Critics Charge Council With Selling Out to Land Developers Over PlanIt
Markham Hislop, for the SE Calgary News
November 3rd, 2009
Nine units per acre versus 11.3. That little formula represents changes to the municipal development plan recently adopted by City Council as part of Plan It. It is also the subject of a huge debate in Calgary. On the one side is the development industry, and its supporters on Council, who argued that 11.3 UPA was too high, that not enough Calgarians want to live in multi-family dwellings. Or that the lower number is a floor and that many new communities are already being planned for higher density without the City dictating it. On the other side are the critics who say Calgary can no longer grow in a great suburban sprawl, that the city must have a higher population density in the future, and more dense communities actually save taxpayers money and lead to a more advanced infrastructure, such as public transit. Critics also allege that civic governance is not transparent and accountable, and that developers exercise too much influence on Council.
Lookit how articulate Fox-Mellway is!