Shadows, density and transit: Council hears concerns about proposed Glenmore Landing redevelopment
More than 50 residents signed up to speak at Tuesday's public hearing
City council heard from several dozen Calgarians on Tuesday during a public hearing focused on the contentious land-use change surrounding the Glenmore Landing shopping centre.
The opportunity for the public to speak directly to council comes before a council vote on the outline plan for the expanded footprint of the development, which is near the southeast corner of Glenmore Reservoir.
The area's city councillor, Kourtney Penner, said the day's discussion would focus on what should be allowed on the south and east sides of Glenmore Landing, bordering the roadways, not the shoreline.
"This is in response to what we heard from residents, that they thought an entire site coming forward for a land use change at one time was too much," she told CBC Radio's the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday morning.
"So this is that compromise in hearing feedback from residents to say, OK, let's focus on what the development would be over the next 10 to 15 years, and anything beyond that horizon we'll have a policy document that would guide it."
The 5.48 acres (2.22 hectares) of land is along the east and south of the shopping plaza, parallel to 14th Street and 90th Avenue S.W.
Earlier this year, council approved plans to sell the city-owned green spaces to RioCan. The sale has not yet been completed.
The development plan — proposed by RioCan, which owns the plaza — is to build six mixed-use highrises along the sides of 14th Street and 90th Avenue S.W., just south of Heritage Park, adding over 1,100 residential units in the coming decades.
RioCan hopes to use that land to expand its redevelopment over the next 10 to 15 years.
Roughly 55 people were signed up to speak at the public hearing on Tuesday afternoon, with opponents expressing concerns about the density the new housing would create.
"Building six towers in an affluent neighbourhood will not be affordable housing, so the claim that these apartment buildings will be helping with Calgary's housing crisis … that's not going to hold water," said longtime resident of the Bayview community, Tracy Cherniawsky.
A large group of residents opposed to the proposal wore fluorescent yellow T-shirts into council chambers.
Many of them expressed concerns about the project's potential environmental impact on wildlife, as well as fears a denser residential area would create gridlock on nearby streets.
"These tall buildings cast daily shadows that reach all the way to the water across the bike and walking paths, adversely affecting the growth of trees and shrubs," said Carol Gordon, a member of the Palliser Bayview Pumphill Community Association.
"In winter, the shaded areas are places of black ice, a real safety hazard."
However, proponents of the plan cited the development's proximity to transit and other amenities, as well as Calgary's need for more housing amid a growing population.
Among the speakers in favour was Stephanie Chipeur, a disability law professor at the University of Calgary, who says the city needs more step-free entrances and units without stairs.
"I'm someone who has personal experience searching for accessible housing in Calgary, and I study the history of building code," Chipeur told council.
"For people like myself who can't walk and seniors who age into disability, we need housing in multi-family buildings like the ones in this development. We can't live in single-family homes and we can't live in townhouses when we can't walk up stairs any longer."
Chipeur noted the building code hasn't required townhouses and single-family homes to be built in an accessible way.
Another speaker in favour of the development was Jakob Fushtey, chair of the advocacy group Calgary Transit Riders, who believes this could address the need for more density in areas close to amenities and transit.
"This proposal will create exactly the kind of transit-oriented community Calgary needs," said Fushtey.
"To every councillor who voted against blanket rezoning, mixed-market TOD [transit-oriented development] like this is exactly what you said your constituents were asking for, instead of a townhouse next door. Ironically many of those same voices … will now stand in opposition to this very solution."
Council set to vote Wednesday
Many residents of the area said too much development is being proposed and there needs to be more work on a transportation plan in order to handle the expected growth.
When asked about residents' density concerns, Penner — who previously voted in favour of the land sale — said the population may grow over time by 2,000, which she compared to a large high school.
Penner believes the traffic that will be created should actually be less than what is seen around a high school.
"So when we think about where some of our high schools are located and traffic flow in and out of high schools, they happen during very constrained times, sort of 10- to 20-minute blocks," said Penner.
"When you think about a living situation where you have hours and retail, not everyone would be leaving the site necessarily at the same time, or even at all."
Due to the high volume of speakers who joined the public hearing, council is set to resume talks about the Glenmore Landing redevelopment, as well as vote on the matter, during Wednesday's council meeting.
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With files from Scott Dippel