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NOVEMBER 2021 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'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.

INVESTMENT

Deadline to submit new community business cases is Dec. 6

Our newest communities need to be successful now and decades from now. That success relies on investments from both developers and The City. The Citywide Growth Strategy: New Communities aligns planning policy, market demand and service needs with City budgets. Funding for new community business cases are considered on a two-year cycle in alignment with the beginning and mid-cycle of The City's four-year budget timeframe.

As part of Council’s service plan and budget decisions for the 2023-2026 budget cycle, the 2022 Business Case Evaluation process has begun. New community business cases will be accepted until Dec. 6 for consideration.

Recommendations will be presented for Council's consideration later in 2022 as part of the budget cycle process. The business case evaluation process, and associated Growth Management Overlay status, are tools The City uses to ensure land use approvals in new communities align with investment decisions that support strategic citywide growth. Evaluation criteria are focused on well-established growth planning factors including the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP), market demand and financial impact.
 
For more information, visit www.calgary.ca/newcommunity

BUSINESS SUPPORT

City grants help businesses comply with public health measures

There’s a new $2,000 grant available for eligible local businesses impacted by the Provincial Restrictions Exemption Program (REP). The City is providing the grant to help business owners comply with municipal and provincial public health measures.

The grant is $2,000 per physical, permanent location. Businesses that must comply with the REP, as set out in the new municipal bylaw, are eligible. There is approximately $5 million in funds available.

Local business operators should also be aware that on Oct. 7, the Province announced a separate provincial grant of $2,000 for small and medium businesses. The City’s grant is funded as part of the Calgary COVID Business Support Program, approved by Council in early September.

The Calgary REP Business Support Grant is open for applications until Nov. 30 or until all funds are allocated, whichever comes first. Learn more and apply at calgary.ca/businessgrant.

LOCAL ECONOMY
#SupportLocalYYC for holiday shopping

As supply chain problems mount worldwide, The City’s Support Local campaign is for the third consecutive year highlighting how the holiday season benefits local businesses and shoppers alike. You’re encouraged to consider products and services made in Calgary and to shop at local retailers, in store and online.

Local businesses are a big part of what makes us Calgary. One of the campaign’s main messages is for holiday shoppers to get everything on their gift lists from local vendors. Even better, over half of every $100 earned by local businesses ends up recirculating in the Calgary economy.

Learn how supporting local helps our city – and find business resources for the campaign – at calgary.ca/supportlocal. Share your favourite local businesses on social media, maybe even your own, with hashtag #SupportLocalYYC.

COLLABORATION

Calling artists, designers, students: enter winter city design competition

Photo Credit: Neil Zeller, Tourism Calgary photo library

The City of Calgary, in partnership with the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, is launching the inaugural Winter City Design Competition by inviting designers, artists and students to imagine the possibilities for eye-catching and interactive displays along Stephen Avenue. Under the theme ‘Out of Bounds’, we're encouraging contestants to explore and push beyond the boundaries of what public spaces look like in midst of a Calgary winter.

Prospective applicants can visit calgary.ca/wintercity for full application and submission guidelines. Submission deadline is Dec. 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.

The Winter City Design Competition is part of The City’s Future of Stephen Avenue Activate + Experiment project, to re-imagine Stephen Avenue from City Hall to Mewata Armoury. Through the project we're testing ideas and conducting experiments, then measuring their impacts, to help inform the future of downtown’s iconic main street. Read the full story in the newsroom.


OBSERVANCE

World Town Planning Day coming up

Nov. 8 is World Town Planning Day (WTPD), an international occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of planners and their contributions to their communities. Planners around the world participate in WTPD activities annually, a practice that began in 1949.

Visit Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI) to register for its WTPD event: International Approaches to Healthy Communities. APPI also suggests following @wtpdonline on Twitter, and posting your planning thoughts using #WTPD2021, #WTPD, #WorldTownPlanningDay or #WorldUrbanismDay."

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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Our mailing address is:
planninganddevelopment@calgary.ca