6 city councillors want to send Calgary's rezoning proposal to a plebiscite
CBC
A Calgary city council notice of motion to send proposed citywide changes on zoning rules to a public vote has already been endorsed by at least six councillors.
Council has scheduled a public hearing on the upzoning proposal for April 22.
If approved, it would allow row houses and townhomes to be built in residential areas on lots currently zoned for single family houses.
It's a key part of the city's housing strategy — which the city says is an important measure to address housing supply and affordability.
But some city councillors believe residents still don't have enough of a say, which is why they're hoping to take it to a vote.
Six councillors have signed on in support of the plebiscite motion:
Coun. Demong says he's still curious if the new zoning proposal would impact affordability.
"It's not saying no to the affordable housing strategy," he said. "This wouldn't delay the housing strategy in any way, shape or form. It would delay one simple portion of the housing strategy."
But not everyone is convinced the plebiscite is a good idea.
Coun. Jasmine Mian says council is already planning to hold a public hearing on the proposal. The Ward 3 representative also fears a plebiscite will give a vote on the issue to residents who wouldn't be affected by the change.
She's referring to the thousands of people who live in newer areas of the city that are already zoned to all such developments.
"The benefit of a public hearing is that everyone can come and speak to it," said Mian.
"I'm honestly just confused about how we could even structure a plebiscite question that would get at what we're trying to get at, and include the people who are affected, and not the people who are not affected."
The councillor says she's concerned that even the people who are opposed to the rezoning won't be well served by a plebiscite.
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