Alberta government to force Edmonton to change rules encouraging multiplex construction
The Alberta government has announced it will temporarily force Edmonton to restrict the growth of infill development and review its approach to infill going forward.
The City of Edmonton overhauled its zoning bylaw to make it easier for more housing to be built, streamlining requirement and allowing multiplexes to be built on residential lots across the city.
But during a news conference Thursday, Premier Danielle Smith said the province is directing the city to repeal its zoning bylaw and revert to parameters that were in place before 2024. The province is also directing Edmonton to restore minimum on-site parking requirements that were in place before 2020.
Smith said her government is responding to residents who have complained about the character of their communities changing.
"While Edmonton has taken some steps to amend portions of its bylaws and lessen the impact in established neighborhoods, the overall approach to infill remains in place," Smith said.
"And let me be clear: the goal should not simply be more housing, but more housing that is planned and integrated in a way that works for both existing residents as well as future families."
Edmonton will have three months to amend its bylaw.
The provincial government is also requiring the City of Calgary to maintain its current pre-2024 bylaw framework, which means "returning to reasonable density and height rules, common sense minimum parking requirements and considerations for utilities and water infrastructure requirements," she said.
That city, which recently repealed blanket rezoning, will be directed to create an overlay identifying lands restored to previous low-density residential zones. This ensures requirements for housing types, building heights and parking remain in place, while its broader land-use review continues, Smith said.
As part of the interim measures announced Thursday, Alberta's two largest municipalities will also be directed to comprehensively review their land-use bylaws to develop a "more balanced" approach to infill development, Smith said.
Edmonton will have 18 months for its review, while Calgary’s broader review, which is currently underway, is planned to be completed in 2027.
Smith made Thursday's announcement in Edmonton, where the scale of recent infill development has been controversial.
Supporters say the new zoning rules have led to record levels of housing being built and Edmonton maintaining its affordability. Critics have argued that large multiplexes and multi-storey buildings have strained the city's established and historic neighbourhoods.
In response to residents' frustrations, Edmonton city council has made some changes to the rules, reducing height requirements in small-scale residential zones and placing stricter setback rules for new builds.
Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams said Thursday that it's unusual for the province to intervene on municipal development bylaws, but necessary in this case to ensure new housing balances Albertans’ goal of home ownership in safe, affordable and livable communities.
"This announcement is about restoring the possibility for Alberta to grow in a thoughtful and balanced way. It's about giving Albertans a voice before their neighborhoods are permanently changed," he said.
The move isn't about dictating exactly what municipal residential zoning bylaws should say, he said. "Instead, it's a pause; it's a reset."
Williams credited Calgary's city council for acknowledging these concerns and repealing its 2024 rezoning changes. He said Edmonton must backtrack further on its bylaws and do more to mitigate the impacts of infill on mature neighbourhoods.
Edmonton's city administration has argued that higher-density development is needed to accommodate rapid population growth in the city and reduce the costs associated with escalating urban sprawl.
But Williams said the pace and scale of high-density development in the city has been "too far, too fast."
Rewinding creates uncertainty: expert
Edmonton's zoning bylaw reduced the number of zones in the city in order to make development more straightforward and less complex, according to Damian Collins, a housing scholar and University of Alberta professor of human geography.
Undoing that work will create a lot of uncertainty, with investment decisions — made based on the current rules — now in question, Collins told CBC News.
"Even if you don't like eight-plexes that much, the zoning bylaw deals with a lot more than just that specific housing type," he said.
Bringing back mandatory parking requirements could slow down development and create extra costs, he added.
Edmonton mayor responds
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack decried Thursday's announcement during a separate news conference. He said the province's "uninformed directive" will make the city less affordable, drive up property taxes and create months of uncertainty for Edmontonians.
"I am not entirely convinced the premier knows what she is doing, or what the consequences will be. What the premier is flirting with would cause tremendous chaos," he said.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack reacts to a provincial directive that the City of Edmonton repeal its zoning bylaw. (Mrinali Anchan/CBC)
The city is growing rapidly, he said, and each new suburb requires the development of expensive infrastructure — the cost of which is, ultimately, passed on to taxpayers. He said the city must focus on "smart growth" that relies on existing infrastructure, reduces sprawl and maintains affordability.
He added that now isn't the time for "partisan fights" over municipal development issues that provincial officials are not equipped to manage.
"I am focused on stable leadership and a predictable investment climate, at a time when our province is already facing so much uncertainty," he said, referring to the upcoming provincial referendum, which includes a question about Alberta's place within Canada.
Knack urged Smith to pause the initiative and work alongside city council, saying decisions about Edmonton neighbourhoods should not be made at the provincial cabinet level.
Celebration and frustration
Critics of Edmonton's zoning bylaw, who have been protesting its effects and urged the province to step in, cheered after hearing Smith announce the directive Thursday morning.
Jaclyn Soroka, a co-founder of Edmonton Neighbourhoods United, which is against the zoning changes, thanked the government for listening to residents' concerns. She said the group is not opposed to growth or change, but wants it to be responsible.
"This is about thoughtful city planning; something that affects every Edmontonian regardless of their political beliefs," Soroka said.
Jacob Dawang, an advocate with Grow Together Edmonton, which favoured the changes, said the province's announcement amounts to a war on housing affordability in Alberta's capital city.
Bylaw supporters fought hard to advocate for its passing, turning up to public hearings — as critics did — and are now feeling frustrated, he said.
A return to the old rules will lead to far fewer housing units being created, he added.
"By not building these housing options for people who can't afford a single-family home, and reducing it back to a trickle, we will be systematically excluding people from our neighbourhoods," Dawang said.
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