Last days of the NIMBY: How Ottawa’s housing push is rewriting the rules of development
Last month, city councillors in Calgary settled in for what would turn out to be the city’s longest-ever public hearing. Over the course of 12 days, more than 700 residents and stakeholders paraded through council chambers at city hall to share their views ahead of a vote on sweeping changes to the city’s zoning rules.
The question was whether to implement blanket rezoning that would pave the way for more housing density in the 60 per cent of the city allocated to single-family dwellings.
An overwhelming majority of those who spoke were opposed to the rezoning, but city council last week voted to adopt the changes, with some amendments.
“This decision is important for ensuring that Calgarians can live in our city, not only with choice but with dignity,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who has been a staunch advocate for creating more housing in the city.
While Calgary’s debate played out in a public forum, others like it have been taking place across the country in recent months, in part in response to measures introduced by the federal government to address the chronic shortage of housing that has driven up rents and home prices.
Since last fall, municipalities have been cashing in on millions from the federal government’s $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), part of Ottawa’s $82 billion strategy to tackle the housing crisis.
To date, 179 Canadian municipalities have signed on, but the funds flowing through HAF come with a catch: in order to pave the way for more housing construction, jurisdictions that take the money must eliminate low-density zoning and any rules that prevent affordable and social housing in residential areas. They must also allow mixed-use and high-density residential development near urban cores and
Read more on financialpost.com
