Calgary councillors approve Westbrook Local Area Plan after lengthy public hearing – Calgary | 24CA News

A plan to information future redevelopment in a number of southwest Calgary communities has been given the inexperienced mild from metropolis council, after some pushback from residents throughout a public listening to at metropolis corridor.

The metropolis’s Westbrook Local Area Plan goals to direct 30 years of future improvement and progress in ten southwest communities, to deal with a inhabitants decline in these areas during the last 50 years.

The ten communities included within the plan are: Glenbrook, Glendale, Killarney/Glengarry, Richmond, Rosscarrock, Shaganappi, Spruce Cliff, Westgate, Wildwood and Upper Scarboro/Sunalta West.

According to metropolis information, the inhabitants of these communities peaked at 37,619 in 1968, however noticed a 4.1 per cent inhabitants decline to 36,058 folks by 2019.

A metropolis report stated solely Killarney and Spruce Cliff have extra folks residing there than they did 40 to 50 years in the past.

“By supporting increased density in key locations, such as transit stations, main streets and activity centres, and gradual growth within neighbourhoods, population in the Westbrook Communities can start to recover, reversing trends of school closures and loss of neighbourhood amenities,” a metropolis report stated.

Although the plan wouldn’t rezone any properties within the communities, it highlights sure areas the place increased density housing choices like rowhouses and multi-unit properties could be allowed to be constructed.

More than 30 residents and representatives from the communities included within the plan have been readily available at metropolis corridor Tuesday for a public listening to.

Many residents, together with Glendale Community Association president Chris Welner, voiced their opposition to the plan.

“We don’t really feel like community concerns have been listened to,” Welner instructed Global News.

Concerns assorted between the town’s session course of, elevated visitors and parking points resulting from density, and the way the plan might impression communities largely made up of single household properties.

“Developers will be able to come to city council when they want to change the zoning of a property, armed with a policy that says they can do it,” Welner stated.

“Erecting rowhouses or four-storey apartment blocks exactly where the policy says; those kind of things are going to break apart our communities in the long run.”

Wildwood Community Association president Matt Stambaugh stated the communities aren’t against densification, however do have issues concerning the plan’s software throughout the completely different communities in its scope.

“The perception will be, ‘established communities fear change’ — nothing could be further from the truth,” Stambaugh instructed council.

“Established communities care for their communities, have an incredibly engaged group of community members, and have reasonable concerns about the pace and scale of the proposed densification.”

The plan additionally pushes for extra improvement round Westbrook Mall and CTrain station, in addition to “continued incremental evolution and change” inside residential areas, and better density improvement alongside fundamental streets and busier roads like 17 Avenue S.W.

The plan did obtain some assist in the course of the public listening to, together with from Capital City Shopping Centres Ltd., which owns Westbrook Mall, and the Shaganappi Community Association.

The metropolis stated the plan is a tailor-made method to introduce extra density and progress within the space.

“While many people west of 37 Street are hoping that development pressures will not grow and emerge in their communities, this is not realistic,” Ward 6 Coun. Richard Pootmans stated.

“Fundamental market forces will prevail as access to transportation and proximity to the core will inevitably drive development forward.”

“Policies will be monitored and, when attorned by administration, be updated in a continuous improvement process.”

Councillors voted 12-to-two in favour of the Westbrook Local Area Plan with Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean and Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu voting in opposition.

The plan will return to council for closing approval at a later date.

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