Project Update – April 12, 2021
Summary of April 12, 2021 Combined Meeting of Council
The North Hill Communities Local Area Plan was tabled to the April 12, 2021 Combined Meeting of Council. At that meeting, Council referred the North Hill Communities Plan back to Administration to incorporate amendments, policies from the Guidebook, as required, and report directly to Council no later than June 21, 2021. Council also approved two motions arising related to the North Hill Communities Plan.
For additional information, please review the following:
Summary of Motion Arisings and Council-directed Amendments
Detailed Referral Motion and Motions Arising (as approved connected to item 9.2.1 North Hill Communities Local Area Plan – April 12, 2021 Combined Meeting of Council).
When a Council date is determined, it will be posted on Calgary.ca/NorthHill and an email update will be provided.
The Guidebook for Great Communities is a policy document that combines existing policies, improved policies and new policies all in one place. It makes for a more inclusive and consistent way to plan a community’s growth. It keeps Calgary and its communities on the map as one of most livable and welcoming cities in the world. It introduces a new Low Density Residential Policy which will enable more housing varieties throughout the North Hill inner city, including Rosedale. Read the Guidebook at www.calgary.ca/guidebook or watch the 101 Session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaEwzM708VI
In response to Council direction from July 2020, the items listed below were updated and brought to the Special Planning Committee for Planning and Urban Development (PUD) on January 13th where an update was on both the Guidebook and Plan was given.
- Simplified the Urban Form Categories (UFC) in Chapter 2
- Moved policies from Chapter 3 to the appropriate UFC section in Chapter 2, so they are in the same place.
- Expanded policies that help preserve Heritage assets
- Added direction to incorporate climate change policy in alignment with Calgary’s Climate Resilience Strategy
- Added policy on Low Density Residential to ensure density is in the right place
- Simplified the language so its easier to read and gives clearer direction
At that meeting it was voted to have the Guidebook and North Hill teams formally present to PUD on Feb.3rd and at that meeting it was recommended the Guidebook for Great Communities and the North Hill Local Area Plan both be presented to the Combined Meeting of Council on March 22, 2021. This public hearing is another opportunity for citizens and Council to ask questions and provide comment. This meeting of Council will include a Council decision.
The North Hill Local Area Plan sets out the future vision for growth and change in nine established inner-city communities surrounding 16 Avenue and Centre Street including Rosedale. The Plan provides development direction that residents, land owners, builders/developers, City Planners and Councillors can commonly refer to as new development ideas are proposed by property owners and landowners within the area.
The Plan includes the following sections, aiming to answer the accompanying question and includes the associated key components:
- Visualizing growth – What is the vision for the area? (vision and core ideas)
- Enabling growth – What type of growth makes sense where and what local/custom direction is needed to realize great development in this area? (future growth concept and development policies)
- Supporting growth – What investments are needed to support growth? (future infrastructure and amenity goals/objectives).
Take a look through the revised Plan at https://engage.calgary.ca/NorthHill or find the link to watch a copy of the January 27th info session https://engage.calgary.ca/NorthHill/realize
Learn more about the Guidebook for Great Communities
The City is offering four virtual presentations and Q&A forums if you are interested in learning more about the Guidebook. They will cover why the Guidebook is necessary, the changes we made from Council’s direction in July 2020, how we use it with communities to plan for growth and application in community growth:
Feb. 11 https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/guidebook-101-tickets-139563394871
Feb. 17 https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/guidebook-101-tickets-139686370695Mar.13 https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/guidebook-101-tickets-139687955435
Mar. 16 https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/guidebook-101-tickets-139687955435
Project Update – June 24, 2020
| Council referral back to PUD Committee On Monday June 15, Council approved a motion to refer the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan and the Guidebook for Great Communities back to the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD) on July 15, rather than proceeding to a public hearing of Council. The Council motion and referral of both plans back to the PUD on July 15 enables potential refinements to be further discussed and/or directed prior to a public hearing of Council. On July 15, Administration will bring forward a presentation outlining proposed refinements for discussion. The report for this meeting will be available the Thursday prior (visit link below) and members of the public may speak at PUD (please note the instructions for participating): Council & Committee Agendas, Minutes and Video. Committee & Council Meeting Background On March 4, the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan and the Guidebook for Great Communities were presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD). Feedback received at the Committee meeting indicated there were aspects of both plans that may benefit from further refinement. Ultimately, Committee recommended approval of the two policy documents and for their consideration at a Public Hearing of Council. However, with a desire for further refinements to be made, but a lack of ability for Administration to make refinements between Committee and Council meetings, a referral from Council back to PUD was made to ensure refinements could be further discussed and/or directed prior to a public hearing of Council. |
