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December 14, 2025 / NewsZoning
Earlier this week, I was asked by CTV Calgary to share my thoughts on City Council’s upcoming vote to repeal Calgary’s citywide (“blanket”) rezoning policy. The discussion reflects a broader and ongoing debate about how cities should grow, how quickly change should occur, and how planning policy balances certainty, trust, and outcomes.
This post expands on a few of those thoughts from a professional planning perspective.
The citywide rezoning policy, adopted in 2024, allowed most low-density residential parcels in Calgary to accommodate additional housing forms—such as duplexes and rowhouses—without requiring a land use redesignation application.
From a planning and development standpoint, the most significant impact of this policy was certainty. It removed one layer of approval, reduced timelines for modest infill projects, and provided clearer expectations for homeowners, builders, and professionals working within the Land Use Bylaw framework.
It is important to note that blanket rezoning did not remove development permits, building permits, or technical review. It simply shifted where debate occurred—away from land use entitlement and toward design, compatibility, and performance standards.
At the same time, it would be inaccurate to suggest the policy landed smoothly across the city.
Many communities felt the policy moved faster than public understanding or confidence could keep up with. For some residents, the concern was not density itself, but the perception that change was being applied broadly without sufficient neighbourhood-level nuance or clarity about what “gentle density” would actually look like on the ground.
Those concerns are real, and they deserve to be acknowledged. Planning is not only about technical compliance—it is also about public trust in the system.
Repealing blanket rezoning does not mean density disappears from Calgary. Duplexes, townhomes, and Townhousing will continue to be contemplated in many areas through existing districts, local area plans, and site-specific redesignations.
However, repeal likely means:
Longer timelines for certain projects
Increased variability in outcomes depending on location and context
Higher soft costs associated with additional approval steps
From a housing delivery perspective, these factors matter. From a community confidence perspective, they also matter just in a different way.
The most important question for Calgary is not whether blanket rezoning should exist or be repealed.
The real question is whether Council can replace it with a framework that:
Continues to support housing supply and affordability
Restores confidence and transparency in the planning process
Provides predictability and clarity for builders, homeowners, and professionals
“Process matters. Certainty matters. And public trust matters.“
Cities function best when planning policy aligns technical outcomes with social acceptance. Achieving that balance is rarely simple but it is essential.
As planners, our role is not to advocate for speed or restraint in isolation, but to help decision-makers understand the trade-offs of both. Calgary’s rezoning debate is a reminder that how we plan is just as important as what we plan.
At CITYTREND, we continue to work with municipalities, developers, and communities to navigate these complexities grounded in policy, informed by data, and respectful of context.
