With Council’s approval of our 2023-2026 service plans and budgets, our department is in a more sustainable position to meet and serve our city’s population and housing growth, both responsibly and equitably.
 
Council’s direction gives us permission space to continue working toward our vision for prosperous, equitable and environmentally sustainable city-building:

• Realizing our four-year (and first ever!) Climate Strategy Implementation Plan, including $20 million funding for the 5A network to invest in low to zero emission mobility options for citizens.
• Providing neighbourhoods with new amenities sooner after a Local Area Plan is completed, with $20 million in seed funding.
• Continuing investments to reimagine Calgary’s downtown recovery with $31 million and $9 million respectively to convert office space to new homes and post-secondary education spaces.
• Conserving Calgary’s history with $2 million in continued funding as tax incentives to owners of residential heritage buildings, and increased support to owners of commercial heritage buildings, for renovation and conservation efforts. 
• Supporting businesses by extending zero fees for Outdoor Cafe Licenses through 2023.

How we build our city now matters for Calgary’s future success. These highlights and the remaining budget items approved will support our success – and yours – in planning and imagining our city for the next four years.

As previously shared, we’re working to make it easier for you to manage your applications online with our new platform, ApplyCentral. We’re transitioning applications one at a time from VISTA to ApplyCentral, and have successfully completed our first: Construction Drawings – Development Engineering.
 
Use your myID business account to access ApplyCentral. From there you can submit your CD applications, see the real-time status of reviews, download released documents, apply for construction permissions, retrieve permission letters, and add contacts from your organization.
 
Please note: applications for Construction Drawings - Development Engineering will not be supported on VISTA after Feb. 28, 2023.
 
Watch for more updates as we complete additional application moves to ApplyCentral.

The Planning Services Centre will return to the third floor of the Municipal Building (800 Macleod Trail S.E.) on Jan. 9. Until then, we’ll continue providing application processing, permitting services, business licensing and historical records information at our Whitehorn Multi-Services Centre (3705 35 Street N.E.).

Thank you for your patience throughout the temporary third-floor closure while we repaired damages from an early August break-in.

Our journey toward net zero-emissions received international recognition with straight As for climate leadership through focused and effective action. The list curated by CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) includes 123 countries and cities from around the world demonstrating bold leadership on environmental action and transparency.
 
This is the fifth consecutive year Calgary has earned top marks. Going forward with our four-year Climate Implementation Plan and Council-approved 2023-2026 budget, Calgary is in an even better position to become a modern city that uses less energy and reduces climate risk.
 
Read the full story in the features section in our newsroom.

Private home-based child care providers can apply for their new business licence online starting Dec. 27 with a myID account. Council approved the new licence requirements in September to ensure minimum standards are in place to protect the health and safety of our youngest and most vulnerable Calgarians. The regulation takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
 
Licence fees are waived until March 16, and include the cost of a police check and vulnerable sector search. After that, a licence will cost $172 plus $65 for the first adult police check and $55 for each additional adult and/or employee in the home. The fee relief period coincides with a 2.5 month grace period for operators to secure their licence.
 
Learn more about the new licensing requirements at calgary.ca/dayhome, and/or watch a pre-recorded webinar on licensing your home-based child care business.

Off-site Levy rates are adjusted each year as of Jan. 1, as required by the Off-site Levy Bylaw.
 
Due to inflation, the levy rates adjustment is much higher than in previous years. While the increased construction costs are impacting the 2023 Off-site Levy rates, the actual levy increase is less than the projected Calgary Consumer Price Index (CPI) and non-residential construction price index. The blended Greenfield Area levy rate adjustment for 2023 (5.83%) will remain below increases in CPI and non-residential construction price index, which are projected to be 7.2% and 10.2% respectively, by the end of 2022.
 
For 2023, Off-site Levy rates will increase:

• 3.3% for the Water levy
• 9.02% for the Transportation levy and Community Services charges
• 3.3% per unit for the Established Area treatment plant levy

The new 2023 Off-site Levy rates, and more information about the levies, are published on calgary.ca/offsitelevy.

The Tomorrow’s Chinatown program reached a significant milestone with Council’s approval of the Chinatown Cultural Plan and first reading of the Chinatown Area Redevelopment Plan on Dec. 6. Together, these plans play an important role for Chinatown to remain a vibrant, culturally-rich place to live, visit, work and do business, for generations to come.

The Cultural Plan and Area Redevelopment Plan were developed together through insight from citizens and the Chinese community, both within Chinatown and throughout the city. Notably, the citizen advisory group consisting of 25 passionate and committed Chinatown community members, supporters and leaders was a mainstay of the entire two-year process.