| Updates connected to other initiatives in the North Hill Communities area Green Line Update – On June 16, 2020 Council approved Administration’s recommendation for a revised Green Line alignment that includes a bridge from the Downtown across the Bow River to Crescent Heights. As part of that approval, additional clarity was provided with the realignment and station location at 9 Avenue N. The LRT alignment will run along the surface of Centre Street N in the middle of the road, with a single lane of traffic in each direction and no on-street parking. 16 Avenue N station, a terminus for Stage 1, will be located south of 16 Avenue N, while 9 Avenue N station, considered a community station, will be located between 7 Avenue N and 9 Avenue N. – In terms of the new 9 Avenue Station, how does this newly proposed ‘community station’ integrate with the proposed North Hill Communities Local Area Plan? Transit Oriented Developed (TOD) is flexible and may look and feel different at different locations, depending on the surrounding area and context. TOD may feature high-scale towers and high-levels of activity while in other locations, the vision of TOD may include low- to mid-rise buildings and a more moderate level of activity that better fits the character of surrounding communities. The proposed North Hill Communities Local Area Plan currently doesn’t show a station at 9 Avenue N but it does envision up to six-storey buildings with active retail/commercial frontages at grade on Centre Street which would support transit-oriented development in this area. Established Area Growth and Change Strategy – Phase 1 Update – On May 25, 2020, Council approved the Phase 1 Recommendation Report for the Established Area Growth and Change Strategy (EAGCS). The initiative will work to implement the Phase 1 approved recommendations, and move into Phase 2 as of June 2020. The Phase 1 recommendations included investment in public realm projects within the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan that are targeted for construction in 2021-2022. Updates on the next steps of these projects will be posted on Calgary.ca/EstablishedArea. – During Phase 2, it is anticipated that the team will continue to explore additional financial tools and strategies for public realm investments and replenishing the newly-created Established Area Investment Fund. Preliminary results are anticipated to be presented to the Priorities and Finance Committee by the end of Q4 2020. This work includes the development of more details of a two-year pilot tax uplift program in the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan, to support continued growth related public realm investments starting in 2023. Please see Calgary.ca/EstablishedArea for further information on what tax uplift is and for updates on the evolution of this pilot tool. Neighbourhood Streets – North Hill Communities Area – Through the North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning project, The City worked with area stakeholders to identify desired/potential mobility and public realm improvements in the area. These ideas are captured in Appendix A of the proposed North Hill Communities Local Area Plan. The City’s Neighbourhood Streets project team is now investigating these ideas in greater detail with the intent of piloting some of them this summer. Learn more about the proposed Neighbourhood Streets project and get involved –visit calgary.ca/NeighbourhoodStreets and visit the Neighbourhood Streets program page. Heritage Conservation Tools & Incentives – Using stakeholder feedback, consultant research and technical analysis, The City has created recommendations for policy and financial tools to support heritage conservation in Calgary in the coming years. On April 1, the recommendations were shared with the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD). At that time, the recommendations were received for information only due to the challenges and concerns Calgarians were facing due to COVID-19. The project team is planning to present their recommendations to the SPC on Planning and Urban Development on July 15. More information can be found on the Heritage conservation incentives and programs page. Thank you for your continued interest, participation, and commitment to this important work. Calgary.ca/NorthHill/Realize |
On March 4, the Guidebook for Great Communities and the North Hill Local Area Plan were presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development (PUD). The committee approved the two policy documents for consideration at the 2020 April 27 Public Hearing of Council.
The March 4 PUD meeting was prior to the current COVID-19 situation and the physical distancing procedures that are now in place to ensure the public’s health and safety. While it is technically possible to hear these two policy items at the April 27 public hearing, at which citizens could participate, Administration acknowledges that COVID-19 is confronting Calgarians with significant challenges and concerns.
Therefore, Administration is recommending to Council the following approaches to these two policy reports, as they relate to the April 27 Combined Meeting of Council:
- Guidebookfor Great Communities: defer to a later Council date, at which time we will advertise for a public hearing
- North Hill Local Area Plan: defer to a later Council date, at which time we will advertise for a public hearing
Regarding the April 1 meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Planning & Urban Development, Administration is recommending to Council that the Heritage Conservation Tools and Incentives report be received for information only. It is recommended it returns to the SPC on PUD at a later time for a fulsome discussion and public participation.
Moving forward, Administration continues to work with Council on how best to move forward on timing of our work plans and policies that may be affected by COVID-19.