Rezoning Public Hearing: Thank You For Showing Up

Today (April 7) marked the close of public submissions for Council’s public hearing on city‑wide zoning.

I want to begin with a genuine thank you to everyone who took time to participate — whether you spoke at City Hall, submitted written comments, attended one of our Ward 8 open houses, or reached out directly.

People showed up with care, conviction, and a real desire to shape Calgary’s future. Even when views differed sharply, what stood out was a shared commitment to this city and to one another. City-building only works when people are willing to care, share their perspectives, and engage respectfully — and that was evident throughout this process.

One thing has been clear throughout these conversations: growth isn’t optional — it’s already happening.

Calgary is growing quickly, and with that growth comes real pressure on housing, infrastructure, services, and public finances. How we respond matters. So does how clearly we set expectations for what growth looks like, where it happens, and how it’s managed over time.

An important part of navigating change is aligning community expectations — being honest about what growth requires, what tradeoffs exist, and how the benefits and impacts of redevelopment are shared. Without that clarity, even well-intentioned policies can feel disruptive or unfair at the neighbourhood level.

People spoke consistently about the challenges of rapid growth, including the tension between inward growth and continued sprawl, and the reality that a city with a very large footprint must make careful, financially responsible decisions. Maintaining aging infrastructure, delivering services efficiently, and keeping the city affordable — now and decades from now — are pressing needs that only become more urgent as Calgary grows.

At the same time, residents shared how redevelopment is being experienced on the ground, in very practical ways:

• pressure on on-street parking,
• waste and recycling impacts,
• loss of mature trees and green space,
• high lot coverage and tall buildings,
• construction fatigue, noise, and nuisances,
• concerns about final built form and neighbourhood fit,
• and widespread confusion around backyard suites, secondary suites, and how units are counted.

These perspectives aren’t in opposition to growth — they are part of understanding how growth is lived, street by street and block by block.

What I’ve heard most clearly is this: people aren’t saying “no” to change. They’re saying we need larger, collective conversations about how growth happens, what fair and well-designed redevelopment looks like, and how we manage change as a city — not just project by project or vote by vote.

Those conversations don’t fit neatly into yes or no questions. And they lead directly to the work that still lies ahead.

While public submissions have now wrapped up, this process continues. Council still has Questions for Administration, followed by Debate, possible Amendments, and Motions Arising — which will begin again tomorrow (Wednesday).

It was also clear that complex city-building conversations aren’t well served by binary debates, or by bundling the question of whether to repeal zoning together with potential changes to land-use rules. That structure created confusion and limited the space for solutions focused discussion.

No matter how Council ultimately votes, my commitment is this:

My office will keep working to address the issues you raised — regardless of the outcome.

That means staying focused on:

• clearer and more consistent rules,
• better enforcement and accountability,
• stronger design and built form outcomes,
• growth that supports affordability and fiscal responsibility,
• and engagement that feels early, meaningful, and respectful.

City building is complex. It requires listening, learning, and adjusting — together. I remain committed to approaching this work with care, humility, and a focus on solutions that reflect both our collective needs and people’s lived experiences.

Thank you again to everyone who participated. I’ll continue to share updates as Council’s work continues.

Sincerely,
Nathaniel Schmidt
City of Calgary Ward 8 Councillor 
Calgary.ca/Ward8