Councillor Sharp's Motion Falls Flat
Councillor Sharp and six other councillors are attempting a classic distraction: A do-nothing pilot to avoid taking real, expert-developed steps to address the housing crisis.
Last Friday afternoon we learned that Councillor Sharp and six other so-called “can’t do councillors” put forward a notice of motion to “prepare a plan to implement a pilot program” to allow for a concurrent application process for R-CG applications.
Promoted as a red-tape removal project that would speed up the permitting process, it is in fact a last-ditch delay tactic by a segment of council desperate to avoid a political reckoning on land use on September 14.
By the motion’s own admittance Calgary is facing a housing crisis and Sharp et al. are proposing a motion to start a plan for a pilot program when there are 33 expert-developed recommendations waiting for their vote two days later.
So why would they propose such a thing? Well, by proposing a toothless non-solution these councillors are trying to find an off-ramp from addressing the most contentious aspect of the affordability recommendations: Legalizing duplexes and row-houses throughout the city.
Instead of listening to the experts they hired and doing the right thing for Calgarians, they want to wave this motion that does nothing in the air and claim they are doing something.
We need to tell these council members that we see right through this proposal. If you live in Wards 1 (Sharp), 2 (Wyness), 4 (Chu), 7 (Wong), 10 (Chabot), 13 (McLean), or 14 (Demong), reach out and tell them you want them to vote for the actual recommendations, not this do-nothing distraction.
This motion is a giant bucket of nothing
Typically, there are two approvals required before a building permit can be requested: land-use change (rezoning) and a development permit. The first looks at whether the property in question is suitable for the purpose for the proposed land use, the second reviews the actual building plans.
For R-CG, there is simply no residential area in the city where that type of land use isn’t appropriate – that’s why one of the Housing Strategy recommendations is to make that the default land use.
Developers on larger projects already often submit applications for land-use change and development permits concurrently. Homebuilders on smaller projects, however, understandably want certainty around land-use before they go ahead and complete the fairly expensive and time-consuming requirements for the development permit: a lengthy list of forms and schedules, studies, architectural drawings, and community engagement.
Requiring builders to prepare the development permit application knowing that they could be among the 5% rejected, raises the stakes and will undoubtedly deter applicants and raise costs, as risk costs money.
So does this motion actually cut red tape? No — applying concurrently is already an option for applicants.
Does it speed up the process? Not really — at best it allows Council to say no faster.
Does it get more homes built? Certainly not — If you don’t actualy change the status quo, you can’t expect a different outcome.
In addition to being a political off-ramp, the point of Sharp’s motion is to preserve the gatekeeping power of incumbent homeowners to block future housing. It is not a serious way to address the housing crisis.
The Housing Strategy has solutions
The Housing Strategy recommendations on the other hand propose a much more elegant and effective solution to the problem: If you simply make it legal to build low-density contextual housing like duplexes and row-houses throughout the city, you don’t need to apply for a land-use change at all. This would be an actually massive reduction in red tape, development costs, and use of city resources.
As a friend of ours put it, “Sharp’s Notice of Motion is like washing a muddy floor with a toothbrush when you've been handed a mop - all while patting yourself on the back for how much cleaner you’re making the floor.”
We don’t need a toothless pilot, we need actual change and certainty for Calgarians. Please reach out to your Councillor and tell them not to be distracted by this motion, and to focus on the real task at hand: Approving all of the recommendations of the Calgary Housing Strategy on September 14 and beyond.
You can learn more about getting involved at our housing strategy page.