Calgary last week approved Home is Here: The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy 2023 – 2030.
“One in five Calgary households are currently unable to afford their housing,” says Tim Ward, manager of housing solutions at The City of Calgary. “Today marks an important turning point. Approval of the Housing Strategy will have a profound impact on the lives of Calgarians. Implementation of the Strategy will address the housing crisis and support our efforts to build more market and non-market housing.”
Approved strategies include:
- Leveraging city owned sites for emergency housing for families
- Including incentives for downtown office conversions to support post-secondary residents
- Investigating business licensing for residential landlords
- Considering infrastructure investments for increased densities
- Adding reporting considerations for planning application processes
Councillors called the approval “a significant stride” towards increasing the supply of market and non-market housing to meet demand and improve affordability, ensuring that there is a diverse range of options in all communities.
“The housing strategy aligns with a broader goal to create a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous city for all Calgarians,” said David Duckworth, city manager.
As strategies are implemented, there will be supports for affordable housing providers and housing subsidiaries. Staff will report to the community development committee on an annual basis on progress towards implementation.
Implementation will begin for actions that do not require further budget or Council approval. Actions that impact the budget, will be considered during budget adjustments in November.
Actions that require land-use or bylaw changes will follow the regulated legislation process and will return to Council to a public hearing in the coming months.