Below is a copy of the letter sent to Calgary City Council regarding rezoning.
To Calgary City Council:
The Tuscany Community Association welcomes this opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal to rezone most of the residential lots in our community from R-1 to R-CG. We do not believe that it is appropriate to recommend how we would like Council to vote, but would like them to be aware of the following concerns that we have heard from residents on this issue.
First, we believe in the fundamental principle that everyone who lives in our city, whether by choice or by circumstance, has a home. We cannot reach our full potential as a community unless everyone has the opportunity to grow and thrive and access to stable shelter is a key component in being able to do that.
Second, we respect the concerns of those who are wondering how the proposed rezoning may impact their neighbourhood. They have made significant investments in time and money to their property and feel like what they have built is now under threat. These concerns should not be dismissed, but met in a thoughtful manner. This includes impacts to infrastructure that wasn’t built to accommodate the potential population increase, accessibility of community amenities, and how impacts to stormwater drainage will be managed. We ask that the potential impact of population growth on current community infrastructure and amenities be addressed during the public hearing.
Finally, we have concerns about how the proposed rezoning in Tuscany has been communicated. Specifically, in the notice that each home received saying that their R-1 home would be rezoned to R-CG, the accompanying brochure stated that in communities built after 1985, the rezoning category that would apply would be R-G. Tuscany began construction in 1996 and the last open parcel is currently being developed. We would like to know why R-G is not the applicable category, as there is no such thing as a ‘typical 50’ lot’ here. If appropriate, we would ask for consideration of changing the zoning category of our community to R-G. If more time is required to consider this specific situation, we request that Tuscany be exempted from the current blanket rezoning recommendation until it can be resolved.
We are grateful to be living in a neighbourhood that is filled with people with many different lived experiences and we want everyone in our city to have an opportunity to make a good life here. We look forward to hearing your responses to our community’s concerns and questions.
Sincerely,
The Tuscany Community Association