The result is strategic, community-informed guidance and direction for Chinatown’s future growth, which will preserve and celebrate this culturally-rich community. It’s a unique approach that showcases the community’s values and opportunities, so one of Calgary’s first communities can continue to grow as a diverse and welcoming place.

Read the full story in our newsroom and learn more about the Chinatown Cultural Plan and Chinatown Area Redevelopment Plan at calgary.ca/chinatown.

There are still three weekly chances to win $150 in ParkPlus account credits from The Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) for supporting locally-owned businesses. The giveaway is designed to encourage Calgarians to shop local and in Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) this holiday season. The contest complements The City’s #SupportLocalYYC campaign, now in its fourth consecutive year.
 
To enter the contest, follow @Calgary Parking on Instagram. Like its posts, tag a friend and tag a local Calgary business you love. Draws will continue every Monday until Jan. 2, 2023. See the news release for full details.
 
The City’s annual #SupportLocalYYC campaign reminds Calgarians of how important small businesses are to our local economy: they account for more than 95 per cent of businesses in our city; generate four times more economic activity than large corporations; and recirculate more than half of every $100 earned back into Calgary’s economy.
 
For more information, including helpful tools and resources for local business, visit calgary.ca/supportlocal.

Building a detached garage can be a great solution to growing storage needs, but it’s important to know that any Accessory Residential Building greater than 10 sm² (107 sq. ft.) requires building safety approval.
 
Trade permits are also required if you’re installing new electrical wiring, extending or altering an existing electrical branch circuit, or adding or extending an existing plumbing system. You’ll also need a gas permit if you’re extending or installing a natural gas line.
 
Not sure where to start? Visit calgary.ca/garages for information on the permitting process or visit apply.calgary.ca to submit your permit application.

In preparation for the new land use bylaws in residential districts coming into effect Jan. 2, 2023, we’ve prepared a two-page “cheat sheet” for developers. Download here so you’re ready for the changes as soon as the ball drops us into the new year. Visit our website at calgary.ca/buildinghousingchoice for more information and resources.

Council has approved the Heritage Guidelines for the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan, following more than a year of work with interested community members.

The Heritage Guidelines are included in section 2.6 Heritage of the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan. An Implementation Guide is now available to support property owners’ redevelopment of their heritage properties.

The Land Use Bylaw is being updated to include a map of the Heritage Guideline Areas within the North Hill Communities Local Area Plan. The updated map will be online in January 2023.

For more information, visit calgary.ca/NHCheritageguidelines.

We've modernized the Joint Use and Planning Agreement with the Calgary Board of Education, the Calgary Catholic School District and the Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud. The official agreement was signed in a special ceremony by Mayor Gondek and school trustees at the end of November.
 
The Joint Use and Planning Agreement provides guidance on how we plan and develop joint use sites. These sites are community hubs where residents gather for various activities and events. We signed the original agreement in 1985. Since then, Calgary has grown and changed. There are also new City policies and Provincial legislation in place.

The updated agreement will continue meeting the evolving needs of Calgarians. Extensive engagement occurred over two years, to understand how best these joint-use sites can be used for both schools and the community. For more information, please visit calgary.ca/JUPA.

The ninth Mayor’s Urban Design Awards (MUDA) held Nov. 9 recognized the professionals who help shape and build our city into one of the best places in the world to live.

Creating high quality public spaces that are inclusive and accessible was a consistent theme reflected in the winners and honourable mentions. It’s something that is top of mind for the urban designers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, planners and artists who shape our city. It’s also important to recognize those efforts in making Calgary a welcoming place to live and visit.

This year a record 87 applicants competed in the 11 MUDA award categories, which highlight the wholistic efforts to growing a complete city; from contributing to vibrant, healthy and accessible communities; to ensuring our spaces are appropriate and accessible year-round; to a focus on buildings and spaces that contribute to net-zero emissions.

Read the full story in our newsroom and check out the 2022 recipients and their respective contributions to our city.

You may not have noticed yet, but we’ve updated our internal structure to meet today’s changing needs and expectations. Our new department and teams allow for more collaboration, flexibility and even better service delivery.
 
Our organization realignment brings like-functions and teams together in one department, which creates new opportunities to be more innovative and supportive to our customers. Making our service delivery more streamlined, and our information sharing more transparent, we hope you'll notice that your experiences with us are more straightforward and seamless.
 
Learn more at calgary.ca and see the updated City org chart and description of our new Planning & Development Services department.