Edmonton may revise zoning bylaw to reduce mid-block multi-family units
A number of Edmonton city councillors are in favour of amending the city's contentious zoning bylaw, in one way by reducing the number of allowable units in new multi-family buildings, from eight to six.
The zoning bylaw — a year-and-a-half old — allows developers to build eight-plexes in neighbourhoods across the city.
The revised zoning bylaw that went into effect in January 2024, reflects the city's goal to create more housing types and denser neighourhoods.
Michael Janz, Ward papastew councillor, raised a motion at the city's urban planning committee meeting Tuesday, to cap the number of units in the middle of a block.
"In the corners, you can still build bigger units but for the mid-block, it's a recognition that there are greater impacts on your neighbours mid-block," Janz told CBC News.
He said 80 per cent of the complaints he receives about infill have been about mid-block units.
"We want to see more density in the nodes and corridors, more density in the priority growth areas, more density on corners, not necessarily the unit maximum in a mid-block area."
The committee voted in favour of the motion, which goes before a public hearing June 30 for debate, along with other suggested amendments to the zoning bylaw.
But other councillors, not members of the urban planning committee, oppose the change at this time.
Coun. Anne Stevenson said it's still too early to gauge the outcome of developments.
"I'm not sure exactly which problems we're trying to solve with this. I know that there are concerns around parking," Stevenson told CBC News Tuesday.
"At this point we have a very, very small sample size of units that have actually been completed and occupied. So I don't think at this point we know how those will work, what impacts they'll have."
Zoning bylaw update
The committee was discussing a report that provided an update on developments over the past five years.
It shows the city issued 555 development permits in 2024 for housing, resulting in 2,403 new residential dwelling units.
More than half of the approved units were for row housing, the report says.
The number of housing units approved in 2024 doubled from 2023, the report shows.
"Since 2019 there has been an increase in all forms of multi-dwelling housing, including backyard, semi-detached and row housing developments," the report says.
Members of the public spoke at the urban planning committee, some in support and some in opposition to limiting the number of units.
Jan Hardstaff, a resident of Belgravia, said the rate of development over the past year has been overwhelming to communities.
"There has been a surge in eight-plexes are not compatible mid-block to surrounding development," Hardstaff told the committee. "They are alarmed, anxious and angry at what they are seeing, and they are experiencing real negative impacts."
Janz and Stevenson say council will consider future revisions to the zoning bylaw when needed.
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