some exempt projects in the Downtown Office Conversion Program saved about $500,000 on average through lower consulting fees, permit securities and deposits, and related costs. This figure is for those program projects, not all exempt projects.
  • The report gives no estimate of the total private savings from making the exemptions permanent.

What is unclear#

  • The supplied material does not give the bylaw’s start date.
  • It does not explain how eligibility for each exemption is assessed or what review or appeal process applies.
  • Staff intend to explore possible future changes, including whether the area’s features could apply more broadly, but this decision does not settle those questions.
  • The report does not describe what other approvals or requirements may still apply to exempt work.

Case for#

  • City staff say the exemptions can reduce applicant wait times by 60 to 120 or more days, and their 2023–2025 figures show substantial permit time saved.
  • Staff say the exemptions have helped business openings, building refurbishments and office-to-housing conversions. Making them permanent avoids the scheduled expiry of the exterior-alteration and small-addition exemptions.
  • Staff report that downtown real estate, construction and business improvement groups they consulted supported continuing the exemptions.

Case against#

  • A possible concern is that exempt projects do not go through the development permit process. The report does not explain what other review or oversight applies to each type of work.
  • The exemption for exterior alterations excludes listed historic buildings, but the supplied material does not describe how other effects of exempt work are assessed.
  • The decision makes the temporary exemptions permanent before the planned zoning and City Building Program work is complete. Staff intend to consider future changes, but the timing and outcome of that work are not stated.

Votes

Public Hearing Meeting of Council, item 7.3.2 (Centre City Enterprise Area Update, IP2026-0656): That with respect to Report IP2026-0656, the following be adopted: That Council give three readings to Proposed Bylaw 35P2026 to amend Bylaw 1P2007, the Land Use Bylaw (Attachment 2).

For (100%)

Public Hearing Meeting of Council, item 7.3.2 (Centre City Enterprise Area Update, IP2026-0656): That Bylaw 35P2026 be introduced and read a first time.

For (100%)

Public Hearing Meeting of Council, item 7.3.2 (Centre City Enterprise Area Update, IP2026-0656): That Bylaw 35P2026 be read a second time.

For (100%)

Public Hearing Meeting of Council, item 7.3.2 (Centre City Enterprise Area Update, IP2026-0656): That Bylaw 35P2026 be read a third time.

For (100%)

Infrastructure and Planning Committee, item 7.4 (Centre City Enterprise Update, IP2026-0656): That with respect to Revised Report IP2026-0656, the following be approved: That the Infrastructure and Planning Committee: - Forward this report to the 2026 September 15 Public Hearing Meeting of Council; and That the Infrastructure and Planning Committee recommend that Council: - Give three readings to the proposed bylaw to amend Bylaw 1P2007, the Land Use Bylaw (Attachment 2).

For (100%)