Planning & Development notifications
Planning & Development is continually working to improve the way The City communicates with citizens about land use and development applications in their community.
Current work
The City of Calgary will be launching new options to improve communication with citizens about land use and development applications that are more visual, engaging, use plain language, and maintain The City of Calgary brand.
Providing coordinated, easy to understand information regarding potential changes in a community due to a proposed development will create better awareness and increase opportunities for citizens to participate in the planning process.
Citizens will receive the same simplified information, in both style and content, whether it is in a letter, on a sign, or on Calgary.ca which will create better awareness and increase opportunities for citizens to participate in the planning process.
What citizens will see
Newspaper advertisements will change
The City will no longer be publishing long lists of addresses for development permit notification in the newspaper. Instead, we will be using digital channels and other forms of advertising to encourage citizens to use our online listings to get updated information about development in their community.
Letters will be edited
Updated and redesigned letters will be used that help provide clearer information and make it easier to understand what the letter recipients are able to do with the information (go to a public hearing, submit comments, appeal a decision etc.).
Online information will be improved
Calgarians can find out about development happening in their neighbourhoods by visiting Calgary.ca/pdmap. This map shows information on all types of development applications in an easy to navigate map format. Calgarians can also submit comments at various stages of the applications directly through this tool.
Timelines
- 2017 December: New notices were launched
- 2018 March: Land Use Bylaw Amendments approved to permit notice posting. Motion Arising to re-design other notifications
- 2018 March – September: Research, feedback and redesign process completed
- 2018 October 1: Standing Policy Committee on Planning and Urban Development report
- 2018 December 10: Public Hearing of Council, report and recommendations were approved
- 2019 March 28: Transition to new notifications to begin
Background
Council, citizens, communities, and Administration have raised concerns that the development notifications (letters, newspaper advertisements and signage on site etc.) sent to citizens and communities are hard for citizens and communities to understand. It is not always clear what is proposed, or how they can get involved in the planning process.
Posting a notice at the location of the application is one way The City informs citizens about development activity in a community. Beginning in 2017 Q4, new notices were launched that are larger, incorporate plain language descriptions, and include a map.
On 2018 March 19, Administration took Land Use Bylaw amendments forward to Council (PUD2017-1140) to facilitate the posting of the new development permit large format notices by customers. The revised designs were approved and will be implemented in the fall of 2018. During this discussion, it was requested through a motion arising to move forward with amending additional notifications.
This work was completed in 2018 and was brought to Council on 10 December 2019 and was approved at that time.
For media inquiries, please call 403-828-2954