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MAY 2022 NEWSLETTER

Planning & Development

Our mission: To plan and enable building a great Calgary

Calgary is a great place to make a living and a life. Planning & Development continues to support our local economy and the aspirations of landowners by processing planning applications and building permits. We've remained open for business throughout the pandemic, with a continued focus on providing great service for our customers and building great communities together.
We’re on Twitter! The City of Calgary’s Planning & Development department joined Twitter as another channel to showcase the planning work we do in Calgary and give the opportunity for more conversation about how we plan and enable building a great city. It’s a place where we're bringing the “social” back so we can engage with more audiences about what makes our city awesome now and in the future. Come join the conversation @yycplan!

CUSTOMER SERVICE

An open letter to customers

Dear Customers,
 
Creating a great Calgary means we continuously look at how we provide more value-oriented services to our customers. To support our efforts, we have made a functional change that will strengthen our ability to continuously enhance these services to our customers and community.
 
Effective immediately, the Development Approvals division and teams are now part of Community Planning and led by the business unit’s Director, Debra Hamilton. Darren Lockhart continues his role as Manager, Development Approvals and oversees the functions of approvals coordination and public infrastructure. Integrating Development Approvals in Community Planning will help enable the Development Applications Review Team (DART) transition at a critical time and will reduce redundancies in resolving file escalations.
 
Please continue to direct questions or concerns about your application to your File Manager, who remains the central point of contact. In cases where concerns are not resolved with the File Manager, please contact the appropriate DART manager. Escalations to the Director level are now reviewed by Debra Hamilton. This role was previously handled by Josh White, who continues his role as Director, Calgary Growth Strategies.
 
We are confident that this functional change will enable us to work more efficiently and effectively with our customers and communities. For questions about this change, please email us at approvals@calgary.ca.
 
Thank you,
 
Josh White, Director, Calgary Growth Strategies 
Deb Hamilton, Director, Community Planning


BUSINESS SUPPORT

Patio season returns with changes and improvements to permitting

The City is once again supporting Calgary’s business community and outdoor patios by waiving fees, and creating opportunities for design and size with new recommendations on patio placement.
 
Starting this year, the guidance on patio placement is for business operators to, wherever possible, locate seasonal patios in the parking or curbside lane. This will leave the sidewalk unobstructed for pedestrian accessibility.
 
It’s still possible to get patio approval for sidewalks, but there must be a minimum clearance of two metres to allow for public passage. This new recommendation aligns with best practices for patios and accessibility, and creates opportunities for patio design and size without obstructive pedestrian detours. As this is a transition year, the new guidelines do provide flexibility.
 
Business owners who wish to explore a patio option can visit calgary.ca/patios for more information and to get the permit process started.

COLLABORATION

Downtown developments set to infuse new life into our city's core

The City recently announced the first three successful applicants to the Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program:
  • Palliser One (125 9 Avenue SE) – Aspen Properties
  • HAT @ Arts Common (205 9 Avenue SE) – Cidex Group of Companies
  • 909 5 Avenue SW – Peoplefirst Developments
These three projects will infuse life into largely empty or underutilized office buildings by converting empty office space to new residential units. It’s one way we’re moving beyond the traditional 9 to 5 business district towards a vibrant city center that people enjoy 24/7, with a balanced mix of residential, office, retail, entertainment, tourism and culture.

The three projects will receive approximately $31 million upon completion of construction, about a third of the $100 million fund approved by Council in 2021. The grant amounts will be based on $75 per square foot of office space converted to living space, to be confirmed and disbursed once the projects are completed. The estimated grant total is based on converting about 414,000 square feet of office space into 401 homes.

Learn more about the projects and how they’ll help bring new life to our downtown.

CLIMATE

New campaign features Calgarians' inspiring stories toward a better future

The City has launched an exciting new campaign called No Average Calgarian, to share stories from citizens on topics important to Calgarians, including climate change, economic recovery, and affordable housing.
 
Climate change is the topic of the first video which features the Bhargava family, who built an energy efficient home in northwest Calgary. The family is keenly aware of the consequences of climate change and considered their carbon footprint at each step in the building process. They are an inspiring example of Calgarians who are taking their individual and collective responsibility to move towards a greener future. 

Watch the video, access tips and resources to reduce your carbon footprint, learn what actions The City is taking to limit global climate change, and much more at calgary.ca/respond.  
Since March 2020, we've created a number of fee relief measures and process changes to support our business and industry customers during these challenging times. For a complete list of Planning & Development service changes, visit calgary.ca.
Visit our online Development Map to find developments of interest, stay up-to-date on the status of applications and submit your comments directly to the file manager.
Join our Business Perspectives Panel to help shape City programs and services directly impacting local businesses. Contact us at business.panel@calgary.ca to learn more.
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